A weekly note to inspire conversation about creativity and art.
Curiosity and creativity go hand-in-hand. Without our desire to learn something, much less to try something - we would never have the energy or knowledge to create. I’d argue that without one or the other you have a void. The expression, “curiosity killed the cat” has always hit me as giving curiosity a negative connotation. Why did the cat have to die just for being inquisitive? To me curiosity is practice of gaining more insight about something and experiencing life with a new perspective. Art is curious! A master painter could never reach their mastery without attempting a technique they had never tried before. To be an artist is to be curious about how things work.
Another aspect of curiosity and creativity is learning how to fail. We will all fail at first. We are humans after all. It’s the curiously that keeps us going. We will probably also not make anything GREAT the first time we attempt it. Honestly how boring would this life be if the first time we tried anything we mastered it? The curiosity in anything in life is what makes us feel something! I love this video with words by Ira Glass about the creative process.
It’s normal for it to be hard. Notice what you’re interested in and follow that. Be out for your own fun. Be out for your own curiosity. That’s the only way anything is going to be good.
📝 Here are some questions I’m pondering
Please answer any/all of them in the comments, or just add your own thoughts.
How can you use curiosity to become a better photographer?
Are you good about challenging yourself with new skills or do you need a nudge from other people?
Name an artist that inspires you to seek more creativity.
🖼️ Artist to know
Laura Paresky Gould is a graphic designer, animator, photographer, fine artist and entrepreneur based in Miami Beach. In her project called Miami Color Theory she makes photos of Miami architecture and it’s surroundings solely with her iPhone. Her colorful expression and use of color theory is brilliant and mesmerizing. She is also the author of the book Seeing Differently which you can explore more about here.
✨ I’m contemplating starting our book club for paid subscribers here with this book. Let me know what you think in the comments!
📌 Quote of the week
💡 Creative Exercise
Take 5 shots of a single object
Take an object in your house or outside. Anything that is there and appeals to you aesthetically.
Take the biggest number of unique images you can and then take 5 more merging the previous ideas.
🎁 For Paid Subscribers
First and foremost - A HUGE thank you to all of you for your support. It means so much to me and my work. To make this a place where you feel appreciated you will have access to the following beginning in January:
A bonus Butterfly Note each month with a mood board an playlist I am calling Field Notes (plus all the other letters I send, of course)
Ability to comment on my notes, posts, chats, threads, voicenotes, and prompts, interacting with me and with other members of the Butterfly Notes
Special zoom sessions, featuring AMAs (Ask Me Anything) and a book club chat group.
“Voicenotes” and/or a short video from me, in which I’ll share thoughts & tips with you
Share your own creative work and writings
Special discount on my upcoming photography course (coming March 2024)
*This is a space where you can linger and interact as little or as much as you want. Mostly it’s a space for me to share with you - and I love learning from you as well.
💬 and don’t forget the chat!
Welcome to The Butterfly Notes subscriber chat. This is a conversation space in the Substack app that I set up exclusively for paid subscribers — kind of like a group chat on Slack or Discord. As this community grows, I want you dear readers to have a place to connect with me and, more importantly, each other. Use this channel for creative conversation about photography and anything you’re curious about. If you're a subscriber here, chances are you'll meet a like-minded reader in the chat!
I will also have threads for Q&A and chat directly with me periodically. The meat of this will be in conjunction with my upcoming course & I am also planning a type of creative book club portion to be part of this coming in January. If you are a paid subscriber - all of this will be available to you.
To join our chat, you can to download the Substack app, now available for iOS and Android. Chats are sent via the app, not email.
You can also participate in the “Chat” section of your Substack dashboard on any web browser.
How to get started with the app
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Substack Chat is now available on both iOS and Android.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.
As always thank you for reading! Questions for me? Ask away!
Flutter On,
Sara