AIC Stories

While success in our creative endeavors feels great, it’s actually the act of failing that brings us the most potential for larger long term success. It’s the act of “Failing Forward”.

I was chatting with my good friend Vincent, from the Because We Make Podcast and his fantastic website that includes a shop you really should bookmark and buy from, and he was telling me about a project he had been working on that pretty much bombed at the end of the day. It was using a material that can be a bit unpredictable and finicky, and at the end of the day it just fizzled and failed. 

But he wasn’t feeling upset or down like many of us would when we fail. In fact, he felt like he learned a ton from the project, even with it’s failure, and when I told him that the project was still a success because of that he agreed. In his words he had to just keep “Failing Forward”, because we don’t learn anything from the successes. 

Well, that’s not totally true… There is POTENTIAL to learn from success, but only if you can manage to approach it mentaly so that you don’t just end up patting yourself on the back or stroking your ego. If you can manage to step back and analyze the success the same way you analyze the failure and find things to learn about the process, it lets you add more knowledge to the old noggin for the next project. But it’s usually very difficult to pull anything super useful from the successes, Vincent is not wrong. 

But by embracing the Failing Forward mentality, having the ability to reset after a faiure to take stock of what actually went wrong. Seek out the things that worked well even if the rest flopped, and then figuring out how to do things differently for the next attempt, and you’ll be making progress towards mastery of your craft. No matter how big or small the steps forward are, as long as you are making progress, you are succeeding. 

So fail forward and WHEN you succeed take time to keep progressing forward as you learn how to improve upon what you’ve already done. Remember, failure isn’t the end. It’s just one more step forward in the long march toward mastery of your craft. 

If you would like to support me and you enjoy what you are seeing here, there are a couple simple ways to help! First, feel free to use those SHARE/TWEET buttons down below, share with the world what you enjoy! I sincerely appreciate it!

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

Have a follow up thought on anything I discussed or have a recommendation of a creative you’d love me to chat with? Shoot me an email and I’ll read it on the show! You can also find me on social media everywhere @davidszweduik, but I’m most active on Twitter so feel free to reach out and chat!

Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

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That’s right, get notified every time I publish a new article or episode so that you’ll never miss out on any of the discussions on the craft of photography, creativity, visual explorations and so much more! Join the fun, just hit the “JOIN THE ADVENTURE” button in the menu above, the footer below, or right here!

As a creative we can all use a litte pep talk now and then. Thankfully there are a million great thoughts to get your creative juices pumped up and excited to get creating. Here are five of my favorite quotes on creativity and why I enjoy them so much!

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"Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things." -- Ray Bradbury

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." -- Emile Zola

"Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use -- do the work you want to see done." -- Austin Kleon

"Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work." -- Rita Mae Brown

If you would like to support me and you enjoy what you are seeing here, there are a couple simple ways to help! First, feel free to use those SHARE/TWEET buttons down below, share with the world what you enjoy! I sincerely appreciate it!

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

Have a follow up thought on anything I discussed or have a recommendation of a creative you’d love me to chat with? Shoot me an email and I’ll read it on the show! You can also find me on social media everywhere @davidszweduik, but I’m most active on Twitter so feel free to reach out and chat!

Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

Theme Music:

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

That’s right, get notified every time I publish a new article or episode so that you’ll never miss out on any of the discussions on the craft of photography, creativity, visual explorations and so much more! Join the fun, just hit the “JOIN THE ADVENTURE” button in the menu above, the footer below, or right here!

As a creative we can all use a litte pep talk now and then. Thankfully there are a million great thoughts to get your creative juices pumped up and excited to get creating. Here are five of my favorite quotes on creativity and why I enjoy them so much!

----more----

"Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things." -- Ray Bradbury

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." -- Emile Zola

"Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use -- do the work you want to see done." -- Austin Kleon

"Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work." -- Rita Mae Brown

If you would like to support me and you enjoy what you are seeing here, there are a couple simple ways to help! First, feel free to use those SHARE/TWEET buttons down below, share with the world what you enjoy! I sincerely appreciate it!

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

Have a follow up thought on anything I discussed or have a recommendation of a creative you’d love me to chat with? Shoot me an email and I’ll read it on the show! You can also find me on social media everywhere @davidszweduik, but I’m most active on Twitter so feel free to reach out and chat!

Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

Theme Music:

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

That’s right, get notified every time I publish a new article or episode so that you’ll never miss out on any of the discussions on the craft of photography, creativity, visual explorations and so much more! Join the fun, just hit the “JOIN THE ADVENTURE” button in the menu above, the footer below, or right here!

This week we welcome back the fantastic Riley JB for another adventure as he fills us in on everything new and exciting in the world of a photographic time traveler practicing the mystic alchemy of tin type photography in a brand new studio!

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We also talk about why he’s no longer an Official Fujifilm X Photographer, the importance of working in a space surrounded by all manner of other creatives, and we find out that neither of us know a damn thing about popular modern day emoji culture!

Check out Riley’s work at:

– Instagram

– Stocksy United – First time buyers can use code “RILEYJB20” for 20% off!

– Website

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Cecil Beaton http://www.artnet.com/artists/cecil-beaton/

FilmGrab https://film-grab.com/

If you would like to support me and you enjoy what you are seeing here, there are a couple simple ways to help! First, feel free to use those SHARE/TWEET buttons down below, share with the world what you enjoy! I sincerely appreciate it!

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

Have a follow up thought on anything I discussed or have a recommendation of a creative you’d love me to chat with? Shoot me an email and I’ll read it on the show! You can also find me on social media everywhere @davidszweduik, but I’m most active on Twitter so feel free to reach out and chat!

Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

That’s right, get notified every time I publish a new article or episode so that you’ll never miss out on any of the discussions on the craft of photography, creativity, visual explorations and so much more! Join the fun, just hit the “JOIN THE ADVENTURE” button in the menu above, the footer below, or right here!

This week we welcome back the fantastic Riley JB for another adventure as he fills us in on everything new and exciting in the world of a photographic time traveler practicing the mystic alchemy of tin type photography in a brand new studio!

----more----

We also talk about why he’s no longer an Official Fujifilm X Photographer, the importance of working in a space surrounded by all manner of other creatives, and we find out that neither of us know a damn thing about popular modern day emoji culture!

Check out Riley’s work at:

– Instagram

– Stocksy United – First time buyers can use code “RILEYJB20” for 20% off!

– Website

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Cecil Beaton http://www.artnet.com/artists/cecil-beaton/

FilmGrab https://film-grab.com/

If you would like to support me and you enjoy what you are seeing here, there are a couple simple ways to help! First, feel free to use those SHARE/TWEET buttons down below, share with the world what you enjoy! I sincerely appreciate it!

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

Have a follow up thought on anything I discussed or have a recommendation of a creative you’d love me to chat with? Shoot me an email and I’ll read it on the show! You can also find me on social media everywhere @davidszweduik, but I’m most active on Twitter so feel free to reach out and chat!

Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

That’s right, get notified every time I publish a new article or episode so that you’ll never miss out on any of the discussions on the craft of photography, creativity, visual explorations and so much more! Join the fun, just hit the “JOIN THE ADVENTURE” button in the menu above, the footer below, or right here!

As a photographer these days it seems that everyone feels the need to label their art, and themselves. Are you a landscape photographer, street photographer, or wedding photographer? Why do we insist on labeling everything?

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Lenswork episode #1166 - I Am a Photographer

Brooks talks about how telling someone that he is a photographer often leads to them assuming he does one specific style of photography or another. 

Discussion on Twitter with James Tarry

We talked about street photography and where the line is between that and documentary or photojournalism. 

Enjoy what I do?

If you would like to support me and you enjoy what you are seeing here, there are a couple simple ways to help! First, feel free to use those SHARE/TWEET buttons down below, share with the world what you enjoy! I sincerely appreciate it!

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

Have a follow up thought on anything I discussed or have a recommendation of a creative you’d love me to chat with? Shoot me an email and I’ll read it on the show! You can also find me on social media everywhere @davidszweduik, but I’m most active on Twitter so feel free to reach out and chat!

Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

That’s right, get notified every time I publish a new article or episode so that you’ll never miss out on any of the discussions on the craft of photography, creativity, visual explorations and so much more! Join the fun, just hit the “JOIN THE ADVENTURE” button in the menu above, the footer below, or right here!

As a photographer these days it seems that everyone feels the need to label their art, and themselves. Are you a landscape photographer, street photographer, or wedding photographer? Why do we insist on labeling everything?

----more----

Lenswork episode #1166 - I Am a Photographer

Brooks talks about how telling someone that he is a photographer often leads to them assuming he does one specific style of photography or another. 

Discussion on Twitter with James Tarry

We talked about street photography and where the line is between that and documentary or photojournalism. 

Enjoy what I do?

If you would like to support me and you enjoy what you are seeing here, there are a couple simple ways to help! First, feel free to use those SHARE/TWEET buttons down below, share with the world what you enjoy! I sincerely appreciate it!

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

Have a follow up thought on anything I discussed or have a recommendation of a creative you’d love me to chat with? Shoot me an email and I’ll read it on the show! You can also find me on social media everywhere @davidszweduik, but I’m most active on Twitter so feel free to reach out and chat!

Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

That’s right, get notified every time I publish a new article or episode so that you’ll never miss out on any of the discussions on the craft of photography, creativity, visual explorations and so much more! Join the fun, just hit the “JOIN THE ADVENTURE” button in the menu above, the footer below, or right here!

The creative life can be messy. Sometimes things aren't flowing as smoothly as we'd like, sometimes it's a struggle. What we do in those moments is what defines us as a creative. 

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The creative life can be messy.

Extreme highs when creativity is flowing and we feel unstoppable. Extreme lows when self doubt creeps in, spreading it's negative blackness.

The stain of self doubt grows the more we try to clean it away, which leads to feelings of inadequacy, frustration, and questions of "Why am I even bothering?".

It's a spiral that can sometimes last an hour, a day, or in many cases it just spirals downwards hard and you find yourself feeling unable to ever climb out of that pit.

But sometimes.

Sometimes we have to remember the lessons learned in the most unlikely places.

The Matrix taught us the meaning of just doing something when Morpheus told Neo "Stop trying to hit me and HIT me".

https://youtu.be/12u1nA7bXzc

Master Yoda taught us something very similar years before : "Do. Or do not. There is no try."

https://youtu.be/BQ4yd2W50No

Sometimes all we have to do is remember that it's entirely up to us how to get out of that downward spiral. Like Nike says, "Just do it".

Since cinema and film are providing so much wisdom, as the director of YOUR life story, how does YOUR shot list look today? Storytelling is funny like that. Not every story is happy and joyful.

Sometimes they are dark, heart wrenching, and bleak. Just like moments in life.

Remember though, it's YOUR film, you're the director and the star. You're the hero and the villian, the love interest and lost lonely soul. It's all up to you how that story goes next.

Be the director, embrace each day and remember it's up to you to choose.

Be the one.

Enjoy what I do?

If you would like to support me and you enjoy what you are seeing here, there are a couple simple ways to help! First, feel free to use those SHARE/TWEET buttons down below, share with the world what you enjoy! I sincerely appreciate it!

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

Have a follow up thought on anything I discussed or have a recommendation of a creative you’d love me to chat with? Shoot me an email and I’ll read it on the show! You can also find me on social media everywhere @davidszweduik, but I’m most active on Twitter so feel free to reach out and chat!

Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

That’s right, get notified every time I publish a new article or episode so that you’ll never miss out on any of the discussions on the craft of photography, creativity, visual explorations and so much more! Join the fun, just hit the “JOIN THE ADVENTURE” button in the menu above, the footer below, or right here!

The creative life can be messy. Sometimes things aren't flowing as smoothly as we'd like, sometimes it's a struggle. What we do in those moments is what defines us as a creative. 

----more----

The creative life can be messy.

Extreme highs when creativity is flowing and we feel unstoppable. Extreme lows when self doubt creeps in, spreading it's negative blackness.

The stain of self doubt grows the more we try to clean it away, which leads to feelings of inadequacy, frustration, and questions of "Why am I even bothering?".

It's a spiral that can sometimes last an hour, a day, or in many cases it just spirals downwards hard and you find yourself feeling unable to ever climb out of that pit.

But sometimes.

Sometimes we have to remember the lessons learned in the most unlikely places.

The Matrix taught us the meaning of just doing something when Morpheus told Neo "Stop trying to hit me and HIT me".

https://youtu.be/12u1nA7bXzc

Master Yoda taught us something very similar years before : "Do. Or do not. There is no try."

https://youtu.be/BQ4yd2W50No

Sometimes all we have to do is remember that it's entirely up to us how to get out of that downward spiral. Like Nike says, "Just do it".

Since cinema and film are providing so much wisdom, as the director of YOUR life story, how does YOUR shot list look today? Storytelling is funny like that. Not every story is happy and joyful.

Sometimes they are dark, heart wrenching, and bleak. Just like moments in life.

Remember though, it's YOUR film, you're the director and the star. You're the hero and the villian, the love interest and lost lonely soul. It's all up to you how that story goes next.

Be the director, embrace each day and remember it's up to you to choose.

Be the one.

Enjoy what I do?

If you would like to support me and you enjoy what you are seeing here, there are a couple simple ways to help! First, feel free to use those SHARE/TWEET buttons down below, share with the world what you enjoy! I sincerely appreciate it!

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

Have a follow up thought on anything I discussed or have a recommendation of a creative you’d love me to chat with? Shoot me an email and I’ll read it on the show! You can also find me on social media everywhere @davidszweduik, but I’m most active on Twitter so feel free to reach out and chat!

Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

That’s right, get notified every time I publish a new article or episode so that you’ll never miss out on any of the discussions on the craft of photography, creativity, visual explorations and so much more! Join the fun, just hit the “JOIN THE ADVENTURE” button in the menu above, the footer below, or right here!

Want to know what one of the most powerful tools in your creative toolbox is? I’m going to share what that tool is by using an example given by the film Brightburn. Don’t worry, it’s a spoiler free episode!

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What happens when you take two or more known elements that don’t seem to fit together and find your own unique way to combine them into a whole new creative element? Magic. That’s what happens is pure, unadulterated, creative magic.

Episode 012 Unleashing your creative workflow in one simple step

If you would like to support me and you enjoy what you are seeing here, there are a couple simple ways to help! First, feel free to use those SHARE/TWEET buttons down below, share with the world what you enjoy! I sincerely appreciate it!

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

Have a follow up thought on anything I discussed or have a recommendation of a creative you’d love me to chat with? Shoot me an email and I’ll read it on the show! You can also find me on social media everywhere @davidszweduik, but I’m most active on Twitter so feel free to reach out and chat!

Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

That’s right, get notified every time I publish a new article or episode so that you’ll never miss out on any of the discussions on the craft of photography, creativity, visual explorations and so much more! Join the fun, just hit the “JOIN THE ADVENTURE” button in the menu above, the footer below, or right here!