Oh, and I've been in a grueling 4-month long photo block.
Try taking the thing you love to do most and NOT being able to do it, all because your brain burned out of ideas. It feels like you're trapped. Luckily my photo teacher (who has been my saving grace these past few months) has been lending me books and giving me ways to more "creative" I guess. I also have extremely supportive artist friends who have been ever so nice to me while I'm stuck in this creative rut.
But yesterday, something beautiful happened.
I had an IDEA.
It wasn't entirely my idea. I'll admit that. But I was inspired by this photo by Aaron Nace, and I made it my own by throwing a concept to it.
Now to the process.
We had a leftover jar of frosting after my mom made her friend a birthday cake, and we have an embarrassing supply of every type of sprinkle in the world.
I locked myself in my room and started scooping frosting out of the jar with my bare hands. I slopped it on my face and proceeded to decorate myself with sprinkles. THEN I threw some candles in the mix (literally) and to be honest, my cat looked terrified of me.
I got frosting all over everything. There are still bits of it on my camera, my dresser, even my bed. Honestly I never have to eat/see/smell anything vanilla in my life ever. I swear I can still smell it on my hands.
As weird as this shoot was, I'm really starting to see how I want my photography to be. I want viewers to look at them and feel something. I want them to connect to my photos, and say "this reminds me of (insert memory/book/person/tv show/song here)!" I want them to be raw, real, but imaginative. I want to bury ideas and memories under each photo, and for viewers to dig up their own meaning.
It's raw. It's real. It's really, really weird. But I love it.
xx,
Sarah