It happens often, to most artists – getting stuck. You hit some kind of wall and can’t for the life of you drag any creative ideas out of your head. Taking photos of the space around you is a great shortcut to getting going again which is fast and easy.

One approach you can take to observing the world around you is timelapse photography. A few weeks ago Andrew Ginther, one of our new Distance Delivery mentors, popped his camera on a tripod and recorded the day as it passed by.

Timelapses are a really interesting way of recording change. There are a number of artists who’ve worked with the idea of capturing things over time, as they evolve or metamorphosis. Some good ones to look at are:

• Camilo Jose Vergara, who has been returning to the same locations in Harlem for years, to photograph what has changed.
• Ollie Larkin, who makes timelapse sequences with camera movements.
• Cinematographer Ron Fricke, who shot the film “Koyaanisqatsi” and directed “Chronos” and “Baraka”, all of which use timelapse sequences as part of the visual narrative.
• Film Director Peter Greenaway who used extensive time lapse sequences of decaying animals in his film “Zed and Two Noughts”.

Many scientists also use timelapse photography as a way of documenting natural processes. There are a number of amazing timelapses on youtube, including a trailer for a DVD about John Ott, who pioneered many timelapse techniques.

You might think it’s a bit complex, but there are many ways to capture timelapse imagery. You will need some equipment but you can get away with surprisingly little, especially if you have a webcam. There are a couple of good websites which have helpful instructions…
http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/ultimate-guide-to-time-lapse-photography/
http://digital-photography-school.com/an-introduction-to-time-lapse-photography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-lapse
http://www.sciencephotography.com/how2do2.shtml

When am I in the right mood to create something? The answer is invariably RIGHT NOW! That’s the very moment when creativity strikes. It can be any time at all. That’s why I always carry a camera around. Never let an opportunity go by. Some of the most interesting images I’ve created were when I was feeling off colour that day or something else wasn’t going right. Creativity isn’t something you do when the world is at peace and the sun is shining. It’s not an activity that will necessarily change the world (although never doubt that it can).

I’m advocating Nowism. I’m convinced it’s all there is worth paying attention to. Nowism is not Yesterdayism. Nor is it Tomorrowism. Nowism is the new way. It’s going to get absolutely everything done from now to the end of time. Yesterdayism is what happened yesterday or the day before or the day before that. You can read about it in the newspapers and chances are somebody will have an opinion about it. But don’t let it fill your day. Yesterdayism is safe and nice and dull. Nowism is dangerous and not very easy to get hold off. The twin forces of Yesterdayism and Tomorrowism are trying to pull Nowism limb from limb. Anything to stop you getting at it and using it for yourself.

Nowism isn’t waiting around for somebody else to make it happen. Nowism is all you have. Yesterdayism is a myth. It’s gone. It’s already happened. It doesn’t exist anymore. Tomorrowism is a hoax. There isn’t anything there at all. Just what might be. Take up all your “Could’s”, “Should’s” and “maybe’s” and throw then away. Do it. “Now” happens to be one of the simplest and least complicated words in the English language. I bet you knew what “now” meant way before you knew the meaning of “yesterday” or “tomorrow”. “Now” is much easier to spell too. Babies and kittens probably can’t understand anything else. All they know is “Now” It’s all they’ve got. Adults think they’re much smarter than that. They think that because they have Yesterdayism and Tomorrowism lying around to use up that Nowism isn’t as important. So become a fan of “”Nowism”? Be a “Nowist”.

What are you doing right now?