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3 Keys for Artistic Growth – Look, Speak, Listen

Creativity, Workshop  Comment
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How do you help people make more authentic work? The most important thing to do is to find out where they are now and what they need most. How do you find this out? Look at their work. Listen to them speak. Watch them work. You can do the same for someone else.
You can do all of this for yourself. Look, speak, listen. Look at yourself looking. Listen to yourself speaking. Listen to yourself listening. Make notes. Do this without judgement. Just become more aware of yourself and your process. Simply becoming more aware of your process, both external and internal, helps you make more authentic work. You discover your voice. Make time and space for your voice. It’s extremely rewarding.
Find out more about Focus on Nature here.
Get Priority Status for all 2009 workshops now by emailing einar@focusonnature.is.

Make Time to Review Your Work

Alumni, Workshop  Comment
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Images (left to right, top to bottom) – Jim Graham, Andree Laliberte, Ginette Vachon, Barbara Myriam.
This week’s workshop participants are all longtime alumni of my workshops. It’s a small intimate group – Ginette Vachon (Swiss based veteran world travel photographer), Andree Laliberte (Canadian installation artist), Barbara DeAngelu (Columbian mystic and Photoshop beta tester), and Jim Graham (Maryland based Pulitzer nominated photojournalist). They know each other before they arrived, either directly or from online exchanges.
After two days of being overstimulated by dramatic environments (continental rifts, volcanic coastlines, geothermal lagoons, steam vents, and paint pots, moss covered valleys) and working in challenging weather (wind and rain) this group had the wisdom to slow down. Recharge, Regroup. And focus. We reviewed (shared images and feedback) each other’s work. We reviewed the work we’ve done so far in Iceland. We identified what’s working and what’s not. We made an action plan for the coming days with a list of things to watch, things to try, and specific work to concentrate on to ensure that the images we come away with are not only technically good but also advance our individual visions and bodies of work. Now that’s focus. That’s time well spent. In a stimulating environment, few have the discipline to take this time. But taking this time helps you make quantum leaps.
At the end of the day, we went back to one of the first locations more informed and more focussed.
Find out more about Focus on Nature here.
Get Priority Status for all 2009 workshops now by emailing einar@focusonnature.is.

Get Local Information – Part 3 – Ellert Gretarsson

Destination - Iceland, Workshop  Comment
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Focus On Nature’s creator Einar Erlandson enlisted professional photographer Ellert Gretarsson to help guide us on location in Iceland. Ellert recently won the … in the … He’s enchanted with the colors of nature. So, he guided us to his hot spots in Iceland. It rained all day. We got soaked. And came away with gold, and blue, and red, and green … you get the idea. He was able to describe how the colors changed in varying weather and light conditions. It’s clear that Iceland is not only incredibly rich visually but that it’s also highly changeable. It’s going to take more than one trip to Iceland to experience all that Iceland has to offer – maybe a lifetime. When local’s share their experiences you learn, experience and share more. My advice? Get to know the locals. And have fun doing it!
Find out about Ellert Gretarsson here.
Find out more about Focus on Nature here.
Get Priority Status for all 2009 workshops now by emailing einar@focusonnature.is.

Access Collective Intelligence

Workshop  Comment
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Good workshop leaders know how to activate collective intelligence.
Access to collective intelligence is one of the most important aspects of workshop experiences. You go to the same locations using the same (or similar tools) and come away with different images. We all see the world differently. When you see the way other people see and what they have to go through to get there, your visual horizons are expanded.
We cordially engage in daily contests. Winning image of the day gets posted here. At the end of the day, we buy a drink for the person with the best image from a particular site or for the day. It’s all in fun and it drives us forward to try harder.
Can’t make it to a workshop right now? You can get some of this type of stimulation and feedback by photographing with friends.
Find out more about Focus on Nature here.
Get Priority Status for all 2009 workshops now by emailing einar@focusonnature.is.