William Oldacre Photography

Tag: release

  • Intuition

    Intuition

    abstract expressionism, city street, urban, movement, motion, yellow, mauve, blue, vibrant
    Unnamed Seventeen, 2017 — Sidelong :: (click to see more)

    It’s been really difficult for me to articulate thoughtfully about the images I make. I realize now it’s because I largely operate intuitively. Much of what I do and everything I pursue is all based on intuition. I do it because it feels like the right thing to do. I decide on images based on how they feel to me.

    This is likely why editing a body of work is so difficult for me. I have a strong emotional attachment to everything I’ve made and have trouble releasing it when it doesn’t sufficiently communicate my goal.

    I accidentally stumbled upon a method that seems to work for editing a body of work. I leave the images alone for several months – so I kind of forget about them, distance myself and lose some emotional attachment. Then I can be dispassionate in my evaluation.

    So much emotion in everything I do.

  • Discovery

    Discovery

    Convergent series, day, colour photograph, art, abstract, abstract expressionism, creative, city street, urban, downtown, cityscape, speed, blur, movement, motion, green, orange, yellow, muted, smear, wedges, shape
    Summer Thunderstorm, 2014 – Convergent :: (click to see more)

    Someone I know saw me early in the beginning of working on Convergent and asked me about the unusual camera rig I was carrying around. I shyly mumbled something about it looking more interesting than it really was and changed the topic. And yet if you were to ask me about say my basement renovation project I would have proudly gone on at length.

    Reflecting on this, I believe it’s because building for me is goal oriented – there is a definite direction and absolute conclusion, whereas creative work is not goal oriented. Yes, there is a visualization which does serve as a compass heading but for me creativity is an exploration and a process of discovery. If I say too much out loud I’ll lose momentum – like releasing pressure from a tire the process will go flat. I know this is weird but it seems to be my reality with creative projects. There’s an internal turmoil – a tornado that’s swirls inside me, trying to find resolution with nowhere to release except through creative solution. If I let it out otherwise, it loses potency and I lose direction and focus.

    Much of the time I can’t even articulate what I’m doing either – a good deal of what I’m trying is intuitive which I typically can’t explain until later, after contemplating the results.