Three Ideas for the Creative Mind
I
When I first committed to my creative practice, I knew only that I wanted to make images. The rest was uncertainty.
Community1, a good library2, and adult education helped me find my footing. Returning to class after decades—first online, then in person—was humbling but rewarding.
Finding the right peers took longer, but persistence paid off. When I finally met my people, the connection was instant. Few understand the joy of debating the perfect backpack for a photo trip; most just smile politely and move on.
II
Like most independents, I wear many hats—from writer to accountant. The trick has been building solid systems and outsourcing what I can. The hardest lesson: fail fast, adjust, move on3.
III
Discipline keeps my work steady; purpose gives it direction. Most mornings I rise at 5:30—sometimes prompted by Juno—and spend an hour reading, writing, or refining my web site before we walk. That rhythm grounds the day. Over time my purpose has shifted from *crafting fine images* to *crafting fine stories*—less process drift than quiet evolution.
One or Two Quotes
I
“Art is born of constraint, lives on struggle, and dies of freedom.”
— André Gide
II
“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.”
— Julia Cameron
In the Spotlight
Our walk from Midtown East to the Upper West Side of Manhattan on a gloriously sunny morning did not disappoint—nor did the pizza at Mama’s TOO!. I had a slice of their House pie and their Poached Pear pie—both utterly divine.
On the way, I found both a perfect coffee in Central Park and this classic view of Midtown Manhattan—a scene familiar to many New Yorkers.
How does a visual artist make the familiar interesting?
In street photography, it often comes down to waiting for interesting moments. I prefer arranging people in interesting ways—an idea borrowed from Stephen Shore and Massimo Vitali.
For landscapes and city scenes, you can wait for unusual light or weather patterns—practical in the wild, less so in urban environments. One of my best ideas I borrowed from David Hockney, whose paintings guide the eye through colour, tone, and blur. These tools are open to any colourist who understands a camera intimately. I used all of them in my interpretation of this classic Midtown view4.
That’s a wrap—thanks for reading. As ever, if you know anyone who’s into photography, visual storytelling, or collecting finely crafted prints, please share this email. Or simply hit reply to say hi or share your thoughts.
Johan du Preez
As images shared on Substack are downloadable, I’ll only link to my gallery images. Any proofs or off-cuts that don’t meet my quality standards will be shared as usual.