Behind the Lens & Pen
As part of my new blog section on creativity, I plan to start writing about some of my favorite artists. My favorites may include photographers, painters, illustrators, or even writers. I feel creativity knows no limits and cannot be contained to just one select group.
Today I would like to begin by writing about one of the people I admire most for both their creativity and talent,  Annie Leibovitz. Her ability to bring out the best in her subjects is only surpassed by her creative use of lighting, composition, and props. Her work withRolling Stone and Vogue was without question among the best of the best in the field of photography. Annie has captured it all, from rare candid moments in a hotel room with Arnold baring his behind, to the forever famous photo of John and Yoko curled in an embrace taken the day he was murdered. Whether it’s a posed portrait capturing the true spirit of her subject, or random images of rock and roll royalty, Annie is unsurpassed in talent and creativity.
Her collection of work with Disney is nothing short of fabulous. Once again her use of lighting, props, and composition combined with a vibrant color palette, delivers magical photographs unlike any most of us have ever seen before. Annie most definitely raises the bar on the photography industry and gives those of us mere mortals something to strive for.
Her creativity is born out of a curiosity and desire to truly know the person she is photographing, from the inside out.
Another example of creativity is writing. I love to write and often find myself unable to stop a series of words from reciting themselves inside my head, until I put it on paper. This sometimes happens while I am trying to sleep. Actually that is most often when it happens! Writers can paint a picture in your mind and elicit emotions, and feelings with their words. This requires a great deal of creativity and imagination on the part of the writer. The writer needs to create a picture with noting but words on a page.
I believe the creativity required to perform such a delightful feat, is within all of us. If we tap into all of the experiences we have had over a lifetime, both good and bad, we would see we all have a wonderful story to tell.
Some of us tell a story with pen and paper, paint or clay, and some of us with a camera.
