Comments welcomed and encouragedLooking for that signature style of work is one of those, long drawn out processes that never seems to be far from my mind.
Taking the hint from a choice few successful photographers, and artists (including musicians) I've been on the path of signature creation for the past few years. I'm truly not sure if I have settled for any one style of shooting, but I am recently recognizing work that I know is NOT what I would like to call my style. Most of it is typical of that shown on Instagram and similar public forums. After a while (and a few hundred images) they all kind of look like they came from the same source. There's just not anything "unique" about them. Sometimes I find myself stopping in the middle of a shoot once I realize that the image on the screen looks not unlike everything on the Instagram feeds. It screams copycat and I instantly put a halt to the process. The last thing I want to create is something bland and without merit. The status quo deserves zero attention. The purple cow deserves all my attention. Whenever I grab a new bottle I am interested only in creating more of that elusive purple cow goodness. If I'm only making images that allow me to "fit in", I'm inevitably making no progress. Don't know what I mean by "purple cow"? Take a few minutes to search for the book by Seth Godin, called "Purple Cow". If you want to make any headway as a creator, entrepreneur, business owner etc, go grab a copy. You'll be thanking me later. Anyway, searching for style is another way of saying that I'm always hoping to create that purple cow. The work that stands apart, and deserves comments and attention. Work that is remarkable. Work that is worthy of making a remark about. It's this sort of art that spreads amongst a choice audience. I am not trying to appeal to a big audience. That, after all would be a fool's errand and would lead to going absolutely no place. Making art for the smallest viable market would be the smartest action for me and for you, if you are intent on gaining the attention of a certain market. As I go through this process, it seems that with each image I create, I am getting closer to the type of work that speaks to me and is a strong representation of my "style". The work that is worthy of remark. Today it is a bottle of scotch whisky. Tomorrow it might be some rum or a cold glass of beer. The niche is obvious but the style is still a challenge. Cheers Comments are closed.
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Mike Taylor
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Mike Taylor Photo Arts
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