Here’s a cool little challenge I use when I’m feeling uninspired. The idea of it is to help me see shapes, colors, designs, and compositions in a different way. Sometimes I cannot stop thinking in a specific artistic way and need to break the pattern. I’ve found this really helps and maybe it will help you too.
I use the camera on my phone and walk around my house. I snap 3 random shots of random objects, not allowing myself to think about what it is or how it looks. Just 3 random pictures. From there, I upload those pictures to an art program on my iPad. I use Snapseed, but probably any art program will work. Once I have them uploaded I begin putting them together in various ways using the double exposure effect. This is where the creativity gets fun, I challenge myself to arrange all three photographs to create a new piece of art. I try turning them upside down, sideways, I use different effects, etc.
The goal is not to create a masterpiece, it’s to allow me to see what I was not seeing previously. The designs I create from this challenge inspires and influences my paintings. The artwork above is pictures of my wife’s sweater, a roll of scotch tape, and butterflies from a greeting card. Is it art? I’ll let you decide, but for me it’s a window to a new and refreshing perspective, all thanks to 3 random objects.
I hope you like this challenge and try it out sometime. A great thing about it is that you can modify it to suit your needs and make it work best for you. Have fun with it!