Creative Playing on the Beach for Grown-ups

Creative Playing on the Beach for Grown-ups

Isn’t it a pity that we tend to forget how to play? What do you think about playing on the beach for grown-ups? I can assure you that it is fun! 

Years ago my former colleagues and I went to a beach house once a year to get creative inspiration. 

We were all creative souls and we gave ourselves assignments to develop our creative skills even further. There I discovered again what fun it is to play on the beach.

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30 Tips to Spend Free Time Finding Inspiration for Creative Projects

30 Tips to Spend Free Time Finding Inspiration for Creative Projects

At most of the exhibitions where I showed my work, I tried to be present to talk to the visitors. The most frequently asked question was: where do you find the inspiration for your subjects? To which my answer was that I had some tricks for that.

Developing inspiration is a conscious process. Or at least it could be. It also depends on our character what our favourite method is.

In this article, I give you 30 tips to spend your free time finding inspiration and spark your creativity. It is a random list of all kinds of things I occasionally do. Get inspired.

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7 Ways to Use Colour in Photography Creatively and Differently

7 Ways to Use Colour in Photography Creatively and Differently

Most people see the world in colour and although it’s also great to take pictures in black and white, colour can add a layer of inspiration and possibility.

When we use colour in photography in a conscious way, we can guide the emotions of the viewer. Colour can create a dramatic atmosphere or a quiet one. Colour can also evoke approval or dislike.

In this article, I describe some of Itten’s colour contrasts applied in photography and I supplement it with a couple of other ways of using colour.

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How to Stay Inspired in Photography? Of these 7 Tips, I Particularly Like #6

How to Stay Inspired in Photography? Of these 7 Tips, I Particularly Like #6

There has been a period in my life I didn’t take any pictures at all, making me regret that later, because I don’t have any pictures of my son aged 6 to 9. The reason was that I wasn’t inspired anymore and didn’t feel up to the effort of taking the camera and shooting.

Nowadays I have found several ways to get inspired and to develop my creativity. And to stay inspired because, in the end, it’s all about keeping on going and pushing ourselves forward. Don’t settle for a result too soon.

I will share my tips on how to stay inspired in photography with you in this article and I hope you will add tips of your own at the end of this article.

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What Are the Symbolic Values of Red and Blue?

What Are the Symbolic Values of Red and Blue?

Years ago I was watching the elections in the States and I noticed that red and blue had a symbolic value for the political parties.

So they have in the Netherlands, but the funny thing is it has an opposite meaning. The US Democrats are blue and the Conservatives red. The Dutch right wing is blue and the left one loves red.

As I am interested in every aspect of colour, I decided to look more closely into the symbolic values of red and blue in general, not just in politics.

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What is a Great Theme Photography Idea for a Holiday Abroad?

What is a Great Theme Photography Idea for a Holiday Abroad?

Of course, we should take pictures of the highlights when we are visiting an unknown region or country. Yet, it is also fun to restrict yourself by taking pictures according to a theme.

It is important for a photographer, or any creative person in general, to always try to improve. However strange it may seem, limiting ourselves is a major contributor to betterment.

I do it often, assigning myself to photograph only round objects, or movement, just vertical lines, S-like shapes, contrasts in thick-thin or big-small, and so on. I can assure you, you will see different subjects to take pictures of.

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Is the Meaning of Symbols Easily Recognizable to Everyone?

Is the Meaning of Symbols Easily Recognizable to Everyone?

Often people assume that the meaning of symbols is easier to comprehend than written text. Most of the time, this assumption is wrong.

In the same way that any foreign language must be learned, the idiom of symbols must also be learned. Some symbols or characters are immediately obvious, others require a table with an explanation.

However, we pick up a lot of knowledge about symbols just by looking around in the town where we walk or using public transport. And when everybody knows the meaning of a certain symbol, it communicates a lot quicker than written language. Especially when many languages are used in one place, for example at an airport.

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How Do Colours Affect Each Other and What Can We Do with this Information?

How Do Colours Affect Each Other and What Can We Do with this Information?

One of the best books in my private library is “The Art of Colour: The Subjective Experience and Objective Rationale of Colour” by Johannes Itten, a teacher at the Bauhaus who I admire so much. 

Of course, Itten’s notions are only one way of looking at colours. Many researchers, artists and scientists have constructed a colour theory as well. But logically, as a designer and artist, I have a strong affinity with a fellow artist.

Itten explains the reality of colour and the way we as humans perceive colours. Colours affect each other. That influence is an action of our brain. “Eye and mind can only by comparison or contrast come to a clear perception.” 

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An Optical Illusion Plays Tricks with our Eyes

An Optical Illusion Plays Tricks with our Eyes

In 32 tips to get ideas to spend your free time is a pencil drawing of a shape, giving the optical illusion that the inner circle is much whiter than the surrounding white outside the circle.

A former colleague even made an airbrush in which the inside of such a form was darker than the environment, and still, it seemed lighter.

So I wanted to examine that. How much black can I add until the inner shape seems darker than the outer space?

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