Working on new content for school, a project called Two Week Creative Workout.  This visual challenge is intended to encourage one to really look at the world around them, find a new perspective or unique point of view, reinvigorate ones creative side and have fun.    

The idea came while waiting in line at a grocery store and listening to a couple talk about their daily commute to work.  The mundane bus ride, the four block walk to the office and how drab and boring it all was.  I sympathized but then thought wait a minute... visual challenge accepted!!  

The Challenge: 

1. Timeline: two weeks.
2. Gear: camera, phone, videocam, whatever would record an image.
3. Location: walk from parking lot to office.
4. Challenge: see something I have never seen before, create and have fun.  

So for two weeks, walking to and from my car each day, I explored and photographed.

Things I Learned and ReLearned:

1. The world, even the small portion of it we see each day, is full of beauty.  
2. Focusing on something purely creative helped me de-stress and recharge my creative side.  
3. The process is as important as the final result.
4. Reminded myself why I like photography so much, because it is fun.    

Below are some selects from my two weeks and my final series of images with a breakdown of the why.  Why the why?  Well the why, being able to articulate your process and your final work is so very important to help one grow as a creative individual.  

So is feedback from others, so feel free to leave your comments and critiques.  

Selects

Final Series

The Why

I liked the parking lot lines and symbols quite a bit.  How abstract shapes, leading lines and unique perspectives could be created by framing them in different ways.    

The rain worked to my advantage as the overcast light acted like a giant softbox, reducing contrast.  The rain soaked pavement also made the colours and tones pop.  

The grittiness of the pavement and the strong linear elements needed a contrasting element though.  I was eating a banana and I decided to use its organic form to contrast the pavement and add an element of WTF.  Also the banana kept the images monochromatic. 

These final images were all shot on my iPhone.  I find that the lack of controls and the ease of use lends itself well to small creative projects like this.  It allows one the freedom to focus more on the creative aspects of composition and framing and worry less about the settings and exposure.  As a student learning about exposure and camera settings can be daunting, stepping away from that from time to time is a good thing.  

I think this assignment will find a nice  home within Visual Perception & Design.  Share your own Two Week Creative Work Out on Instagram, hashtag #twoweekcreativeworkout