Live for now, be a digital Caveman
I'm writing this because I've recently been thinking a lot about 'the why, the what and the how' of my business, assessing reviews and feedback, the projects I've been working on, my personal goals and the long-term plans. I've been looking for the links in everything I do, even amongst the wide variety of subject matter, because this often helps with perspective at the start of a new year and really helps with the bigger picture.
To talk further about this current thought path, I need to visit a subject that I've discussed many times over the years. It's one of those deep ones that happen around a campfire, late at night around a kitchen table, or in bed when you're both randomly wired and up for some high-brow pillow talk. A casual question that quickly turns into a full-on philosophy session. The human experience, what makes us human, our why, what and how.
I am a photographer, videographer, artist, creator, whatever, titles outside of "creative" are unimportant right now. Ultimately, I am no different from our ancestors thousands of years ago, who chose to walk into dark caves, lit only by the fire on their torches, to use paints they had made, to make art, and most importantly record their reality, their dreams and their perspectives. Whichever way historians or archaeologists word it, we had people who found huge importance in their lives, even risking their lives (dark caves, scary stuff etc) to be creative, so it wouldn't be a stretch to say being creative is in our genes, would it? As far as I'm aware, no other species on earth does this. No other species records, or even thinks about what they're leaving behind for the next generation. Nothing uses imagination to create stories or myths, they just live in the now, for their current existence. So, would it be sensible to say, the biggest part of human progression starts with being creative then?
This year I've shot property, events, portraits, festivals, vehicles, animals, furniture, architecture, awards, graduations, products and movie sets / art work amongst tonnes of other stuff. Every single one of these shoots has ultimately recorded the human experience. I've recorded the human habitat, visual representations of the stories that will be told for years about parties and made portraits that have captured a moment in time. I've recorded the artwork and creations of other humans, I've enhanced memories, I've painted digital pictures on the modern cave wall, for the next generations to observe and philosophise about, while they create in their own way, in their own time. I've added to my legacy and I'm playing my part in the human collective. As a creative, I'm simply adding to the success of a really big tribe...
For example, a large portion of the images I've taken this year have had significant commercial value to my clients too. Images i've taken for construction portfolios have helped companies win sizable contracts, meaning they can now go on to create on an even bigger scale, make workspaces that inspire people to be happier, more comfortable, and more productive. Or the websites that have been enhanced with JAJA artwork, showcasing a client's ability to do their thing, visualising their brand values, making them look appealing to the person needing their services. Or the cool stuff I've managed to get involved in that simply evokes a reaction or an emotion, such as behind the scenes of a film or a sober festival where people were literally their best tribal selves living their best tribal lives! I mean seriously, I shot a full festival on my own, where'd that come from?!
When I talk about the why of my business, this is it. To enjoy and be grateful for every single day. To be creative, to capture the human experience in my own way and to feel alive. To be part of the beating heart of humanity and to do my bit to help my whole tribe rise, tipping my hat to the first creatives of our species and appreciating everything we have because of them.
I wanted to be creative for a living since I was a little kid and it took me into my mid 30's to turn campfire philosophy into my own reality. It's just over a year since I decided to level up JAJA as a full-time occupation and my desire to grow is bigger than ever. 2023 will be the year of progression and change, the year where I really celebrate the freedom gained from stepping into the creative field and the year JAJA goes from being a small business to a nationally recognised brand of choice, for all the right reasons. It should be mentioned too that my partner, who is also an incredibly talented creative, inspires me massively on this journey. We say a lot that when we're not working for other people, we do work for / on each other, which is kind of tongue-in-cheek but is actually pretty true. She makes beautiful things out of resin as just one of her many ventures, but her signature is ayurvedic massage, something that is also integral to the human experience. Creating has taken us both out of hard or stressful situations, mine being recruitment, a sector I'd massively fallen out of love with, and hers being lockdown when all massage therapists were closed down overnight. Being creative has helped us survive, given us purpose, and brought us abundance in so many ways. We talk and philosophise a lot, but things we always come back to are how amazing we feel after a creative session in our magic loft space or how being massaged should be a daily occurrence. We both love music; we love to discuss ancient history and we dream about traveling to see mystical and beautiful places. The glue again is creativity on some level.
Creativity then isn't just a thing to be overlooked as a luxury, it's essential to a fulfilled life.
To be creative is to be human, who's with me?
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