What is Collaboration?
Looking back on two series of images and how they were each unique collaborations
This past weekend I had two sisters come into town for a fun weekend in the warm Florida panhandle sunshine.
We took time to skate along the beach, bebop around some local markets, battled on an N64, and set aside an evening to shoot photos for some photography magic.
When we think about a weekend like that it’s easy to see the collaborative aspect of everyone involved, including Georgia (the dog). Some prepped food, others drove long distances, everyone laughed, each decision was a group effort.
At some point of the weekend we agreed that we were going to just spend our time Vibe Hunting, we were the vibe hunters ✌🏻
So Saturday evening as the sun set we went outside with some lights and started shooting.
More images from the shoot are available on my instagram here
After we shot some of those first images, I ended up passing my camera off to Erika so she could shoot photos of me painting her sister Sierra with light.
After we got home I sent out the images and she commented…
Which got me thinking, how do you view your last creation as a collaborative effort?
rethinking collaboration
We’ve all grown up learning the scientific method. At some point in our early education we learned about the cause and effect of the physical reality; then further we learned how to test it by removing variability and creating replicable conditions.
We search for answers by eliminating as many inputs as possible to create something repeatable by others.
Typical humans.
Attempting to break down the infinitely vast complexities of life into a binary yes or no answer.
I believe this mindset has a nasty little habit of also limiting our creativity. We think this art is mine, I made it, I took it from my mind and I made it into a reality. But is that what happened? Or did an infinitely vast series of events guide you into what you’re creating?
To me, I like to view my creating as the latter.
As an example, let’s look at one image that we shot later in the evening. When I think of collaboration this is what I think of.
Similar to the other series of images, we had Sierra moving lights around to paint her sister in light. Then there are the other colorful lights sitting below her in the scene giving her more color.
It wasn’t my idea to bring out some LED Poi, but Erika’s. In addition we wouldn’t have gotten out the LED Poi lights if Erika and Sierra didn’t first put on roller skates and roll around this goofy spot in the hallway first in the weekend. It’s a spot of the house that I’ve never shot in before and helped to bounce the colorful lights all around the room while leaving enough space for some flow movement.
And there we are back at the original image in this update.
Some could say where the original collaboration all began and all the resulting images were created from that fun playful vibe hunting, N64 play included.
The world is wild and infinite, give gratitude for all the small things that come together for a single creative moment. Who knows, maybe you’ll find creative collaboration in a new way✌🏻