After a lot of contemplation for months, I have finally come to a greater understanding of my workflow and of how I can not only be productive but also use this way of functioning to benefit me in ways greater than just a quantifiable end product.
I am a visual artist, sealed in the digital world who admires the analog way of art. I had been meaning to switch to film completely but given some of the aspects of sheer technological horsepower, making the move wasn’t always pragmatic. After a constant back and forth for two years, this pandemic crashed in like a wave. Making the switch to film just became nearly impossible unless I wanted to start developing film myself (which I intended to, but never got enough time to gather all the resources and formulate my setup). It forced me to think about how can I incorporate minimalism in my digital life and I figured, my workflow would be the best place to start. I tried to fixate on the idea of satiating my hunger for tactility in this false bravado of ‘touch’ intuitive integration. Weeks went by and I realized that, minimalism itself is the answer to minimalism. Taking the smallest steps were gonna help me travel the longest distance.
I uninstalled all the mobile apps related to photo/video work. By no means do I wish to demonize any of these apps (or technology in general), I believe that they are great products and are disproportionally powerful than what the masses use them for, but I am only sharing this process in it’s entirety for solid clarity. I did not have a lot installed in the first place but whatever handful I had on me at all times, were being utilized at all times. Adobe Lightroom, VSCO and the Moment Pro Camera were the top 3 power houses amongst others like Photoshop Mx and Splice. I would click downsized ‘raw’ pictures on the moment app and synchronize it with Adobe Cloud but I would often just resort to adjusting the mobile app. VSCO provides the most beautifully implemented UI for film emulation on any mobile application ever (RNI Films being my second choice) but it was limited when it came to adjusting exposure in a nerdy detailed manner. Both the apps had become dependent on each other in the most unhealthy way possible. Unhealthy for the image quality of course, speaking on everyone’ behalf I believe, because rendering a jpeg once is bad enough already. Slowly letting myself get comfortable in this toxicity that had masked itself in layers of convenience and simplicity, I had stopped using my big boi camera. It had to come to a point where I had touched it in an entire week.
I am uncertain about what triggered this but it was a sporadic moment, I took a step back to realize that I had become the couch potato version of creatives. Especially for someone who likes film and its metaphorical lenses of looking at the ‘time to product value’ ratio. I decided that this comfortable IKEA piece of furniture needs to go out. I uninstalled the apps, came back to my idea board and started noting down all the ideas that I wanted to put into action, regardless how ‘inconvenient’ they seemed. That week itself, I got a chance to click a bunch of my friends and fell in love with the entire process once again. From that satisfying click of the lens in the body to the relieving ping after you are done exporting your photos, I was in love with it all. Fast-forward a week from then and I had an idea of initiating a collaboration project on Instagram, nominating my friends to share their stories and perspective on this crazy time that we are all stuck in. Other personal factors contribute to putting things in motion but I give major credit this action of leaving that comfort zone that I was stuck in. It had become a limbo of false creativity that infested itself in my mind because there was no need for me to not let it do so.
Some might say that taking a break is necessary to rediscover one’s love for permanencies but that ‘break’ needs to be voluntary. Getting sucked in by the processes that pretend to eradicate the ‘unnecessary’ work, isn’t the most fitting way to lead a creative life. Again, this has been a completely subjective experience and this should not be an instruction to anyone to let go of mobilities of workflows. I do not mean to trash talk about technology and it’s convenience either. My only message/conclusion, if any, would be that revising your actions without stern judgement on yourself will help you get out of things that you have always meant to pull yourself out of. Don’t let convenience be your artistic demise.
