Perceptive Photographer #29: Importance of Curiosity

I was working in the darkroom recently and came across an issue that I hadn't seen before. It is not uncommon to find yourself in situations where you might find yourself in a void of knowledge. As I experimented over and over trying to figure out what happened, I realized that one of the most important traits of an artist is curiosity. I have always believed that there is a strong relationship between art and science. At their core, they are both about curiosity. Each disciple goes about it in really different ways, but they both strive to find answers to unanswered questions and make sense of the world. I think that finding something that you want to know more about and exploring that in your photography is a great way to find new projects and understand your craft. If you want to know what a strip light does when working with a model. Don't go to YouTube to find out. Put your camera in-front of a model with a strip light. Want to know what something looks like way overexposed. Overexpose it. I have found in my coaching that too many times people are unwilling to go down the rabbit hole and see what happens. Even if the results lead to nowhere, there is so much to be learned by flexing and working out those creative curiosity muscles.