Creative differences...

[SwissJon]

My wife is an artist, she paints with watercolour and very often household emulsions, and builds props for theatrical sets, she gets an idea in her mind and slowly it is given substance.... Her creations can be as big as 20ft tall and recently, singlehandedly she created the entire set for a show that was putonghua round her ideas, it took her 6 months to do as she's a full time intensive care nurse, something she's planning to give up because she's about to start training as an art therapist.. Most of her paintings and creations involve people in some way, and none of them are a reflection of real objects.

I'm just beginning my photography journey, this will be the first summer that I would consider myself as a serious enthusiast rather than just a man with a camera. For me the pleasure is to go into the wilderness and find a little patch of beauty, and do my best to create a photograph that reflects that pleasure.. I'm stimulated by nature and these days rarely photograph city streets or anything with people in.. In fact, I very much like the minimalist photos that people produce.

My wife complains my work is all a bit "same"y, by which she means that the gritty photographs I took in the city earlier in the year are, in her opinion, better subjects. The thing is, I don't live in a gritty urban environment.. I don't live in a big city, the nearest thing I have to that is Lausanne, and that's about as gritty as ice-cream on a hot day.. My wife is a fan of Robert Doisneau, I'm a fan of National Geographic. If I were ever to consider turning pro, that would be where my aspirations would lie..

So, how to handle this difference? How many of you live with someone artistic that has different ideas to yourself? How do you deal with it? Is it a source of tension or stimulation?

[JFSanders]

Be happy she has different tastes and perceptions. Use what she says to help you see differently. She may like your gritty ones better but that doesn't mean you have to go in the direction she likes. She doesn't change her paintings to reflect your perceptions I am sure.

Besides you now have a challenge if you so desire it. Find and photograph the "gritty" in the woods. It is there you just have to dig for it so to speak.

My wife is a quilter and it makes for a synergistic relationship for us. She uses my color skills and I use her quilts as a subject sometimes. And believe me quilts are a challenge to make a good photograph. Although you can count on them holding the pose you put them in...

Jim

[Tito87]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

My wife is an artist, she paints with watercolour and very often household emulsions, and builds props for theatrical sets, she gets an idea in her mind and slowly it is given substance.... Her creations can be as big as 20ft tall and recently, singlehandedly she created the entire set for a show that was putonghua round her ideas, it took her 6 months to do as she's a full time intensive care nurse, something she's planning to give up because she's about to start training as an art therapist.. Most of her paintings and creations involve people in some way, and none of them are a reflection of real objects.

I'm just beginning my photography journey, this will be the first summer that I would consider myself as a serious enthusiast rather than just a man with a camera. For me the pleasure is to go into the wilderness and find a little patch of beauty, and do my best to create a photograph that reflects that pleasure.. I'm stimulated by nature and these days rarely photograph city streets or anything with people in.. In fact, I very much like the minimalist photos that people produce.

My wife complains my work is all a bit "same"y, by which she means that the gritty photographs I took in the city earlier in the year are, in her opinion, better subjects. The thing is, I don't live in a gritty urban environment.. I don't live in a big city, the nearest thing I have to that is Lausanne, and that's about as gritty as ice-cream on a hot day.. My wife is a fan of Robert Doisneau, I'm a fan of National Geographic. If I were ever to consider turning pro, that would be where my aspirations would lie..

So, how to handle this difference? How many of you live with someone artistic that has different ideas to yourself? How do you deal with it? Is it a source of tension or stimulation?

You don't have to handle that difference: you just let each other be who you are. You don't deal with it either: you live with it. As for whether it is a source of tension or stimulation, only you can answer that question.

[thatBilly]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

How many of you live with someone artistic that has different ideas to yourself? How do you deal with it? Is it a source of tension or stimulation?

Too busy working for artistic preferences to make an impact on our lives. Even if we did have major differences and worked separately in artistic vocations, I don't see how it could be a source of tension.

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by JFSanders

Besides you now have a challenge if you so desire it. Find and photograph the "gritty" in the woods. It is there you just have to dig for it so to speak.

Now there's an idea.. Thanks Jim

Originally Posted by Tito87

You don't have to handle that difference: you just let each other be who you are. You don't deal with it either: you live with it. As for whether it is a source of tension or stimulation, only you can answer that question.

Umm.. I was really after your experiences rather than comment on my marriage, thanks Tito. We've a happy marriage, we just like different stuff. It's just quite difficult, being a private person photographing for myself when my wife is used to putting her work before the public and encourages me to do so.. She works for an audience, like many of the Pro photographers on here, she has assignment and objecties, I don't, I just go looking for something to please me for today.. I don't need people in my photos because I have people in my life.. I like to photograph things devoid of people because that, for me, is different from my very day.