Cage Match - Inspiration vs The Rules of Composition

taken with my iPhone 5

Some of the best photographers I know use an iPhone.  Its a question not of technique or of expensive equipment but of connecting, of speaking from the soul.  Art speaks to us on a higher level of who we are underneath it all, of who we strive to become.  And no amount of technique being imposed upon a scene will evoke that same emotional connection.  I've always found that those with training who do manage to achieve that connection do it in spite of their training and "the rules" rather than because of it.  If rules were all it took then a computer could create something that would make the masses weep or hold their breaths in awe or dance with euphoric joy.

Yesterday at one of the co-op galleries I'm involved with I had the misfortune to overhear a couple of artists critiquing someone else's work.  The gal who's work was being debated is a lovely woman who's always very positive and very warm, and it shows in her paintings.  All bright color and joy.  Yet because she wasn't traditionally educated (at least in the terms of other the artists I was listening to) they chose to go on about what was wrong with her pieces and how she could "improve"...  It made me sad that they were so closed minded.  I'd previously seen their pieces and found them to be uninspiring.

As a self-taught artist and photographer I've always been moved more by an "oh wow" moment than a set of guidelines when it comes to anything I create.  And frustrated by all the well-meaning people who suggest I join photo critic groups or take any type of traditional class.  Intuition has always been a surer guide for me than anyone else, but then I've always had problems with authority.  For me art is a moment of stillness, of meditation, and a set of rules for composition running through my head would get in the way.  Transcending the guidelines and move towards the center is always easier when the guidelines aren't there to begin with :-)

visit Samantha Byrnes' gallery online...