Joshua talks about how to make something then make it better. This creativity mindset tip is inspired by a Paul McCartney anecdote that is not only applicable to photographers but to the creative world in general.
If you haven’t heard the song “Yesterday” by The Beatles, you’re going to want to look it up before reading the rest of this post.
Believe it or not, the way that song came to fruition has a great lesson behind it, and that’s the story I hope to share with this creativity mindset tip.
“Yesterday” is known as one of the most recorded songs of all time, one of The Beatles’ biggest hits, and Paul McCartney himself even admitted it was one of the best songs he’s ever written. How he came to write this song you ask? Well, that’s where it gets interesting. McCartney said that he dreamt up the melody one night and right when he woke up, he had to get it out of his system and onto the piano.
Paul McCartney revealed that the lyrics didn’t start out as beautiful poetry, but the lyrics were originally about scrambled eggs.
That’s right, “Yesterday” was initially an ode to the breakfast dish we all know and love. What’s more important than that is the lesson we, as photographers, can take away from this anecdote.
All creative work starts with a seed or a little nugget of innovation, and sometimes the end masterpiece looks completely different than what you started out with.
Hence why it’s so important to get out there, make stuff, take photos, and try new things just to get the creativity out of your system because from there you can build on it and develop something amazing. (It’s not impossible to have the idea for a masterpiece right from the beginning, but it’s definitely more common to improve the composition as you go along).
Although maybe your original creativity nugget didn’t start as an elaborate idea. Maybe it was a smaller variation of your finished product, but you still had to start somewhere!
In photography, beautiful photos start with a simple shot, but the more you improve it and build on it, the better it looks in the end.
Next time you have photographer’s creative block, or you’re feeling stumped on what to do to create a more encapsulating composition, just remember that Paul McCartney produced and wrote one of the greatest songs our society has ever known just by singing about eggs.
Build on your photos and improve them by continuing your craft. Let your creative process run its course. Don’t hold yourself back from building on your compositions! Try new lighting, experiment with new poses, attempt shooting at a different angle because you never know… an amazing masterpiece could come out of it.
For more creativity mindset tips, check out the rest of the posts on the blog, and be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel if you haven’t already.
