There are many books about creativity, there are exercises, websites, tools, tips and techniques. And yet, despite all this... we are still endlessly fascinated by the concept of "creativity" and desperate to unlock its elusive secret.


One of the best tips I have ever had, was to look through the eyes of a child. Try to experience something anew ... as if you are seeing it for the very first time.
But what does this mean? What does it take? Is it even possible?
At the upcoming InterestingSouth conference in Sydney, I will be presenting on the how you can look through the eyes of a child. Literally.
I will be showing some of the digital snaps made by my four-year-old daughter. And I can tell you, they are fascinating. Fresh. Interesting.
For a start, the composition is askew in almost every photo ... the angles are unexpected, always looking up or zoomed in close. Others are looking down, macro-style, examining the minute detail of the world. There are artful arrangements, candid moments and a lot of blurry, out of focus shots that seem to capture the subject out of the corner of your eye.
Now, I don't know whether these shots SEEM better because they were taken by a four-year-old. I don't know if they FEEL more interesting to me because of my relationship to the photographer. I don't know whether the STORY of the process is more important than the end result.
But the randomness gets my heart racing. The generosity of the subject matter and the sheer number of shots is compelling (I still have over 1400 photos to wade through). And there is a great excitement in the sharing of these. I get that personally, but I also feel this right now as I write this post.
Cam Beck has a great post on sharing and ideas ... he argues that you need to "share like you are seven". And looking at these photos, I can't help but agree. Share like you are seven ... or give it away like you are four. I bet you will receive more than you bargain for!