Tag Archives: iPhone

Damn Good Advice: FIFTEEN

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There is something honorable and humble about recognizing the origin of creativity as separate from the ego and conscious thoughts. I am surprised that Lois was able to draw this conclusion after so subtly establishing his own expertise in advertising. Most creative geniuses are masters of craft and worship their own greatness. The Great Idea does indeed exist independently of our 3D world and we are able to tap into the creative realms, channel the ideas, use our minds and hands to mold them into tangibles, and make art. It is quite mythical, yes, Lois, and magical I’d even say.

I also support the notion that creative people are more in touch with reality and are able to generate dialogues about any given subject. We are also more in tune with ourselves– our minds, hearts, and souls. We are a step ahead, prompting you to discuss and ponder. Great artists have a voice to guide a viewer through our work. Our function ahead of the curve is merely that, to show a way through and by. Art must be viewed. It is a spiritual experience to view art because it connects people, ideas, places, and more art to become something meta and great.

Creative Channel © 2013 NATE METZ
Creative Channel © 2013 NATE METZ

I am blessed and grateful for how I see and capture the world in photographs. I capture beauty in both pedestrian and worldly abstract botanicals and street life. It is with a great spirit of discovery that I share my camera lens with all of you. I spoke of it during my gallery talk at the Summer Streets opening reception. It is very rewarding to go on a walkabout with my camera, see beauty everywhere I go, and capture the fleeting moments of changing light and reflections. It is spiritually nourishing to know whatever I do capture will make beautiful photographs unexpected and enchanting.

My abstract and minimalist work is often retorted with the low blow that “I could do that…” But, you don’t and you haven’t. That’s the intrinsic value in my work. It’s what you pay for: the guide, the artist, a channel and medium to creativity that shows you the beautiful things that you don’t stop to ponder and enjoy. I show you just how much beauty surrounds us that you were previously too busy to enjoy. So pick up a copy of my book, browse my galleries, like me on Facebook and continue to immerse yourself in my findings. I love to show you what I see, how I see it, when I see it, begging you to ask why you see it. My creative abilities are a gift for us all and part of the spiritual chain that links us together in this blessed life.

The Network © 2013 NATE METZ
Creative Channel © 2013 NATE METZ

#179: Centered

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My last challenge entry was in September. Our category was Centered Composition. Per usual, I went one step further with my entry to include a subtext of having a centered mind by stacking rocks along their center of gravity, a zen meditation practice.

Center of Gravity © 2013 NATE METZ
Center of Gravity © 2013 NATE METZ

rank: 7th
1/183 sec, f2, ISO 50
pp: resize, USM, export

On the same day, I shot a second contender. I opted for the above shot because of the multiple interpretations of the challenge theme. I still really like the minimalist approach to the second shot here that also has some of my favorite elements of macro and texture.

Center © 2013 NATE METZ
Center © 2013 NATE METZ

MEMES

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Here is another collection of internet memes I’ve created over the past few months shared through Facebook. If you enjoy these, be sure to like me on Facebook http://facebook.com/natemetzartist and give it a thumbs up so they’ll appear in your newsfeed!

Quiet Gordon

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It’s quiet in the morning on the Atlantic Ocean, the ocean with barely a wave. The stillness is reflected in the beached jelly fish and the resting algae on the jetty rocks. I arise in the stillness of today like the silence of the womb of quiet reflection. Today is a beautiful day, as is every day at the beach.


Quiet Reflection © 2013 NATE METZ

Through the looking glass… As I see it…

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Looking Glass © 2012 NATE METZ

Round and round I walk in square. Lights flare across distortions in my lens. There. Now back around and side to side. It’s looking through glass for a photographer. More refractions and distractions. Got it. The light changes constantly. Constant change. Snap. It’s looking glass.

As I see it…

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Seeking a respite from Summer Streets, I took a summer stroll through the state parklands. I brisk walk can at first seem monotonous in a dancing of green light as I breathe in the forest smells and be in a walking meditation. I stopped though because on top of a picnic area moss grows on some weathered shingles roof. I climb up to look down, and from my perch I gaze up higher still. This is what I saw:

Mosshingle © 2013 NATE METZ

FACE of FRIDAY

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Stinky Vinegar Hole © 2013 NATE METZ
Stinky Vinegar Hole © 2013 NATE METZ

I tried something a little different with this face by using a photograph of a found object as part of the face – the drain in a water fountain – instead of objects that come preloaded in the app. The direction I would like to head is to photograph found objects on my own at a much higher resolution so I could create these collages that would make suitable prints. It’s one of the back burner projects, though. I’m really focusing on the photography portion of my art and these collages serve as the play time to keep the creative juices flowing. What do you think? Would you like to see more faces or more photographs? Comment below!

Damn Good Advice – THIRTEEN

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I can say that I am guilty of it: google. I’ll be in the midst of a brainstorming session and I start to google my ideas. Sometimes I’m checking to see if it’s been done before and take a litmus on my originality. Sometimes I’m having trouble connecting some ideas and look to see what other people think on the subject. And, other times, I cannot articulate my thoughts so I mind map on google images and help myself see. Lastly, I google myself (name, art, business) to check on my SEO and visibility.

So if you’re not tinkering on a computer, as George Lois so vaguely puts it, where do you find the big idea? He doesn’t offer up any suggestions. Rereading his tagline, I see he is merely pointing out that one should not expect a computer to do the work. One must still put forth the effort to procure the big idea. As the illustration on the page says: “DUH!” I’m not sure that this is really great advice though for any creative individual. We already know this fact: ideas come from within ourselves.

When I meditate, dream, or set forth the intention to solve a creative problem, develop a big idea, or embark on a new creative project, it always comes from within my being. It is spiritual. Sometimes I feel it in my heart. Sometimes I think in new ways that challenges my beliefs. And, other times, the big idea explodes with such a tremendous force that the fountainhead remains shadowed by the idea itself. I do not question my intuition when it leads me to a great idea. Because I trust the process of my artwork and photography, the big idea blooms like a flower. It just happens. And then with a series of computer tricks, contents, and forms my computer delivers it to the world to share all of it’s glory.

Flower Mind © 2013 NATE METZ
Flower Mind © 2013 NATE METZ

173: Favorite Spot

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It’s my first time at this specific spot, but a favorite nonetheless. In my free time I hike the many trails local to my area which led me along a small pond’s edge where nature had mottled a full frame!

Nature's Mottling © 2013 NATE METZ
Nature’s Mottling © 2013 NATE METZ

rank: 20 of 22
1/40 sec, f2, ISO 64

Again, I’m rather disappointed with my ranking. That is until I remember I snapped this in passing on my iPhone and did not spend a lot of effort in capturing a favorite spot on the trail. It’s a classic yield for effort, thought, and planning. Onwards!