Stop looking at photos? Stop looking at art altogether?

I often espouse that we stop looking so much at photographs and try to look at other forms of art. That by seeing how painters, sculptors, architects, weavers, etc. create their works, how they compose their images, can teach us so much more in a fresher, different way. We then apply what we learn to our photography.

I follow the blog of a watercolorist who divides her time between Maine and New York. In her blog she talks about being immersed in art all the time, but that maybe it's time to stop looking at what others are doing and concentrate more on her own vision and her own work. So here's someone who might be taking my concept, that photographers should stop looking at photographs, to another level, that artists should stop looking at others' art!

She wrote: "Here's the point: in order for me to find my "voice" as an artist, I must stop looking at the work of others and just concentrate on the mental images that appear in my mind. Those are the ones that reflect who I am and how I see things. I don't want to mislead you, there's a good reason to look at the works of other artists. It helps me better understand the possibilities. However, once I've gained enough knowledge from the works of others, I need to shut all that out."

You may wish to read her post as well as read the comments that follow the post. ©Carol Leigh