As I’m poking around on the Internet looking for information about developing a personal artistic style, I came across an article by Alain Briot on the website The Luminous Landscape where he says that “Style is the extension of your personality and your personality is in part defined by your childhood.”
Well, my “eclectically weird” style can indeed be defined by my childhood, which was spent moving from place to place, school to school, coast to coast, and even country to country. Being a Navy brat meant different things to see every six months to a year. Different cultures to experience. Different climates, foods, fashions, attitudes. That was my childhood for 18 years.
One would think that, encountering so many types of people, I might be drawn to people photography. Nope. Last thing on my list. Why? I was trained to leave. Trained to arrive, to fit in, get along, make sure people liked me, that I didn’t make waves, but never to get close to anyone because hello, I must be going.
How about you? What was your childhood like and how does it affect your artistic proclivities and style? If your childhood years were spent in San Diego, you may be drawn to boats and seascapes. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, you might be drawn to landscapes and weathered barns.
It makes sense if you don’t think about it . . .
Because why are so many photographers/artists, no matter where we grew up, drawn to barns, landscapes, boats, and seascapes?
See? This isn’t an easy pursuit, this quest to discover a personal style, or to create a personal style. And it’s one I’ll continue writing about as I do more and more research. Fair warning!
©Carol Leigh
P.S. For those of you who might be interested, I photographed the gull on the rocks here on the Oregon coast. And the fishing boat as well. (See? Navy brat? Oceans? Boats? Gulls? This makes sense.) The photo of a physical collage that I made using a variety of old papers has a Japanese vibe to it. (I lived in Japan for a year, but I was just 12-13 at the time, more interested in hanging out with my friends than exploring the culture.) And then what's with the covered bridge? Well, I lived a year in Pennsylvania . . . could this Oregon bridge be channeling from that? Somehow I doubt it. . . Like I said, this isn't an easy quest.
