Sometimes, when I show people my work, they will ask how I manage to keep coming up with ideas for what to photograph. I usually laugh it off and take it as a complement, but inside I think off all the times I've hit a brick wall, mental blocks where nothing goes right for a while and the journey forward can be a struggle. I can see how looking back through almost a decade's worth of work can make it appear to be a stroll in the park, but I assure you (at least in my case) that isn't always so. 

So what do I do when this happens?

By far the best thing I've found for myself is to put aside whatever it is I'm stuck on. Mojo gone? Ideas lacking? Struggling with the commercial demands? General apathy towards my work? Let it burn in the back of the mind for a bit, rather than at the front. If I want to take a break from photography I go for a walk or start building something out of wood. If I want to stick with photography I start looking for new things to learn and whenever possible I try to make the experience enjoyable as it helps remind me why I got into taking pictures in the first place. A rekindling of a romance that began many years ago.

Projects develop in the process of all this. My 'Collections' Series, landscapes, nudes... These have all begun thanks to these moments. Each represents a a re-connection with photography and remind me of how much I love and enjoy this medium. It doesn't take too long before I'm firing on all cylinders and the world or photography seems ok again. 

Another project that has come out of these moments is my Animation work. At the moment it is simply for fun, but it is developing nicely and I can't wait to see where I am with it all in a few year's time.  There's strong links to the surreal sequential work of Duane Michals and the brilliant special effects of early cinema, especially Laurel and Hardy films. My current aim with them is to storyboard and produce a 30 second film, then a 3 minute film and then... Well, we'll see. 

The animations can be viewed here. 

I've created a separate folder for a couple containing nudity. These can be viewed here.

The Magician - Part Two