We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. L. David Stewart a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. L. David, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Creativity for me is a lifeline. It may seem dramatic, but there is a lot of truth in this the older I become. For context, I am a professional photographer, as well as a business strategist. Most of my education, is based on being analytical and being a left-brained individual. When you get older, you realize that it is hard to keep creativity.
In today’s times, I find solitary to be very important for creativity. Solitude away from people I know, friends, family etc. In solitude, I hear what I can’t normally hear, which is just silence. That involves travel sometimes. An example of this is a place I hold near and dear to me in Miami. It’s a special place where I go on the beach, at night and just close my eyes and feel the breeze and turn off all electronics around me. Day or night the beach and looking at the ocean helps me relax to think and get into my creative aspects of thinking. During my time in Miami that place was where I would just meditate and then the ideas would come to me; whether it was songwriting, or business ideas, or even how to finish my dissertation.
The second thing I do to keep my creativity alive is doing creative photoshoots for myself. Sometimes its TFP (Time for Prints) other times its going out to different locations to photograph random subject matter. No direction, no plans, just walking with a camera and capturing what is around me. Often this helps me to see a different technique or visualize something different for future work. I try to do this numerous times throughout the year.
Lastly, my other way of keeping my creativity is from roller-skating. I have been a roller skater for 34 years. In crowded sessions or just any session with loud music I can hear my thoughts clearly. While “rolling” often I am in my thoughts and in those places of creating routines to skate to with my “squad”, that creativity leaks over into creating other things. Skating has been a place where I have come up with some of my best creative ideas.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My name is Dr. L. David Stewart. I am amongst many things a professional photographer, through my company entitled Year 60. I have been a photographer for 25 years, and a professional photographer for 8 years. My focus is brand development through image curation for organizations, individuals and brands. As well, I do commissioned work, portraiture, boudoir, street photography, and landscape photography. My approach is predicated on understanding space via architecture and listening to my clients to deliver the best work possible. New works coming including a monograph of my photography work comprised of over 10 years of subject matter. Currently seeking a publisher as the draft is almost completed.
What makes my photography different is that there is only one me. My work is built on collaboration and observation of my clients to understand them and their ventures. My slogan: “Quality! Quickly!!”
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three key skills for me in my journey. A. Be willing to learn.
B. Never stop pushing your creativity.
C. Being your own best critic and cheerleader.
My advice for those early in their journey as a creative. Just create. Be the best you that you can be. As you get older you will evolve. It doesn’t minimize what you have done but you will evolve and surpass what you were. Enjoy the process of your evolution.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am at the point of my creative career where I welcome collaboration. As a photographer, I am looking for people I can vibe with first and we can develop a concept for photography. If you are interested in collaboration with me. I can be reached at LDavid@y60r.com or via @year60photog via Instagram. I love working with new clients to create new works. Let’s work, shall we?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.y60r.com
- Instagram: @year60photog
Image Credits
Photos taken by Dr. L. David Stewart for Year 60 LLC
