We recently connected with Matt Haddaway and have shared our conversation below.
Matt, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
How do I keep creativity alive? The answer is essentially within the question. How you keep anything living alive? You feed it. You nurture it. You don’t neglect it. There are many times that I don’t feel creative. Even as a “creative” it’s not necessarily always present. So I have to feed it. How? You consume what it craves. As a painter, a lot of times the simple act of picking up the brush and applying the paint is all it takes. I can stare at a canvas all day waiting for flashes of an idea or direction that may never come. But if I pick up that brush and just start, it will lead the way and the creativity will return. As a photographer, picking up the camera and leaving the house is often just the morsel that it needs. I often think “you don’t know if you don’t go.” And that mindset has afforded me the opportunity to create from events, nature, etc. that I would have never witnessed had I not gone. As a graphic designer, the loss of creativity often hits the hardest. I don’t even want to look at the computer screen when I’m not feeling it. But consuming others’ design work, whether online or in print, can be the spark that’s needed. If all else fails, for any pursuit, I find that just getting outside to breath the fresh air is a great reset. Even better if it’s an oceanside walk with the salt air in your nose.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a professional artist specializing in three mediums—painting, photography and graphic design. They sometimes influence one or the other. As a painter, I often am inspired by photographs I’ve taken. As a photographer, I often use techniques that give a painterly look to the images I create. As a graphic designer, the guiding principles of art—composition, color, leading the eye—are used as often as I can.
As a painter, what excites me most is creating something from nothing. To fill a blank canvas with my own idea and creation—could anything be more special? I am able to preserve a creation born of my own thoughts and ideas onto canvas, paper, wood, etc. It is truly a gift and I don’t take it lightly. Furthermore, to see someone connect on a personal level to a painting that I’ve created is really out of this world.
As a photographer, what excites me most is taking a moment in time and making it your own, essentially creating your own moment. The key being creating versus simply capturing. For example, when I’m shooting surfing (which I do lot of), I’ll get up before the sun because I love that beautiful backlight. I’ll move my position on the beach, crouch down low or get up higher to find better and more unique angles and compositions. I’ll use slower shutter speeds to blur images and create that painterly feel I was talking about earlier. I could stand there and click away, but that would capturing and not creating.
As a graphic designer, what excites me most is creative autonomy. I had the most autonomy as a magazine art director and editorial designer, where I got to fill full pages with typography and images that artfully conveyed an article’s subject or tone. Client work can have many more guidelines, so you find any area within those guidelines where you can be creative and visually interesting. A huge block of text, for example, can appear more visually appealing with a well portrayed headline or an interesting drop cap or elements of the logo in the background. It’s sometimes tough to be creative in graphic design, but there is often a way even if you don’t realize it at first.
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?
Be willing to experiment. Just do. And don’t be afraid to step away.
Most of my art life I’ve been encouraged to have a uniform body of work. This isn’t necessarily bad advice. If I were to present multiple mediums, styles and subjects at an art show, it’s quite likely I would be looked upon as unserious, inexperienced and lacking vision. As an artist you’re working within your vision but you’re also constantly looking for what connects with collectors. When you find that connection or niche, it’s awesome! But artists are always evolving. You may enjoy working within that niche, but don’t be afraid to experiment and branch out. You may just find another niche and another set of collectors.
Pick up that brush, pencil, block of clay, camera, whatever. Especially when you don’t want to. Just do. So many times I didn’t feel like painting or wasn’t in the mood, but I picked up the brush anyway. And that’s almost always when the magic happens. I find that once you choose to ignore whatever it is that is blocking you from working, is when the creativity just flows forth. It’s like the brush automatically know what to do.
On the opposite end of that, also don’t be afraid to step away and do nothing. We all need a refresher or a break. Or to be bored and literally do nothing. How often has an idea come to mind when you’re not actively trying to come up with an idea? For me, all the time. I keep a running set of notes full of ideas that have occurred at the most random of moments. It may seem counterintuitive, but boredom, doing nothing or clearing your head is just as helpful as picking up the brush.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
I’ve seen my biggest growth in photography over the past year. Client work has been down, so it’s allowed me to do much more personal work. I’ve done some of my most creative portrait work over the last few months. I’ve also had the opportunity to shoot more surfing this year. And that frequency has given me opportunities to try more angles, compositions and techniques. Particularly with slow shutter and intentional camera movement.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.haddawayart.com
- Instagram: Art: @haddawayart | Photography: @matthaddaway
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HaddawayArt
- Other: Our photography website is: www.am-photography.smugmug.com
Image Credits
MattHaddaway_BrazilPhotography.jpeg – Credit Andrezza Haddaway
MattHaddaway_surfing.jpeg – Credit Andrezza Haddaway
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