We recently connected with Ezra and have shared our conversation below.
Ezra, 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.
I just let everything go. Respecting creative energy as something that comes and goes as it pleases has helped me further harness that small piece of the shared creativity of the universe or source. Staying in touch with my inner child as much as possible helps when I actively reach for the energy and it comes in the form of an idea. Sometimes those ideas are bad and I accept that part of the process. When I have an idea that inspires the craftsman in me then I know I can commit to making that particular idea a real thing. I separate the version of me that can translate the creative energy into an abstract idea from the part of me that is tasked to then make the idea a concrete thing or in my case media. It’s been years since I felt lost in my creativity, and that is all due to the respect that I have for creativity as a tool of humanity in general. Creativity is the pulse of the world, so you have to meet with it and talk to it. It’s a relationship.
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 Bearden Ezra Douglas. Most people know me by my middle name, Ezra. It’s not a stage name or anything, I just prefer to go by it on most days. I am a photographer and director. It’s been about 4 years since I started taking it serious. It’s perfect for my creative expression, just cause I’m a grounded person, but a bit out there at the same time. I have been keeping my clientele very minimal as of late. The most special thing about what I do is the visual storytelling. Being accepted for telling stories without having to talk changed my life. A recent example of this is my latest spec film I made.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Optimism: I would have given up by now. Not talking about just my career choice.
2. Willingness to Learn: I have a drive to know as much as possible about things I have an interest in. I thank my parents for this.
3. Perspective: I just wonder what things look like from different places, people, or maybe bugs. I’m always curious about how something or someone else sees as reality. It’s all a perspective thing.
Give yourself space to grow and experience and stay generally curious. What if everything went right today?
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
The biggest thing I learned this past year is that nothing lasts forever. To both positive and negative effect. Living out the best times and being grateful for them is much easier for me. Respecting an undesirable situation for what it is has become a simple thing to handle. The pain is inevitable, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel always. Letting people and situations go has been the result of this realization. Taking responsibility for everything that happens in my life has been the hardest thing to do, but the most beneficial thing ever. This is all an everyday thing. I get reset everyday, so it’s a new challenge when I wake up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ezra.gallery/
- Instagram: @beardenezra
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bearden-douglas-616969241/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSIDzlF-malcaQlumP6h7w
