Re-Differentiate

As children, we all strive just to fit in; to become a cookie-cutter version of the coolest kid we see when we stepped into Mrs. Pickard's kindergarten classroom. But there comes a point in time, somewhere between jr. high and your driver license, that your creative side wants to set you apart. "Originality does not mean thinking something that was never thought before; it means putting old ideas together in new ways." In other words, it is not at all wrong to follow your heroes and copy what they have done, but at some point, you have to break the mold and design your own brand of creativity.

My approach to creative thinking is rather simple. I think like a child. Children are the most imaginative people that you know. Just think about it; I can stand and listen outside my two youngest sisters' rooms and hear the fantasy worlds of barbie and batman for hours. Their capacity to invent a story and colorfully provide detail during playtime transcends logic. I remember enough to write a book about the worlds I've created with just a few legos and a little imagination. If we had an ounce of the creativity that comes out of a kid's head, we would never have to sanction time for a brainstorming session or stress over deadlines that require new ideas or creative ingenuity. Sometimes, getting the shot is about replacing analytical thinking with elementary level ideas.

my inspiration for this shot for instance was a Toy Story 3

commercial which most people over the age of 12 would ignore

the mind of a child is truly remarkable (especially this child)

I was recently featured on Carbonmade for my photography porfolio and I could not be more appreciative. The story of carbonmade's startup is a showcase of success through the creative minds of Spencer Fry, David Gorum, and Jason Nelson. The business began as a solution for putting David's work on the web in a aesthetically pleasing, easy to use portfolio but they soon realized that it had the potential to be a marketable web app. (the best I have personally seen) "We set out to showcase your work in a beautiful and simplistic way and draw the viewer’s eye to what’s being displayed and not how it’s being displayed," says co-founder, Spencer Fry. You can read the whole story of Carbonmade's startup here. I am extremely honored to have been featured and would like to thank Spencer and the Carbonmade team once again for everything they've done for me.

my Carbonmade portfolio.

Josh Haygood, 2010

Cheers!