rick_hawkins2

<p>Suffering can derive from a large number of sources, among which are those of mental, social, economic, and intellectual. Each individually, or in combination can be the motive power for inspiration and creativity in the world of art. In many of the responses to the question posed, "talent" is looked at as a trait in the creative person that they have been given or predisposed to from birth. In recent times creativity and talent have been shown to derive from "right-brain" thinking (Betty Edwards, et al) and can be a learned attribute of persons who initially thought themselves to be non-artistic and non-creative, but who were willing to exert the effort to learn and practice "right-brain" thinking. In my own case, I always considered myself an analytical thinker (prone to rationalization and logic) which typically renders one impotent creatively because of internal critique and over-thinking. I took on a role of digital photography instructor at a local community college, and that forced me to expand my thought processes to include the creative processes in order to expand my teaching skills beyond the mere instruction of "how to operate your camera." By doing so, it caused me to become much more aware of the creative options open to me in my own image-making. The struggle that always faces me is to allow the two aspects of thinking to come together in the creative process which is more of an intellectual struggle than a one of my mental stability or instability. </p>