I'm in the first pages of a new book: Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. It is certainly a book on psychology, but it offers a lot of insight into the creative process. I imagine over the course of the next week or so that I'll be writing more about it. The book has immediately provided me with some food for thought. Last night as I was trying to keep my tired mind concentrating on the book I found a short passage that talked about how age relates to expertise in different disciplines. The author (god forbid I have to spell his name out again) notes that skill and problem solving abilities in mathematics (a science with discreet, known, rules) peaks in the mid 20s. Skills in many other sciences, (chemistry, economics, physics, etc.) which have less distinct rules takes until the mid-30s to peak. But disciplines that have few rules like literature and philosophy take until a person is late in life to master or reach the best of their abilities. It seems that life experience is vital in these disciplines. There is a clear progression.
Where then does photography fall on this line? No doubt that photography has a technical side, even a scientific side, but much more importantly it is a creative endeavor. I venture then that I can spend a lifetime and still progress as a photographic artist. This realization is great big bag of mixed blessings. It means that as long as I work at it, I will continue to improve. But it also means that that true mastery is perpetually out of reach.
Thoughts?
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