Notes from the Lab is a newsletter that delves deep into the creative process, rituals, and thought process behind being a photographer and filmmaker.
This project is a journal of my projects and experiments. A logbook of everything I learn, a record of inspirations and takeaways from my journey as a parent and artist. I want to share my creative progress relentlessly — because gatekeeping sucks. It’s published (almost-) weekly.
HOUSEKEEPING
It’s still, for better or worse, January twenty twenty-four. And thus, it’s, by my definition, very much okay to say Happy New Year.
So Happy New Year y’all; I hope you enjoy Dry January as much as I do and had a blast jumping into this new year full of political turmoil and economic uncertainties with the right amount of “fuck it all, for better or worse, the only way is forward.”
I am navigating between the jobs taken over from last year, extensive edits, and the first assignments of the new year. Plus, there is a good load of celebrations ahead, as my son and wife both celebrate their birthdays in January.
But in between, I had some time and residual energy to think about this very newsletter. I kept asking myself some long-overdue honest questions on how to proceed and keep it manageable to publish regularly. To write this letter without sacrificing time with my family, without sacrificing time to do the work that pays the bills. Or sacrifice rest, sleep, and, subsequently, my mental and physical health.
The PSA will be more subtle now, intimate, and bite-sized pieces of the things I learn and enjoy along the way. Moving forward, this newsletter will again be much more what it set out to be in the beginning: A logbook of personal observations in the vast field of creativity, a companion, a place to collect my thoughts, and a journal of the things I do.
All within a much more streamlined framework now. Less clutter, more intimacy, less overshooting ambitions, more fun, and less hunt for likes.
Cheers to all 2024 might bring!
I’m grateful for every one of you reading this little letter.
P.S. The Weekly Log will resume soon!
— Ramon
I. I THOUGHT ABOUT…
…time, and especially time as a resource. A resource that is not distributed amongst us equally. A resource often overlooked and disregarded, often attached to a feeling of guilt.
My perception of time changed radically when I became a father. Time is indeed flying when you have kids. But on the other hand, it’s also true that it forces you to make the best of the time at your disposal.
To get creative with how you approach your work in a limited time. Look around you for hints of inspiration and clues that might lead to a much more individual way of approaching your work.
Nowadays, when I start a personal project, I usually start closer to home. I try to get as creative as possible with what I have at hand, to look inward a lot more, and to pursue every idea, as tiny and useless as it might seem. I usually start small and reach out wider if I need to do so.
It’s an ongoing learning process, especially as the job as a creative is never truly finished. It’s a way of perceiving the world, looking at everything around you, and trying to find meaning from a personal perspective. The art is in pursuing balance, albeit proper balance can never be obtained, regardless of what concept everyone and their mother and every productivity quack on the internet tries to sell to you.
It’s only about getting up each day and facing challenges while remaining open-minded and dedicated. A commitment to search for beauty, sometimes even in the nearest distance around you. Noticing what you find interesting, what tickles your fancy. And leave room for failure while still maintaining a sense of forward momentum.
Being forced into perceived limitations has been the best for me and my creative practice; it helps me concentrate. It helps me see the path ahead of me more clearly, lifting the world's weight off my shoulders and focusing on the things that matter.
II. I READ…
…this very insightful article by recommendation of Bryan Formhals on Threads. Mainly, this paragraph caught my attention and got me thinking for quite some time:
“What is left when an A.I. can quickly abstract your characteristic mode of expression and spit out something that looks exactly like you made it? The answer is just you, the person, and your actual lived connection to your own image as a maker. The logical corollary of ubiquitous creative A.I. is the artist's ubiquity as a character.
When so much of the creative work is being done automatically, the viewer is going to want to literally see the artist at work, to understand what the character of the human part of the creative process truly is. Being a visible personality is going to be indispensable to a successful artistic practice—no matter what kind of artist you are.”
III. NOAH KALINA
I have a love/hate relationship with Youtube. I love it for the democratization of a medium accessible to everyone. I love it so much that I even got a premium account, although it’s unreasonably expensive. On the flip side, there is a lot of boring content, especially emerging from the creator economy. A specific channel usually starts with original and exciting content but gets crushed into nothingness by economic needs, the urge to grow, and way-too-evident sponsorships.
But sometimes, a little gem emerges from the vast sea of nothingness. One of the latest channels that I enjoyed, although it’s only three episodes in, is the channel of Noah Kalina, one of the OG creators and famous for his Everyday Project. Soothing and personal, unafraid to be boring sometimes, and funny.
Subscribe here, I did too! And hit the bell!
Noah Kalina has been very active on YouTube in the last couple of days. Publishing almost a video a day. I also like Alec Soth and the way he talks about his and other people’s work.