If there’s one thing that means as much to me (if not more to me) than LEGO, it’s movies.

It’s no surprise then that they’re one of my biggest influences as an artist and photographer. One look at my feed is all it takes to realize how much I love Star Wars, Back to the Future, or superhero movies, and as I mentioned in my previous “Why?” post, I have a lot of fun playing around with and creating my own stories within those pre-established universes.

Sometimes, though, I turn to film for en entirely different reason: As a subject for imitation.

“There’s been an awakening…”

You know what they say; imitation is the highest form of flattery!

Sometimes, I don’t want to create new stories at all. I want to recreate stories in LEGO form. Upon some introspection, I found that I tend to do this either when I really love something (or am excited for it) and want to somehow pay tribute, or when I’m in the occasional creative slump. It’s kind of a great-creative-quick scheme.

Cinema can fill in the empty spaces of your life and your loneliness.
– Pedro Almodovar

I’m in just such a slump at the moment. As you know, I recently went on a lengthy business trip.  While I did manage to shoot a few toys while traveling, the trip itself interrupted a pretty strong creative streak I’d been enjoying since the New Year. I thought that when I returned home, to my own climate, my own space, and to all of the minifigures and pieces I wasn’t able to cram into my suitcase, I’d be able to get back into that groove.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.

Dr. Ford’s workshop – Westworld

Part of it has to do with prepping for a second business trip that will take me back to Florida and, again, away from my toys and equipment. The other part, I realize, is that it’s simply hard to get back into normal routines once they’ve been disrupted.

So, without much inspiration (or, frankly, spare time) to pack some toys for my weekly photo walk and find some new stories to tell out “in the wild,” I’ve instead  stayed inside, and turned once more to the silver screen.

This, I’ve found, is a pleasant way to continue quenching that thirst to photograph toys, and has actually allowed me to challenge myself a bit more than I might normally.

One Last Time…

Take this Logan shot, for example. It’s based on the promotional material for the film (which I’ve adored). However, it’s not just a simple tribute to a cool comic book movie, it’s also me testing my skills at silhouettes, the latest challenge put forth by Shelly and Brett.

Without really knowing it at the time, I was not just playing an imitation game, I was using a comforting, go-to outlet to help ease myself out of a creative rut and participate in a photo challenge. Pretty cool, huh?

I’m curious, what do you do when you’re in a creative slump? Do you turn to other forms of artwork for inspiration? 

James

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