#17 go treasure hunting

Some of the fondest creative memories I have involve beach combing for treasures on the foggy beaches of the Pacific Northwest. Growing up, I would spend hours (and still do) on my hands and knees looking for treasures. From shiny rocks- to shells- to dried up kelp- to crab shells, I would get lost in the process of the hunt.

 While there are all kinds of ways that I get creative and find inspiration- there is something about the process of hunting for treasures in nature that inspires me like nothing else. These days, when I am scouring the sandy beaches, I feel like a kid with no cares in the world. I feel connected to my surroundings and I am always flooded with inspiration and ideas. This is the process that I fall back on when I need to get back to nature, when I need to clear my head and when I need to find subject matter (like color, pattern, texture) for my art. 

 No matter the season, for me there is something so profound about collecting treasure from nature, something that has become an important part of my creative process that I cannot imagine my life without it. My hope to you is to inspire you to start your own collections that revolve around the seasons. Think of the process as a way pause during this crazy time of year and get back to nature.

 

THE ART OF COLLECTING from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

password- nature

  

TIPS FOR THE HUNT: 

Try picking a theme and collecting things within that theme (leaves, certain shaped rocks, flower stems, etc) 

Collect things that revolve around the seasons (pine cones, twigs and branches, dried seed pods, winter berries, etc)

Pick a color and challenge yourself to collect things only in this color (white rocks, brown leaves, yellow flowers, etc) 

 Look up, look down, look all around- you never know what may be hiding in obscure places.

 

 

 

Photography is the quickest and easiest way to document your collections. It is a great way to practice getting creative with your objects and a way to begin creating a library of images that can be used in all kinds of projects (we'll talk more about this in later lessons). You don't need much- even a camera phone will work but there are a few tricks that will transform your collections into something creative and beautiful!

 

 

To begin you will need a camera and any camera will do- even the camera on your phone! With a attention to lighting, composition and the background you can take beautiful photos of your collection.

 

 

 

 

Great lighting will make any photo even better and I prefer to always shoot photos in natural light. I try and find a window that lets in lots of light and that is where I set up my collections to photograph.

 

 

 

 

I try and get creative with my backgrounds- I love using our wood dining table as a background- I even use the leaf from the table to move around the house to different areas to capture good light. Look for wood, paper or fabric that has interesting texture, pattern or color. I like to keep a variety of weathered wood on hand that I can use for different projects.

 

Colored paper or fabric will also provide a nice background- or if you are in a pinch a solid colored book cover makes a great background.Choose a background that will make your collection POP- create contrast by selecting a dark background for light objects and a light object for darker objects.

 

 

 

 

 

I like to arrange my collections in all sorts of different ways- sometimes by color, sometimes by shape or size, sometimes by theme. I have found that arranging my collection is a really simple way to get back to nature but also a fun way to get creative (I like to think of it as "styling nature" for a photo shoot). It is also a wonderful way to take time to soak in and appreciate all those wonderful little details.

 

Try and arrange your collection as if you were creating a composition or in such a way that tells a story, evokes an emotion or even capture a mood.

 

 

arrangement from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

music- Brandie Carlile Have You Ever

 

password- nature

 

 

There are all kinds of ways to photograph a collection and I love playing around with angles. One of my favorites is an overhead shot where you can capture the entire arrangement of the collection- there is something about this angle that makes an arrangement of simple things suddenly appear as if they have a story to tell.

 

 

And then you can also get close up to the collection and capture the essence of each object

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Silvia Klassen]

This was a beautiful & moving post Alisa! Thanks so much for sharing it.