Creative Titles
whatever that means
At the beginning of our junior year of college, one of our professors asked, “What is your creative title?”
At the time, we were both struggling with our major, feeling a little more “photographer” than “photojournalist.” I don’t remember our responses, but this first ask seemed to provoke some kind of domino effect or frequency illusion, and, suddenly, it seemed like everyone was asking us for a label.
I kept overthinking this for a while. Creative titles were taking up space in every classroom. We were deep into our most photojournalism-specific year, taking a year of a class that focused on ethics (always helpful, don’t get me wrong) and completing news-style assignments but struggling with the nature of photojournalistic work.
Entering senior year, we both described ourselves as photographers. Perceptions quickly shifted. Less than one year later, we altered our creative titles and continued to consider the all-encompassing word or two that explains our creative practices. As if a word or two is enough to sum it all up.
Here are some general ponderings on this.
When looking to describe the kind of art I make, I tend to dissect what I have already made. This is pretty counterintuitive, so I am trying to reframe this self-evaluation, considering the work I am actively making or seeking to make. Setting goals for my future work is essential to my creative mindset, though it may not be for yours. Thinking big picture is part of what helps me push through.
As someone who craves variety, I quickly get sick of looking at my own work. I want to use different parts of my creative mind and make something new. This means that along the way of figuring out what I am doing, I am creating in mediums that will not be shown.
The new mindset, considering the art that will be made, also includes the unintentional creating done along the way. It accepts that even if it doesn’t go into the final cut of work, whatever mediums you use to create something larger are part of the process of a project. If you engage in other art-making to visualize and contextualize a series, that medium is part of your process. It may not be physically present in the “finalized” version, but it got you to where you are and is a tangible display of the work you put in. They, too, are art, and they lead you to what you want to share.
All that is a fairly long-winded way of saying identities are quickly outgrown when you’re basing them on what you have done instead of what you will do. The same is also true if they’re centered only on the work you show. Sometimes you create for yourself; it doesn’t make the work any less valuable.
Setting intention and looking ahead is important, especially when describing what kind of artist you are. That being said, what you are doing or want to do can and probably will change, but it is good to consider potential aspirations. The legend herself, Dolly Parton, once said, “Figure out who you are and do it on purpose.” Much easier said than done, for sure, but still easier than your self-perception shifting every time you re-consider your creative identity and go in a new direction.
Or maybe it comes down to accepting change, knowing that working in one medium doesn’t exclude you from others. Some people are just better at expecting and accepting change. The moral of this story is probably something along the lines of there’s no reason to feel like you’re stuck just because you label yourself one day—there is always a chance you branch out into something different. All I know is it’s not worth sweating it, but I’ll probably keep sweating it 🤷♀️
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