I'll link it up at the end of this video you need to go check him out he is pretty amazing - he used to do this show called Burning Questions which has changed over into this thing he does now called Dangerous Ideas but James is the man anyway I'm going to bring him up so keep that in mind and I have a little story for you that I want to tell you.

So, my niece is seven years old and I have a nephew and I have an aunt and they are very special because that's the closest thing I have to children. They go home with my sister and she deals with the discipline but anyway both are great kids and my nephew is really good at sports and in many ways he is a 180 degree from what I am. I enjoy sports but I can't play but he loves lacrosse and he's into all that stuff and there is something that I can be vicarious about through him with it's that's really amazing now his sister who's seven is the complete opposite she's more like I in this sense that she is very creative-minded but she is way more brilliant than I ever was at that age. Way more sophisticated like you'll be playing and goofing around with her and then she just comes up with these ideas out of nowhere and you're like whoa where did that come from? That's amazing and so there's a lot of inspiration that I draw even out of my seven-year-old niece but anyway, my story is this - last year she came home from school one day when she was in kindergarten and she was very upset because one of her friends had called her weird and this upset her and for obvious reasons and it's something that stuck in my mind too because as an adult - heck that's a compliment to me if somebody wants to call me weird I'm going for that you know but as a five-year-old where you're in a different stage of trying to be accepted in your life it's completely different.

So, I was reminded of one of James Victore's images. I have something to show you hold on so this is really cool. I bought this off of Victore's website but I'm going to give this to my sister and it says "the things that made you weird as a kid make you great today." Can't think of wiser words to sum up what we're talking about and that's what it comes down to, is you have to get past the way that we're raised in the things that we are taught when we are young and realize that sometimes that what we thought of as blemishes back then are what make us creative and those are what make us individuals today. And that is very important.

So, what I think this comes down to is this strange double perception. Is it truth or is it perception? There's the way we perceive ourselves there's the way that other people are perceiving the work that we do too. This is where I want to hear from you guys because this is an important conversation to have. It affects anybody doing creative work, not just in the arts but whether it's perceived as left-brained or right-brained and I mentioned this before creativity is what our culture is dependent upon moving forward. It's very important whether you're in math, medicine, the arts, science, whatever that is - creative solutions are always important.

I think when we are in our own heads about this, obviously there's a confidence that we have with ourselves. I do at least where if I'm going to do some photographs that are in a new direction or if you're going to do a video in a new direction or write a song and it's something like it's unlike any of the work you've done before there's something that's interesting you believe in something that starts leading you in that way. And we fear that somebody's going to come along and call us out because it's not tried all this other work that we know gets accepted or whatever.

And it's going to kind of confuse that truth in our own heads maybe about how we perceive ourselves. I think this is why that most established artists have a career where they really don't change their style up very much they have something that works and I'm not saying they're afraid I mean there could be a number of variables there but I think it's just so rare to see somebody who starts broadening their range, especially later in a career. Anyway, I want to know what you guys think about this because this is very important. I think it's an interesting conversation to have.

I want to talk some more about this if you enjoyed this video please remember to like it share it subscribe to the Art of Photography for more videos. I will see you in the next one until then later.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis video is about fear - fear andcreativity and this is a subject that isvery important I want to discuss itI'm a little low on energy today let meshow you something come here4:30 a.m. this morning - guess who was out hereputting the top on the Jeep probablytime to quit tempting Murphy's Law andjust leave it up for a whilesorry I'm gonna open mail on talking to you Ithink that fear is something that iskind of elusive because sometimes thereare things that we are afraid ofcreatively and we don't understand thatthat fear exists and so for instancefear is pretty obvious if you have afear of flying or if you have a fear ofdogs or if you have a fear of heights orsomething like that and that's a prettyobvious fear but then other timesthere's a fear that we repress that welower down into things because it's notas obvious that it exists this is verycoolwow okay dear Ted thanks for the greatChannel I run a photographic club inAuckland New Zealand and refer themembers to your great and inspirationalcontent thanks Greg van der Reis this waspicture taken today in a storm it's fromNew Zealand Thank You Greg this isawesome so yes two types of fear thekind of fear that we understand itsexistence usually it's fairly commonlike a fear of heights or a fear offlying and then there is the second typeof fear that we conveniently push downinto our psyche and refuse toacknowledge its existence because withcreatives and artists and photographersfilmmakers whatever that is that usuallyinvolves putting yourself out there andI think even with some of the bestartists that I have met in my life thathave had very successful careers thatfear exists for everybody because evenwhen you're known for doing work of acertain type and you want to change thatup let's say you want to do somethingnew and something different that's goingto stick out and be very different thanthe rest of that work there is a fear inthat what if it's not accepted what ifwhat if nobody likes it what if it ruinsmy career what I mean there we put kindsof stakes on thatand that's very unfortunate because thenthat gets into our psyche and startsleading to self-doubt, creative doubt -all those kinds of things and so that'sit's a really ugly kind of fear now inmy life I have learned two things as Ihave grown older first of all I don'tknow nearly as much as I thought I didthere's always room for learning andimprovement of oneself and the secondthing I've learned is that a lot of lifeis spent undoing things that were doneto us in our childhood and I don't meanin any kind of extreme way but just theway culture works is that we raisechildren with this ideal of disciplinenow there's nothing wrong with that andI would even actually argue thatchildren need that because when you're akid you need to understand that you needto have manners you need to not be wildyou need to not be an asshole when youget older and there's certain parametersthat go around that they deal with youknow now is the time to go play it'srecess now is the time to do yourhomework and study no don't do that dothis put your fork on the left…fork on the left, knife on the rightwhichever was I obviously didn't learnthat but anyway but that's what we'retaught as kids and the older we get aswe become adults some of those thingsstill stick to our subconscious andthat is where things get difficultbecause we tend to look back and we goforth with creative work with a set ofmanners where - creative work really isthe avenue where you can ignore all thatand express yourself in whatever way youwant for the most part that isn't goingto hurt anyone it might offend somebodybut art is a big thing and it is aexpression of one's self and so that's oneof the difficult things that comes alongwith life is just the we're taught acertain structure when we are young andwe spend most of our adult lives tryingto figure out how to undo that in thecreative world so it's a very weirdthing but that's the second fear thatI'm talking about and I'll give you anexample I have a friend whose name isJames Victore and Victore is brillianthe is a graphic designerand we have been acquaintances for along period of time but in the early2000s late 90s I guess is when I firstbecame aware of his work he was abigshot designer in New Yorkthirty year career there did amazingwork he has this wonderful style that isvery conceptual in nature andaesthetically it kind of looks likestuff that was drawn on the back of anapkin but that central idea is alwaysthe focus and has this awesome uniquebeauty to it and I've always lovedJames's work I've always looked up tohim for inspiration as an artist I heardhim speak a few times got to work withhim casually on a few things and acouple of years ago I realized he had aYouTube channel and then he had movedout of New York and he had moved here toTexas and was not far from me so Ireached out and we started a dialogueback and forth and have talked about theidea of collaborating in some kind ofcreative capacity talking about thesevery things but what's interesting isJames is a very cool dude I will put alink to his YouTube channel in thedescription I'll link it up at the endof this video you need to go check himout he is pretty amazing - he used to do thisshow called Burning Questions which haschanged over into this thing he does nowcalled Dangerous Ideasbut James is the man anyway I'm going tobring him up so keep that in mind and Ihave a little story for you that I wantto tell you so my niece is seven yearsold and I have a nephew and I have aniece and they are very special becausethat's the closest thing I have tochildren they go home with my sister andshe deals with the discipline but anywayboth are great kids and my nephew isreally good at sports and in many wayshe is a 180 degree from what I am Ienjoy sports but I can't play but heloves that and he loves lacrosse andhe's into all that stuff and there issomething that I can be vicariousthrough him with it's that's reallyamazing now his sister who's 7 is thecomplete opposite she's more like I amin this sense that she is very creativeminded but she is way more brilliantthan I ever was at that age way moresophisticated like you'll be playing andgoofing around with her and then shejust comes up with these ideas out ofnowhere and you're like whoa where didthat come from that's amazing and sothere's a lot of inspiration that I draweven out of my seven-year-old niece butanyway my story is this - last year shecame home from school one day when shewas in kindergarten and she was veryupset because one of her friends hadcalled her weird and this upset her andfor obvious reasons and it's somethingthat stuck in my mind too because asan adult - heck that's a compliment to me ifsomebody wants to call me weird I'mgoing for that you know but as afive-year-old where you're in adifferent stage of trying to be acceptedin your life it's completely differentand so I was reminded of one of JamesVictore's images I have something toshow you hold on so this is really coolI bought this off of Victore's websitebut I'm gonna give this to my sister itsays the things that made you weird as akid make you great today I can't thinkof wiser words to sum up what we'retalking about and that's what it comesdown to is you have to get past the waythat we're raised in the things that weare taught when we are young andrealize that sometimes that what wethought of as blemishes back then arewhat make us creative and those are whatmake us individuals today and that isvery important so what I think thiscomes down to is this strange doubleperception and is it truth or is itperception there's the way we perceiveourselves there's the way that otherpeople are perceiving the work that wedo too and this is where I want to hearfrom you guys because this is animportant conversation to haveit affects anybody doing creative worknot just in the arts but whether it'sperceived as left-brained orright-brained and I mentioned thisbefore creativity is what our culture isdependent upon moving forward it's veryimportant whether you're in mathmedicine the arts science whatever thatis - creative solutions are alwaysimportant and I think when we are in ourown heads about this obviously there's aconfidence that we have with ourselves Ido at least where if I'm going to dosome photographs that are in a newdirection or if you're going to do avideo in a new direction or write a songand it's something like it's unlike anyof the work you've done before there'ssomething that's interesting you believein something that starts leading you inthat way and we fear that somebody'sgoing to come along call us out becauseit's not tried all this other work thatwe know gets accepted or whatever andit's going to kind of confuse that truthin our own heads maybe about how weperceive ourselves I think this is whythat most established artists have acareer where they really don't changetheir style up very much they havesomething that works and I'm not sayingthey're afraid I mean there could be anumber of variables there but I thinkit's just so rare to see somebody whostarts broadening their rangeespecially later in a career anyway Iwant to know what you guys think aboutthis because this is very important Ithink it's an interesting conversationto have I want to talk some more aboutthis if you enjoyed this video pleaseremember to like it share it subscribeto the Art of Photography for morevideos I will see you in the next oneuntil then later\n"