Capturing Creativity: The Journey of Daily Nature Photography

In this inspiring episode, Jane Clauss sits down with the multi-talented Mary Jo Hoffman, an acclaimed author, artist, and photographer. Together, they explore the profound connection between nature and creativity. Discover how practicing creativity daily can enhance your life, why simplicity is crucial in the creative process, and how personal experiences can fuel your artistic journey. Jane and Mary Jo delve into the art of nature photography, sharing tips on lighting, composition, and capturing captivating subjects. They also discuss the transformative power of stillness and selective attention in nurturing creativity, mindfulness, and overall well-being. Tune in for a heartfelt conversation brimming with insights and practical advice to help you unlock your inner creativity.

Be sure to listen to the entire interview to full understand the placefulness you can find on your own creative journey.  Easily check out the highligths with these quick reference points: 

 

0:00-5:00

Mary Jo shares her love of nature from a young age and discusses creativity of capturing beauty from nothing using her imagination. 

Mary Jo reflects on leaving her career in aerospace engineering allowing her to rediscover her creative side through photography. She explains how she was motivated to create her blog Stillblog.net and how she committed to photographing nature daily for 12 years.

Jane Clauss and Mary Jo discuss how being in nature calms the mind and body, highlighting nature's importance for creativity. 

 

5:55-10:55

Mary Jo explains how to keep creativity simple by committing to a daily practice and not breaking the chain. Keeping creativity simple is her secret to success. 

They talk about the selection process of photos for Mary Jo's book, 'STILL: The Art of Noticing' and she reflects deeply on how requiring her attention to find a new subject every day became a form of mindfulness meditation. She discovered nuanced insights about her places and the term "placefulness" to describe this transformed relationship.

 

10:56-15:56

Mary Jo advocates that simplicity is key to unlocking creativity. She discusses how committing to not breaking her daily chain, without worrying about results or quality, allowed profound things to unfold over time.

 

16:19-21:18

Learn about the transformation Mary Jo experienced through her daily practice and how you can do the same with your creativity. 

 

25:00-33:28

Mary Jo talks about how her engineering background contributes to her photography style and how the subjects that interest her most are those showcasing engineering precision or mathematical patterns found in nature.

Jane and Mary Jo discuss how a daily photography practice trained Mary Jo's eye to see composition and notice details, leading to her emphasis on learning to "see" as key to the creative process.

 

33:29-38:28

Mary Jo offers the tip of "spotlighting" to improve noticing skills, such as focusing just on the color blue during a walk to see with new perspective.

Learn how committing to simple daily goals can help overcome the inner critic by shutting off critical thoughts.

 

 43:07-45:01

Jane and Mary Jo share their closing thoughts on creativity being innate in all people. Mary Jo believes creativity just needs an outlet, and shares her daily joy in discovery through continuing her project.

 

We hope you enjoy this inspiring conversation. Thanks for listening.