Do you ever have a really good idea for something, fail to write it down, and then it’s gone and long forgotten? I can even admit to this happening to me. I get a really cool idea for a design or photo of some sort, and then it slips my mind indefinitely. As creative types we always are thinking and brain storming. Sometimes we go through periods of creative block, similar to writer’s block. Those are the times we refer back to our notepads and sketch books to get the creative juices flowing once again.
A few days ago I had the privilege to catch an advance pre-screening sneak preview of Seth Rogan’s new superhero movie The Green Hornet. For a quick review, the movie was amazing. I liked it just as much as I love the Ironman series. First word that comes to mind is “hilariousness”. There was some purposeful corniness at some parts (if that makes any sense), crazy action sequences, lots of Inspector gadgetry, and even Cameron Diaz aging gracefully, actually starting to look like she isn’t 23 anymore. You’ve got to see it when it hits your local theaters on January 14th, 2011. Here’s the official Green Hornet trailer from youtube.
Seeing the trailer alone, you might think it’s the same typical plot of the Batman series movies, or Ironman. Rich parents die, leaving a spoiled rich kid all this money and a gadget slinging sidekick that happens to be one of the members of the estate “help”. Even so, this movie was slightly more quirky and funnier than even Ironman. Even the main villain Chudnovsky (played by Christoph Waltz) seemed a little sensitive for a bad guy. I got a kick out of the fact that I have an Israeli style photo prop gas mask that is the same as the one he uses in the movie – the only difference is the canister on his is painted blood red, after he decides to change his name to “Bloodnovsky”, seeking to increase the scariness of his super villain image. Does this look familiar?
The movie has something for everyone: comedy, cars, even a double barrel desert eagle. This is definitely the kind of action movie you will want to see on the big screen, in IMAX 3D if you can.
This isn’t a movie review blog, but Kato’s sketch book in the movie reminded me of the fact that we all need to remember to draw out or write down our ideas. Kato, (played by Jay Chou) had page upon page of sketched in his notebook, as is briefly seen in the movie. He even had sketches of Bruce Lee on one of the pages of his sketchbook. Obviously that was a cameo of sorts, seeing that Bruce Lee played the part of “Kato” in the original Green Hornet TV series. Seeing that Kato was a creative genius, he could whip up just about anything his mind could think up. Everything from gadgets for the Black Beauty (funny, we used to call my dad’s old Buick that) to a custom cappuccino machine. My point is, he had a sketchbook full of his concepts and ideas, and didn’t just go straight to creation. I find that especially with logo design, you can get very lost in the process of designing if you start from your head and just go straight to the computer. It helps to sketch your ideas out first, and then take it to the computer once you have narrowed a few of your best ideas down.
Even keeping a notepad and pencil on your night stand for a quick scribble in the dark, in the middle of the night, is better than losing your thoughts. I’ve had some nights where my brain was working full steam just before I fell asleep, coming up with all sorts of ideas for new images I wanted to create. I failed to write them down, being so tired and wanted to get to sleep. As you might expect, those ideas were just about 90% gone by the time I woke up the next morning. Don’t forget to doodle what pops in your noodle when you get that sudden creative inspiration!
The creative mind needs to feed on other creativocity in order to keep those juices flowing. Here’s some cool stuff I’ve peeped that needed to be shared. Click the thumbs for details on each, and to enlarge.
The creative imagery of Carlos Caetano has always amazed and inspired me, ever since beginning my journey as a stock photographer. Born in the sixties, Carlos Caetano started and developed his career as a graphic designer in studios and advertising agencies. He stood a few years in a magazine and multimedia publishing house and, later, worked as web designer in a major internet portal in Portugal. Self-taught, Carlos took advantage of his privileged access to the digital graphics tools and specialized in the use of Photoshop for image post-processing and optimization.
Being a photo enthusiast since a very early age, Carlos took a course in professional photography between 1994 and 1997. Today, he works as a freelance graphic designer and photographer and is a contributor of stock imagery to several online image banks. The royalty free stock photos that he creates can be bought and downloaded by designers that use them in various marketing and advertising products, books, blogs, or editorial pieces.
Carlos Caetano is a “Pentaxian” and actually uses a Pentax K10D DSLR, several Pentax and Sigma lenses and Manfrotto tripods. When not outdoors shooting landscapes, he is at home, busy with tabletop shoots of objects in his improvised studio: the dining-room table next to a big, luminous window, and a piece of white paper or styrofoam to bounce light into the shadows. This is all he needs as studio gear, allied with his Photoshop skills. His images can be found for sale on stock photography sites such as Shutterstock.com, istockphoto.com, dreamstime.com, fotolia.com, bigstockphoto.com, and several others. He is available for photographic assignments, photo post-processing and manipulation.
To contact Carlos or to view more of his work, check out:
Would you like your work to be featured on the Arena Creative blog? Whether you are a photographer or a graphic designer, if you have something creative to share we would love to feature your work! Contact us if you are interested.
Do you ever feel like your work is never good enough? Do you get praise from others about your creations, but deep down inside you don’t feel the same way? Maybe you feel like you just served up a pile of trash. To be honest, I feel this way about my own work a lot. I recently did a few photoshoots and nothing I shot really wow-ed me. This type of thing happens other creatives I have spoken to, as well.
I Am My Own Worst Critic
I’m definitely my own worst enemy when it comes to criticism. I see the flaws in my work. Even if they are minor, almost untraceable to others, I still manage to find them. Am I just being over critical? Am I bored with what I’m doing? Is it just because I’m being overly anal? What’s wrong with me? I want to be happy with what I’m doing. I am definitely enjoying it, but I don’t think I’ll ever be 100% proud of where I’m at creatively. I think we all want to have our own “style” but this is easier said than done. I’m still trying to figure out what it is, and probably will continue to do so for a very long time. Read the rest of this entry »
A few days ago I had the privilege to catch an advance pre-screening sneak preview of Seth Rogan’s new superhero movie The Green Hornet. For a quick review, the movie was amazing. I liked it just as much as I love the Ironman series. First word that comes to mind is “hilariousness”. There was some purposeful corniness at some parts (if that makes any sense), crazy action sequences, lots of Inspector gadgetry, and even Cameron Diaz aging gracefully, actually starting to look like she isn’t 23 anymore. You’ve got to see it when it hits your local theaters on January 14th, 2011. Here’s the official Green Hornet trailer from youtube. 
Seeing the trailer alone, you might think it’s the same typical plot of the Batman series movies, or Ironman. Rich parents die, leaving a spoiled rich kid all this money and a gadget slinging sidekick that happens to be one of the members of the estate “help”. Even so, this movie was slightly more quirky and funnier than even Ironman. Even the main villain Chudnovsky (played by Christoph Waltz) seemed a little sensitive for a bad guy. I got a kick out of the fact that I have an Israeli style photo prop gas mask that is the same as the one he uses in the movie – the only difference is the canister on his is painted blood red, after he decides to change his name to “Bloodnovsky”, 
seeking to
increase the scariness of his super villain image. Does this look familiar? 
![Novartis "Reflections" Campaign](http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/profiles3/96416/projects/329834/0964161255974988.jpg "Novartis "Reflections" Campaign")
