What is your creative style?
It’s an accumulation of all the things that make you, you. As artists we each adapt our own creative styles based on our interests, mood, expertise and talents. As much as we can try to be like the next person, it will still never be the same because what separates the two is a collective set of different creative styles. Content creation is as much fun as you make it.
Defining your creative style and where to begin can, at times be a little difficult, let alone executing you ideas.
Here are 7 tips to help you define your creative style and put the pieces together
#1 Brain Storm / Mood Board
My favorite app is definitely Pinterest for the simple fact that I can jumble all of my ideas into one organized (I love staying organized, it’s a must!) website with multiple layers (boards) and continue to find more inspiration every time I log on.
Pinterest is a creative’s dream for the incredible resources it offers and the limitless inspiration from other artists around the world.
What do I use Pinterest for?
I often use it to search for photography inspiration.
If I’m traveling I’ll search keywords like “Cape Town Pictures”, “Tulum Instagram photos”, “Kenya places to visit” just to get the juices flowing and see if I can find inspiration from other artists based on how they capture their images, the tone they set with their editing and the views they give us.
I also use Pinterest to learn. I do a lot of research regarding the benefits of [blank].
Just about anything you can think of.
I use it to learn how to meditate, pray, stay organized or just life hacks even! My current Pinterest obsession right now is food photography. I enjoy going on there to see how food is positioned and what colors are used to edit, which kinds of foods are photographed in what way, and more.
Pinterest is a field mine of inspiration for any type of art you may be interested in, as well as tutorials.
#2 Stay Organized & Journal
A must when mood boarding and coming up with your creative style is staying organized.
Things are going to get blurry— fast! There is an excess of information coming at you that will ultimately feel overwhelming.
Take the time to a) journal about your findings, what styles you like, what type of images speak to you and b) how you feel about the art that inspires you.
I use my journal to create content strategy and organize my ideas.
I come up with ideas for each image I want to create and brainstorm from there.
What props do I want to use? What colors do I want in this image? How will I dress? How will I do my hair? What location do I want to shoot in?
I write all of these things down prior to executing my ideas. Sometimes I even sketch the scene. If I found inspiration I want to recreate, I organize that accordingly as well.
Eventually, you will have organized each image strategically. If you are trying to reach an audience like me, I think about the emotions my images may evoke.
Do my viewers feel inspired after seeing this? Are they interested in learning more?
I love to create travel and fashion content, and it’s important to me to stand out and capture people’s attention in a strategic way.
Each Instagram post is thought of down to the last detail, even what time to post and which hashtags to use!
#3 What Is Your Why?
What makes you unique? Why do you want to wake up and do this? What or who inspires you?
Earlier I said a little about what my goals are. When I create travel and fashion content, often my goal is to shine a light on beautiful images created in dreamy, often minority, spaces.
Before diving into creating content, I discovered my why and wrote out my mission statement so that I would always remember what and who I create for, besides myself.
It goes a little like this:
“The purpose of @mimiezinne is to provide representation in the digital sphere in regards to travel, lifestyle and fashion content. @mimiezinne strives to display emotion and storytelling via captivating images, wanderlust and inspiration, especially for Black women who rarely see themselves in such creative spaces”
Take some time to conjure up your own mission statement and define your why.
When I know my why, I can always find inspiration in that regardless of any other tools available to me. It becomes much easier to imagine the content I want to see when I reflect on my mission statement.
#4 Research How It’s Done
Research research research!
Much of content creation can be so technical. How to get the shot, what camera to use, what lens to use, what angle to take the photo at, posing, how to place props, and more.
Take some time to use tools such as Youtube to search methods of posing, what camera settings work best for your indoor or outdoor photography, how to get the best quality images, what colors go best together, and more.
Any question you have, Youtube has an answer for.
I love watching photography videos like this one and this one to understand how to create better and more captivating images.
Here are some of my favorite Youtube channels for learning about photography and content creation.
Mango Street
Bobo’s Photography
Julia Trotti
Prince Meyson
Anita Sadowska
Shameless Maya
Jessica Kobeissi
I also enjoy some of my favorite creatives who have made books and digital guides on how to create amazing content!
Some are,
Lee Litumbe of Spirited Pursuit
Tezza, Book
Aimee Song, Book
They have amazing resources for creating content.
#5 Practice
Of course, we can’t execute without practicing!
Take the time to perfect your craft to truly develop your creative style.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
Ask friends or family for help with getting ideas, or creating content.
See, in action what works and what doesn’t.
#6 Get Uncomfortable
Growth doesn’t occur in comfort.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable and open yourself up to trying new things.
Put pieces together that you normally wouldn’t envision together.
Try to substitute ideas, or if something doesn’t work out, improvise.
There are a number of times I’ve gone out to shoot and it just wasn’t working. That is okay. Dont force it, retract to #1 and try again in a different way you never imagined.
#7 Be Patient
Lastly, be patient.
Grasping your creative style does not come overnight, I myself am still learning to discover mine!
The more inspired I get the more I feel my style changes.
Keep practicing, keep being inspired and continue to get uncomfortable.