I had been mired in Photoshop frustration for some time. When I looked through my images for a starting point, nothing came to me. Nothing especially “creative.” I felt I should have been been bubbling over with ideas since beginning Sebastian Michael's Awake course this summer.
Its full title is “Awake: The Photoshop Mastery Edition” and it follows the original Photoshop Artistry course that I had mostly completed last year. Even though I am relatively Photoshop-competent and have been piling up layers and applying blend modes with abandon for some time, I hoped these courses would not only teach me new skills but also propel me into greater digital creativity.
One unexpected benefit has been finding myself a part of a community of equally Photoshop-obsessed souls all around the globe. Before I could look at and study their compositions via the monthly Living the Photo Artistic Life Magazine, the photoshopartistryInstagram feed or the Fine Art Photoshop Flickr group, but now I feel I can interact with them more fully if I choose.
Many of these people have built up a large and enviable body of work. Ah, yes, work, that's the key word. Referencing the famous Thomas A. Edison quote, instead of Genius, I think you could certainly say Art “is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” So with that in mind, I sat myself down one morning and kept working away until I had put together the composition above.
