Alex Prieditis
Guest Q&A
You have used your experience and vision to create something of value for others.
During the process of realizing your vision what was most important to you?
A few things are essential to me. First is having a solid vision of what you want to achieve artistically. Without an idea, you won't get very far. Researching and practicing my skills has proven critical to achieving my original goal. Opening myself up to feedback from others and being honest with myself. Self-critique has been one of the most important tools for creating the images that I do today. I wouldn't be able to do what I do today without these critical elements of my approach.
What part of the creative process do you most enjoy?
Going out and being inspired by nature and photographing the world as I see it.
What parts do you least enjoy?
Planning, scheduling, and time management, all the nitty gritty stuff
Do you set aside a certain time everyday to work on your project?
Yes, definitely, I have to focus consistently before great ideas come. I like to set aside mornings for most of my work. Evenings I try to set aside for less mentally taxing work and leisure if I am not actively photographing.
What Keeps you going throughout the challenges you must face on your creative journey?
Challenges are part of the process; there is no easy way to get the desired results without work. Working hard and working consistently towards a goal becomes extremely important. I know I have limited time, which keeps me motivated to keep producing. Frustration with past failures also is highly influential in moving the benchmark forward. Support from family and friends has also been important to keep my emotional lows from not getting too low. There is certainly a balance you need to progress.
What do you most want to say and share with your audience?
Have fun with your photography, but keep pushing yourself if you aren't satisfied with your work.
Linda Dawn Brown-Thomson MD
Guest Q&A
You have used your experience and vision to create something of value for others.
During the process of realizing your vision what was most important to you?
Throughout the creative journey I get such satisfaction from seeing a story emerge from the chrysalis of my imagination, and I enjoy the idea of sharing it with others. I feel that I become familiar with the characters. They become real to me; and when this happens, the story unfolds, bringing me along with it.
What part of the creative process do you most enjoy?
I have always enjoyed creative writing…the character development and the process, as a whole. I can dive into the story and become so involved that I feel a part of it, and time really has no meaning. Hours pass and it feels like minutes.
What parts do you least enjoy?
The part of the process that I least enjoy is the editing. I guess I dislike the practical back and forth that is so necessary in presenting the work to potential readers. I also dislike the marketing aspect, as I am not comfortable “tooting my own horn.”
Do you set aside a certain time everyday to work on your project?
I find that I need a blank period of uninterrupted time, so that I can just become immersed, without fear of distraction, or other responsibilities. A couple of free hours will not suffice.
When I write, I start with an idea…but that morphs many times until the birth of the final product. Sometimes I hit a wall and things just don’t work, so I take a break and come back to it later. It could be a day, or a week, but I do return with renewed and different energy.
What Keeps you going throughout the challenges you must face on your creative journey?
What keeps me going is love for the creative evolution that I find in writing, especially penning children’s stories. It allows a simple honesty and freedom from the status quo. I also enjoy creating something that adult readers can relate to, on a different level.
What do you most want to say and share with your audience?
I would like to share with my audience the simple truths that can be viewed so easily and safely through the unbiased eyes of childhood. I want to leave the reader with the feeling of “hope,” especially today, in the complicated world in which we live.
Paul Clarke
Guest Q&A
You have used your experience and vision to create something of value for others.
During the process of realizing your vision what was most important to you? What part of the creative process do you most enjoy?
What’s important to me and what I enjoy most while realizing my vision is researching and creating content of value for this interesting and flourishing community, of which I am a part.
What parts do you least enjoy?
What I enjoy least is some segments of the administrative every day nitty gritty. However, all of it is necessary because it is the foundation that keeps the programs flowing and myself informed.
Do you set aside a certain time everyday to work on your project?
I have an active schedule so it is challenging to set aside a certain time everyday. As a result, I often will be working on program activities any time during the day and or night. What I am learning to appreciate more is the importance of time, it can work for or against you depending on how you use it. I am working on better managing my time, in order to achieve the best out of my day.
What Keeps you going throughout the challenges you must face on your creative journey?
I acknowledge that Challenges are part of the process, some more difficult than others and I also feel that the solutions are there as well, so I keep pushing forward doing all that I can with all that I have, knowing that the solution will eventually materialize. Plus my goal and purpose of the program, along with the positive support provided by the community keeps me focused, grounded and fuels my drive to overcome it.
What do you most want to say and share with your audience?
Continue to commit to your health and fitness as one of your major priorities. It impacts your wellbeing and the quality of your daily life. Treat your body with care and love and it will reward you accordingly.