Click Happy Summer Academy 2021
Week 4:
Grit, Guts, and
Mana Week
Where to find all of the links
https://clickhappy.org/ch101/
The Intent of the Gut Brain Week
Rule #3 To do work that matters you need to listen to all three brains and be willing to hold space for things to fall apart and then reform into something better.
Here are some things we will be learning this week.
Congratulations
If you have made it this far you have demonstrated Grit. You had to get over the initial challenges with getting use to the system, you had to tackle several new skills sets, handle feedback that may have needled your ego…or worse…no feedback at times. But you have kept shooting and kept trying. You may have missed some time or been away but you have come back to it and are catching up. You will have noticed that so far some days have been epic and everything went beyond your expectations. Other days all you produced looked like the bottom of someone’s shoes. But you know what. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you made it this far. ROCK ON YOU… I’m proud of you.
Belt Levels - How far will you go during GUTS week?
White Belt
Yellow Belt
Orange Belt
Red Belt
Green Belt
Blue Belt
How to choose a belt level
What feels easy to you?
Great…now pick the belt level one above that.
That is a simple stretch goal which will naturally start to widen your comfort level without making you want to quit.
This week is all about Mana - Personal Power - Grit
This can only be earned. No matter how talented you are creatively it will amount to squat if you don’t have Grit. And if you haven’t learned this skill yet…don’t worry it isn’t something you are necessarily born with but something you develop by doing it. Grit is the ability to handle setbacks and do it without creating too much drama around you.This builds creative Mana. People want to hire people with grit. People will not work with you long if you don’t have it.
When you have Grit you know that when you start something worth doing you need to at some point jump off the cliff of “I have no idea what I am doing but I am going to jump any way.” And you accept responsibility for climbing up the other side of the cliff to completion no matter where you land. This means not waiting for the “perfect” conditions…but starting before you are ready.
In this space you are willing to hold space for the hard bits as well as the Victory laps.
The fire in ya belly
In our framework we consider grit to sit in your belly. You often hear the phrase “they’ve got guts”
Courage, Resilience, Responsibility, Accountability for your actions. These are all elements that build Mana. A lack of any of them quickly erodes people's confidence and trust in you. Without these qualities you get left behind because when people can’t rely on you they find others they can trust to be true to their word.
In Click Happy we strive to develop skills that make us people of integrity that finish what we start…no matter how hard it is. Even if it becomes unfun momentarily. We are completer finishers.
The Click Happy Caravan and Grit
When we decided to create Click Happy the only funds we had were what we created from our photography studio. Once Click Happy began to work we had regions from all over the country ask us to bring the program there. It was going to be expensive to do that flying and paying for hotels and the like. So what we realized is the best way to do it would be in a caravan. We had an old dilapidated one in the back yard and we applied for a bit of funding to do it up. We got that funding and Craig started work.
Craig the Builder - The definition of GUTS
Craig is disabled. When he was 17 he got Guillain Barre’s syndrome.
He died.
Came back.
Was in a coma. Then woke from the coma and was paralysed.
Then over several years regained some function and using what was left of his muscles in his arms and bum he learned to walk again by using his butt muscles to throw his legs forward and then balance on crutches. His hand's muscles were also permanently damaged by the disease like his legs so he doesn't have the fine motor skills like everyone else. But Craig has taught himself to type, and build, and cook, and shoot (guns not cameras), he is our studio’s expert printer and post production guru, and he is a clever tinkerer. He even rebuilt his leg braces when they were faulty. He is a business analyst and a clever cookie so when the challenge of the caravan presented itself he put his hand up for the job.
Craig and the Caravan
We had a deadline to work to which gave him 8 months to renovate it. We thought it would be a simplish job and 8 months would be plenty of time.
It was not.
It was full of holes and needed to be stripped right back to the bare bones, have all of the holes plugged, all of the rust removed, Every bit of framing timber had to be replaced, window seals replaced, then insulated, lined and fitted out. Craig did 95% of the work himself and then volunteers came and helped with the bits he couldn't do. The deadline approached and I had to be in Te Kuiti to teach in two days. The lining still wasn't in and neither was the bed frame built. I had accepted the idea in my head that I would just be sleeping on a mattress on the floor and stepping around all of my things. But that was not to be. Craig stayed up for 24 hours to make sure that it all got built and finished and that I would leave with a bed to sleep on. He nailed the last nail and I hit the gas at 6am and arrived with 5 minutes to spare to my first workshop.
The third brain - Ya Guts - Ya Spidey Senses
That is guts. That is holding space for a difficult task and iterating and problem solving until you have brought your idea to life no matter how many obstacles get in your way.
Working from your gut requires tapping into your third brain - your intuition your guts. This is our area of mana. Of personal power. Of strength but also of our embodied knowing (the knowledge of your body instead of just your "thinking brain"). Think of this brain as your spidey senses. It reaches out beyond your body and can sense when things are safe and good or not quite right. This builds through experience and time and training. But it forms a knowing that is felt not thought. Craig has the most fully developed "GUT" brains of anyone I know. It developed for him when he was paralysed and stuck in his bed and in his head unable to speak when he was intubated and had to "feel" his way around the room otherways.
It now manifests itself as him being able to read people very quickly and know if they have good or not so great intentions. He gets "gut" feelings about situations and people that we have learned never to ignore. He can find stuff that is lost in ways that appears magical. (which is great because I lose stuff all the time).
The wonderful thing is you don't have to go through what Craig went through to begin to develop this sense in you. You just need to learn to pay attention to your intuition and to act on it.
Often a sick sense in your belly or you feel like you are going to "poop" yourself. Butterflies in your tummy. We are often taught to ignore this brain...to do so is to rob you of a large part of your personal power.
The Muses and Grit
The other part that makes this brain so important is its ability to hold space for when things get difficult in your creative process. There are some days that it feels like you are floating on the jet stream of the warm creative winds of your soul. Other days when it feels like you are trying to push water uphill with a fork in snow storm in your underwear. On days like that it is really easy to say..."Forget it...what was I thinking doing something so ambitious" And then quit completely. But if you do...you miss the magic that is on the other side of the stink days.
Remember the Muses. The idea fairies that gift you your best ideas. If you often quit you miss the fact that your Muses don't want artists who only work when the conditions are perfect...they will soon tire of visiting you because you keep throwing their gifts back into their faces. They give the best ideas to those who will fight the internal snowstorms and come out of it with something to show for their efforts. (those willing to push themselves to win their own personal Edison awards). Those artists who think…”right...underwear and snow storms, not the best combo...let me put on some pants and grab a spoon instead of a fork and give that a shot…” Or something even better…the point is that you don’t quit and you keep iterating (iterating means trying new things that are different than your first attempt)
Sailboat your way there
Real artists don't quit. Real artists finish what they start. They just iterate their way there. Iteration means zig zagging instead of straight lining. They trying something, take what works, ditch what doesn't, and then try again. It is like a sailboat. They don't sail straight to their destination they sail in a zig zag. The best work is found in this pattern usually. Try, evaluate, plan, iterate - Try, evaluate, plan, iterate - try, evaluate, plan, iterate...repeat until you have a completed creation that you are happy with.
Picking the work that matters to you
I have found it is a good use of time to check with your gut before you start something to make sure that it is something you are willing to "eat the crap sandwich" for as Mark Manson says. This means that in the middle of any really cool piece of work there is the drudgery. The difficult snaggy bits that are "unfun". The difference between an artist and a dilettante is that an artist knows its coming, prepares for it, and just pushes through. A dilettante quits and leaves yet another thing undone. The trick is to pick something that your Head, Your Heart, and Your Gut agree on so that you have the juice you need to bring that idea to Ground.
Consult your three brains first
Three brains. One channel to creative goodness.
How do I know if I should do something.?
Guts inquiry -
- How do i feel about this idea - does it excite me? Does it feel like a good stretch or challenge? Is it too far of a stretch?
- Do I have enough courage to see this through?
- Where is it likely to go pear shaped? What can I do to reduce the collateral damage if it does go wrong?
- Can I live with it if I try and fail along the way?
- Can I live with not trying?
Heart -
Does it align with one or more of my three top values?
Who should I involve with it?
Head - (How)
What resources do I need?
What is the best way to go about it?
What skills do I need to develop along the way?
Photography Technique:
Shutter Speed
Photography that blurs the boundaries between felt and known.
Getting Exposed to Manual Settings
Our cameras and phones can operate in purely automatic or you can get back some of the control and shoot instead in manual settings. This workshop will slowly introduce you to manual settings. Here is a link to our poster about it.
Reminder of Adjustable Exposure Elements
Aperture
Shutter speed
ISO
Shutter Speeds
If you freeze motion or blur motion in your image depends on how fast the shutter opens and closes in relation to the how Wide open the lens is (Fstop) and the sensitivity of the film (ISO).
Fast Shutter = Frozen motion (Fast Clap)
So if you want to freeze motion you figure out what depth of field you are after, set that, then drop your ISO (to make the camera more sensitive to light) so that you can increase your shutter speed so that you only catch the briefest of moments.
Slow shutter speed = Blurred motion (Slow Clap)
So you know how you see those cool light trail images or the ones where the water looks misty? That was because they used a slow shutter speed and allowed things to happen in front of them while the shutter remained open.
This is best learned by playing.
So find where you adjust it on your camera and start experimenting.
(Tip - slowshutter speeds bring in a lot more light so this is often best to experiment when there is lower levels of light or use a pair of sunglasses over your cellphone camera to darken the amount of light coming in or use ND filters on a camera if you are shooting in bright light…but just experiment and play your way there. )
Here is how to adjust shutter Speed on your camera
Fast shutter speed imagery
Image Credit: Ava Thomas
Freezing Motion using shutter speed or flash if you have it.
Trouble shooting
Image Credit: Ava Thomas
Long
Exposure
Photographing the mind’s eye
Sharp vs Fuzzy photography
Imagine an ocean scene. As you flit around the scene do different parts go fuzzy and unclear and then the one area you are thinking about sharpens for a moment then quickly fades away again. There is an immediacy a presence when we see things blurry. It is as if the images are coming from within and are more felt. Versus sharply focused images which are understood to be outside and other. These crisp clear images are more processed in your brain. Versus the blurry ones which can be more…known.
Some prefer a clear subject matter. Some are happy to be with the unknown but known. Neither is right or wrong. We will explore both this week.
Pauline Neilson -
Pauline is one of our tutors at Click Happy. Her work has been exhibited in New York and has a beautiful ethereal feel to it. Almost as if she is photographing the Wairua (spirit) of the thing.
She is going to share with us her awesomesauce around how to evolve an image using slow shutter speed.
Here is her diary of play
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q2zalbok2q7smjg/AADLv4CMAdRgbVkLBCRRvuaKa?dl=0
Long Exposure
The ‘Blurry’ experience
(by Pauline Neilson)
Basic Camera Knowledge
Choosing a long exposure setting allows much more light to enter the camera. The three legs of Exposure, Aperture and ISO can then be balanced depending on the desired effect.
A tripod is used to keep the camera steady to create a sharply focussed image. A blurred image is created if the camera is hand held. It is difficult to create a sharply focussed image with shutter speeds of 1/60 sec or slower if a tripod is not used.
Be Curious on the Adventure
Exploring photography requires a curiosity to enjoy answering the question "What if .....?"
What happens if the camera is set on slow shutter speeds and is hand held?
A whole new field of possibilities opens up. It is filled with many failures but also with the totally unexpected - "Oh Wow!!" moments.
Play
To play in the field of hand held long exposures invites you as a creative explorer to be prepared for not knowing exactly what image you will record. You probably won't be able to re create that image so you have to be excited about living in a world of the unknown and the uniqueness of one moment in time.
Slow Shutter speeds and Cellphones
Apple - Use the Live settings if your phone has it.
Selecting Slow Shutter Speeds with a DSLR camera
For the effects that I want in my images I have developed a preferred way of working.
Develop Your Skills
With blurred images comes the invitation to develop skills in post-production. This is where you get to bring your own unique talents to re-shaping what was captured through the lens. It is an opportunity for you to understand the metaphor of your images being a representation of yourself as an individual, how you experience your world, what you take in and what sense you make of the world by how you express what you have experienced.
Your images are postcards written to yourself.
Problems
The biggest problem that gets in the way of being comfortable with 'blurry' images is how you feel about things in life having to be perfect.
Generally the public expectation is for images to have a sharp focus of interest and to be able to be 'seen' as something that the viewer knows what they are looking at. 'Blurry' images don't fit into that expectation so the viewer often doesn't know what they are looking at and there can be a feeling of being uncomfortable with not knowing how to respond to what is being seen.
As the photographer your image will be inviting the viewer to respond to how the image makes them feel more through their gut emotions rather than being driven by their head emotion of what they know.
Solutions
“Everyone has a different opinion of you - there are so many boxes to fit into.
We are all going to die - so you might as well choose the box you want to fit into for yourself.”
The biggest solutions in creating 'blurry' images are:
Beginners guide to long exposure
Here is how to do slow shutter speed with a cellphone
Android
Or use the Blur Motion App which uses technology similar to the natural Iphone motion blur. I think it costs around $4.00.
Choosing Slower Shutter Speeds on the Pro settings on a phone
Select the Pro setting on your phone
Select the Shutter Speed menu
Experiment with Various Slow Shutter Speeds
Choosing any shutter speed below 1/60th second and holding the phone or camera by hand will give a blurred image.
The slower the shutter speed the more blurred the image becomes.
Balance the choice of ISO and Shutter Speed
Play with different combinations of ISO and shutter speeds.
Play with moving the phone or camera when the shutter has been released.
Experiment with moving the camera up and down or in circles or zooming in or out with the lens.
If there is too much light you won’t be able to record an image so you might want to explore Neutral Density Filters.
https://youtu.be/lfEdhVp0TdE
Visual Poet of the Week Challenge
Just as we hold space for our dreams to materialize through work and effort. So we are going to hold space for beauty and light this week.
The challenge is to create an image using light painting and slower shutter speed.
Any light will do. Just slow the shutter. Put the camera somewhere where it will not move and then use light to paint either a surface or to create a light pattern. Create something that you feel is beautiful or interesting. Or move the camera with a fixed light source. Or zoom in on a long exposure or zoom out.
Some will use flashlights, others LED’s, maybe fire, maybe moving cars, maybe stars. It is up to you how you create the image but let the light paint the image. Ohhh this one is going to be fun!
Bonus Material for Colour lovers:
Composition Technique:
Colour Theory
How do colours make you feel?
Monochromatic
Sticking with one colour and exploring the edges of it with shade and adjacent hues.
Image Credit
Sophie Hansen
Highlight / White added
Shadow / Black / Grey added
Cool Tone / Hue
Warm Tone / Hue
Pure tone
Highlight / White added
Shadow / Black / Grey added
Cool Tone / Hue
Warm Tone / Hue
Pure tone
Highlight / White added
Shadow / Black / Grey added
Pure tone
Complementary Colour
The colour that is opposite the colour on the colour wheel and that causes the greatest visual contrast when used in combination.
They are “tuned” to each other and balance like Yin and Yang.
Sore Foot at Sunrise - Mandi Lynn
Colours and space
Warm colours pull to the front of the image.
Cool colours drop to the back. (think of a series of mountains and how they get greyer and bluer the further away they are. But the closer they are the warmer the colour palate often.
This knowledge can create three dimensional elements in your two dimensional photography or art.
Warm = pop
Cool = recedes
The Emotion of Colour
On your three pages today explore the colour wheel and ask yourself what each of the colours does for you emotionally?
Go through the rainbow and connect with how different colours impact you, what emotional words would you use to associate with those colours?
Red =
Orange =
Yellow =
Green =
Teal =
Indigo (deep blue)=
Purple=
White=
Black=
Colours in subliminal advertising
Here is a link that explores the emotional qualities of colour. That has been researched but may resonate differently to you personally…which is perfectly okay.
Reds and yellows are often used for food because they stimulate appetite (think about the colours of McDonalds)...based on our attraction to ripe fruit.
Orange- Is a stimulating sometimes playful colour
Greens indicate natural and fresh and clean
Blues - Trustworthy (think of the banks)
Purple - Royalty (the purple colour was the colour of robes of royalty back in the day. Is also the colour often associated with spiritually.
White - purity
Black - darkness, elegance
Colour adjustment in Lightroom
Creative Self Care: Holding Space
Lacking self care is a rookie mistake for an artist. When you turn pro part of that is looking after your instrument…You.
Creative Self care challenge
Where are you lacking guts?
Where in your life are you dropping the ball regarding responsibility, accountability, trusting your intuition. How can you improve?
Write about this in your three pages then pick one small thing you can do to build your gut muscle and see if you can create a photograph that reminds you of your commitment to yourself.
When you build your grit muscle you build on your chance to have a happy successful life. So by investing in this part of you, you will increase your chances to be content…no better self care than that.
Important Reminders and Links
All of the important links can be found on this webpage with the exception of your personal Telegram chat page which should be on the email that delivers this content to you.
Online safety - Revisited
How to Critique an Image that helps and doesn’t harm
Remember the rule of thumb.
For every one image you post. You give feedback on 5 images of others.
The better your feedback the better you learn as an artist as well.
Here is the link to the How to Grow Better Artists Through Compassionate Critique document.
It will feel clunky and not “authentic” or weird to give critiques like this, and much simpler to say “it's pretty” but that doesn’t actually help the photographer except to pet their ego. Which is fine but doesn’t improve their game. We are all about rapid feedback loops here. Shoot something. Get real feedback. Then shoot something better. And start again. This is how we grow. But we do it a special way so that we stay confident and curious and not crushed. So read that document and practice. You will feel weird at first but then you will start to improve. Ava Thomas one of the youth mentors has refined the art of giving detailed helpful feedback. See if you can tune into some of her feedback to get an idea of how it can be done. Or listen to how I give it and try and model it.
Belt Levels - How far will you go during GUTS week?
White Belt
Yellow Belt
Orange Belt
Red Belt
Green Belt
Blue Belt
Copyright Notice
All Click Happy content is collectively owned by Mandi Lynn and Every Body is a Treasure Trust or the contributors cited. Please contact Mandi or the trust if you wish to reproduce any of the materials that have been shared with you.
Mental Health Links
If doing any of the suggested activities has stirred up issues that feel too much for your mental health…here are some resources that can help https://themojolution.org/mental-health-help/