"I wrote a piano concerto in early 2010, and I didn’t feel like writing much else for the rest of the year. When I started writing tunes again, I was surprised by what came out — a lot of what I was writing didn’t seem to fit the mold of what I thought I should be writing. It took me a little while to realize that I had evolved as a composer, and that my previous ideas about what a tune should be didn’t apply anymore. The fact that one can surprise oneself as a composer is what’s fascinating to me: you are, in a way, divided in two when you write, and one part of you can sneak up on the other without it knowing it. Those kinds of moments remind me that our creativity essentially comes from the same place as our dreams — a place we just don’t control. Or, if we do control it, it goes stale, fast."
Photo of Dan Tepfer by Philippe Marchin
At the end of the month I'm heading to Mexico City for a week to photograph food. I won't be able to have my full set of lights and tools with me and I've been worrying about that loss of control and familiarity. Reading Dan's words, I was reminded of how healthy it can be to take a step back from one's usual process and change things up. Even, or maybe especially, when you don't know exactly what will change.
Hoping to sneak up on myself in Mexico City and throughout 2014. Happy New Year!