{"id":676,"date":"2025-05-29T10:12:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T09:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/irismag.uk\/?p=676"},"modified":"2025-06-04T11:37:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T10:37:28","slug":"creative-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/irismag\/2025\/05\/29\/creative-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Creative Benefits of Changing Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Iris explores how stepping into unfamiliar territory can spark fresh ideas, shift your style, and help you see the world (and your work) in a whole new way.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A change in scenery is widely considered to result in a change of perspective. Whether it\u2019s jetting off to the other side of the world or just spending the weekend in a nearby town, artists may benefit from this change to challenge their creative practices and promote a new outlook on their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For one photographer I spoke to, simply deciding to bring their camera on a trip ended up reshaping their whole creative outlook. Max Sullivan is a photographer who does commissioned work alongside building a following on social media. He recently spent months alone in the rural bush of New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was actually debating whether to take it or not, as I was weighing up whether I wanted a break. But I thought, I&#8217;m going to places most people I know have never seen. How could I not bring it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At home in the UK, their work had leaned towards urban photography, candid shots of life in busy cities like Bristol, crowded frames full of concrete and people. Venturing into rural New Zealand presented Max with a whole new way of working.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt kind of forced me to think differently. I was standing in places where there were no crowds, no obvious subjects. So I had to look harder. I had to learn to find the photo, instead of it finding me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New places disrupt old patterns. They can push you out of autopilot and ask you to really look again. Suddenly, it\u2019s not about chasing the perfect shot; it\u2019s about discovering what you hadn\u2019t noticed before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI definitely noticed my style shifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBack home, I\u2019d been more into portraiture. So I brought a big lens with me, thinking I\u2019d focus on wildlife or people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut by the time I made it to the South Island, I was obsessed with landscapes. You\u2019re standing in front of a mountain with huge clouds rolling past. It\u2019s like, how can I not take a photo of this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" data-src=\"https:\/\/irismag.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/05\/IMG_7626-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-679 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/682;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Max&#8217;s focus shifted after a trip to New Zealand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This kind of creative evolution rarely happens when you\u2019re in the same place every day. Familiar environments come with familiar habits: the same streets, the same angles, and the same go-to subjects. But a new setting gives you a chance to hit reset \u2014 to experiment without expectation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Creativity aside, a change in environment can lead to unexpected projects.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Louis Quail is an experienced and renowned UK-based documentary photographer. He discussed the idea of moving abroad for photography on a more practical basis:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re dedicated and you&#8217;re prepared to travel and live out of the bag or live in places. I think there are still opportunities and different ways of going about it. London and Great Britain are oversupplied with photographers. But if you go to someone, become a specialist in a field, and you work in certain parts of Africa or certain Turkey or the Middle East, I think it develops you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, changing your environment won\u2019t automatically make you a better photographer. But it will give you space \u2014 space to think, to see, and to shoot differently. Familiar environments come with familiar habits: the same streets, the same angles, and the same go-to subjects. But a new setting gives you a chance to hit reset \u2014 to experiment without expectation. Max confirmed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt developed my eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEven if my technical skills didn\u2019t improve massively, my way of seeing definitely did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you\u2019re stuck in a creative rut or still trying to figure out what your \u2018style\u2019 is, don\u2019t hang around expecting a eureka moment to come to you. Go find it. Whether it\u2019s a new country, a new city, or just a new neighbourhood, stepping outside your usual environment might be the best thing you can do for your photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results has never been a recipe for success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iris explores how stepping into unfamiliar territory can spark fresh ideas, shift your style, and help you see the world (and your work) in a whole new way. A change in scenery is widely considered to result in a change of perspective. Whether it\u2019s jetting off to the other side of the world or just [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":173,"featured_media":677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[36,45,24],"class_list":["post-676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn","tag-artists","tag-environment","tag-photography"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Creative Benefits of Changing Environment - Iris<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Iris explores how stepping into unfamiliar territory can spark fresh ideas, shift your style, and help you see the world (and your work) in a whole new way.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/irismag\/2025\/05\/29\/creative-environment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Creative Benefits of Changing Environment - 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