Friendly prompts
In the last week or two I have entered two photography competitions. My entry in one of them was this dead microwave. It's highly unlikely anything will come of either entry, but it's satisfying to have lodged them.
I entered them for my own amusement and because the competitions seemed not to be overly interested in technical prowess or artistic merit. They're friendly prompts. You could say I take a minimalist approach with technical aspects (I always forget which camera settings I am supposed to care about) and with art (I just like stuff, or it gives me a feeling, or it reminds me of something, but I don't go out to express anything in particular).
In the case of the microwave, I recall on that day I went for a walk with the intention of taking pictures of rubbish. There's a lot of it around, maybe it's interesting? I don't think I put much thought into the composition but I like how it turned out with the grey and green separated on the diagonal. I think it's an inherently interesting photo but I couldn't tell you why.
Just over a year ago my friend Joy invited portraits to celebrate her birthday. I think I was the only one who treated this earnestly, and I painted her portrait in watercolours, in profile. It turned out a lot better than I expected and the exhibition was lots of fun. I'm just really grateful for the prompt.
Another friendly prompt where the quality of the outcome really doesn't matter. It might be one of the best ways to do something. I'm not sure if it's easy to find friendly-feeling opportunities like these. I worry that all of a sudden it would feel like an actual competition. I don't want that.
