ON LOCATION. AROUND THE CORNER. AROUND THE WORLD.

My Space By definition, most writers write - at least some of the time. By desire and design, most photographers almost never, ever, ever write - with good reason. And, why should we? If a picture is worth a thousand words then why struggle to craft scintillating prose when somebody else, who really like to write, can do it better. Instead, shouldn’t photographers be out shooting, pounding out thousands of digital words at a time, creating monumental libraries full of visual literature. I clung to this happy fantasy for a long time in an erstwhile successful effort to avoid starting this series of newsletters. And, I’m pretty confident I would have happily procrastinated into perpetuity if a TARP were still a canvas. But it is not.

The freelance photographer’s life of “carefree abandoned” was turned upside down by the powerful confluence of new technologies, incredible competition and the rapid decline of print. Then, things really came to a head the day that credit default swaps and mortgage backed securities collapsed, pushing us to the precipice of the Global Meltdown. Now the creatives that are left standing have had to run faster, jump higher, throw farther and market harder to help inspire their own personal economic recoveries. This newsletter, along with a whole lot of other new skills, is part of my personal stimulus package. I’ll admit that I’m really not all that happy to be cooped up in front of my computer on a Sunday afternoon, my heart beat synched to the relentless

rhythm of a blinking cursor on an empty screen. Outside, a big winter swell is coming in and I can hear the surf pounding on the beach. There are pictures to be taken and here I am stuck inside, lost for the words, any words, with which to end this messy muse. It’s no small wonder that Hemingway drank and Poe went mad.

I’ve got to get out of here and take some pictures before the Raven gets me too. But, I am determined to learn to enjoy this process. So, I’ll be back at it tomorrow, chipping away.

Brent Winebrenner

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“Artists are influenced primarily byother artists, which means that standard art history can sound likea baseball broadcast of an infieldplay: Velazquez to Goya to Picasso.”

Arthur Lubow

Creativity researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and others argue that the kind of really intense, high octane creativity that moves a culture cannot exist outside of three part structure, the foundation of which is the domain. A domain is another word for a discipline like physics, music or photography that has rules, procedures, culture and history.

The second element in the structure is called the field. The field is made up of the people and institutions - the curators, educators, critics, universities, museums and associations who act as gatekeepers and kingmakers.

Finally, there is the person, working either individually or in collaboration with others. By building on what already exists within in their domain, people generally nudge their discipline along in miniscule increments. It is only on rare occasion that the change is so radical that an entirely new domain is created. For example, Freud ripped psychoanalysis from neuropathy, Galileo’s work laid the foundation for experimental physics and Shawn White destroyed the half-pipe in his final run of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Csikszentmihalyi’s most demanding definition says that “creativity is any act, idea, or product that changes an existing domain, or that transforms an existing domain into a new one.”

This definition really raises the bar and creates some interesting “truisms” for anyone who wants to excel.

First of all, if you want to be a creative influence, you have to be grounded in the culture of your domain. So, one way or another, through formal education, practical experience or a real mentorship, you simply have to become fluent in what you do.

Second, after achieving a thorough grounding in your domain, you have to be willing to push against established boundaries to break new ground. You have to work hard, be willing to explore, take risks and fail in order to succeed.

Thirdly, and most interestingly, it is sometimes true that the people who are considered the creative “luminaries” in your domain may be no more talented, brilliant or even creative than you are. But for some reason, the gatekeepers have chosen to embrace and promote their work. Their initial acceptance can be a function of real genius or it just might be a combination of luck, connections, timing, persistence or the efforts of a good publicist.

Whatever it is, you’ll never know until you do the work and put it out there.

This is the first in a series of excerpts from my Master’s Thesis exploring the development of personal creativity.

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Starting a magazine can be a real adventure in good times. In this turbulent publishing environment, it is nothing short of audacious. So, I was really intrigued when I was asked to shoot the features for the first issue of Upwardly Mobile, a new shelter magazine. I was hooked when I met Toni Gump, the publisher. She told me she was assembling a team of freelance editors and writers to create a quarterly print magazine devoted to revealing the “cool” side of pre-fab houses and mobile home living.

It was clear that Toni was convinced that manufactured homes were an affordable, and surprisingly elegant solution, to the higher costs and bigger footprints of traditional housing. She was on a righteous mission and her enthusiasm was so contagious that I signed up to help light the fuse on her Upwardly Mobile rocket. Its been a very trippy, fun-filled ride.

The first assignment, shooting a rural triple-wide in Central Coast wine country, blew away any lingering “My Name Is Earl” kind of stereotypes that I had about mobile home living. The young owner’s had created out a wonderful house for themselves and their active family, using the money they saved to upgrade their country lifestyle. And, the fact that they had their own winery operations at the end of the lane helped seal the deal. They were living large in their triple wide.

Over time, Toni’s enthusiasm and her team’s hard work have filled Upwardly Mobile with stories of people who really love the living spaces they’ve created. The assignments have been great, introducing me to a bunch of folks who love life and get a kick out of ignoring, naysayers, turning convention upside down and pursue uncommon possibilities.

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Work Space

Gallery Space ON LOCATION ON THE WATER

One of the great things about freelancing is that over the course of time, creatives on both sides of the business relationship generally get to collaborate with people who they come to know and like, both personally and professionally. Because so much of a collaborative relationship is intangible, I’ve taken the liberty to provide a short autobiography to help you get to know me a little better. I was introduced to the wrong end of the camera when I was a kid. Perhaps because I was an only child, it seemed like my entire life was spent posing for pictures while my dad recorded our family history. Vacations, picnics, reunions, Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, Little League games, and even trips to barber shop ground to a halt whenever my dad was inspired to call out, “Hey, how about a quick picture?’ Then, precious hours of kid time would pass while he very carefully took incident meter readings, composed and recomposed, then focused and shot. I loved my dad but I really didn’t like taking pictures all that much.

I began to change my mind (not about my dad) in high school when I was given the choice between two electives - Auto Mechanics or Photography. I had no interest in learning how to rebuild an engine, but I was intrigued by a girl who signed up for the photo class. After careful deliberation, I followed her into the darkroom. I have no idea where the girl is today, but I still have my first print.

After high school graduation, I really wanted to become a professional photographer. But, common sense prevailed and I enrolled in the School of Business at Indiana University. I studied hard, did well and was bored beyond tears. Before long, I was suffering from a mid-live crisis - at age nineteen.

Then, late one afternoon near the end of my freshman year, I stopped in the quad library on the way to dinner. With time to kill before the cafeteria opened, I picked up a National Geographic article quite literally changed my life. The brilliant story, written by a disaffected, disillusioned young college graduate named Peter Jenkins, described his incredible journey, on foot, across the rural face of America. By making an extra-ordinary commitment to do something extra-ordinary, Peter had determined to really live - and not just go through the motions.

His experience resonated so deeply within me that I skipped dinner, dropped out of school, bought a dozen bricks of film and spent a year living in a van, kicking around the American West. While my college buddies were struggling with standard deviations, I worked odd jobs to pay for gas, climbed mountains, slept on the beach, got a tattoo (long before it was the thing to do) and experienced life at an emotional level that has shaped my thinking to this day.

The freedom was intoxicating. Not knowing what lay beyond the proverbial bend in the road made the air crisper, the colors brighter, the light sharper and the moment so much more intense.

But, then all too soon, my wonder year ran out....continued in the second edition

We provide stock images, assignment stills, video footage and post-production services to editorial and business clients with stories to tell. We take great pride in our ability to listen to our clients, understand their needs and work collaboratively to exceed their expectations. Winebrenner Productions is deeply committed to your success.

Winebrenner ProductionsMission Statement

To deliver stunning visuals in print and motion that demand attention and tell a truthful story while helping clients build their brands and their businesses in a manner that respects the environment and its inhabitants, both locally and globally.

Quick Resume

BS in Accounting - Indiana UniversityCPA - Arthur Andersen & CompanyDirector of Distribution Planning - Toys R UsSmall Business Owner - Costa RicaMS in Photography - Brooks Institute of PhotographyFaculty - Brooks Institute of PhotographyFaculty - Eclipse InstituteContributor to Lonely Planet Images & MoodboardPhotographic experience in more than 60 countries

Partial Stock Agency, Commercial Client & Editorial Publishing List

Lonely Planet Images, Moodboard, DV Archives, National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Adventure, Sunset, Islands, California Homes, Cowboys & Indians, Food an Home, Santa Barbara Magazine, Seasons, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Independent, the Magellan’s Travel and The Territory Ahead Catalogs, The Eclipse Institute, Community West Bank, Kendall-Jackson brands including Cambria, Kinton, Calina, Byron and Carmel Road, Foley Family Wines brands including Sebastiani, Kuleto, Firestone and Chalk Hill, Media 27, Pace Communications, Santa Barbara Visitors & Conference Bureau, Semester at Sea, Rizzoli Publications

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. My Space - Part I