Let's be honest, the darkroom is a black hole that is somehow capable to suck away your concentration and motivation. This is also valid if you work with processes the don't require a darkroom.
Over the years I have noticed how many hours and days I threw away because I lost my sense of direction and because I went in the darkroom or started creating without clear goals in mind. And I’m not saying that you can’t go in just to experiment, but you need a certain level of organisation and focus. Stop wasting time, chemicals & money and do these 4 things instead:
1) SETTING GOALS
Start with a goal in mind. It can be “experiment with lumen and honey” or it can be “print that image on marble using liquid emulsion”. Both are very different and require different organisational methods. If you don’t start with a goal, you won’t know if your made good use of your time! Writing it down on paper helps a lot!
2) CREATE A SYSTEM
If you don’t have a system in place, don’t wait: start now, with your new work, going forward. It’s never too late! If you start organising your creative output you can better track mistakes, see improvements, keep a record of recipes that work and have a workflow in place that allows you to focus on the creative side.
3) TAKE NOTES
Record for each print, exactly how it was made. This may look like a waste of time, especially when you’re inside, excited about doing hands-on stuff, but I promise it will pay off, in the long run it saves hours.
4) FILL THE CHECKLISTS
I have 2 checklist, the before and the after printing. I’ve been using them for years and they really helped me stay organised and document each step of my process. I print a bunch of sheets and I leave them in my workshop space ready to be filled!
In our Alternative Processes Academy we teach technical skills but we also talk about mindset and how to document your work. As a student you get access to many downloadable guides and lists, as well as the AP checklists that I've been using since forever. Enrol and join 400+ students Happy printing! Chiara
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