10 Jul Originality and Authenticity in Custom landscape lighting Design
With landscape lighting being part of our lives like never before, and with many more outdoor lighting systems going in every single day ,the question of originality in this art is legitimate. It has been said by many that there is absolutely no way to create anything new, anything that hasn’t been done or, at least, tried in the past. Look at many of the movies being made today. Many are reboots of older movies and slight changes made to what has been done already.
There are a number of ways to look at this because never before have there been so many landscape lighting systems out there. Many have never tried being original, others strive to be one of a kind and find themselves frustrated by never achieving it .Some settle for simply copying the work of others and finding satisfaction in the technical ability to pull it off alone.
The desire for originality is rooted in each of us. We all want to stand out at some point , both as individuals and through our work. And it is indeed crucial for a successful landscape lighting designer builder to have a personal style that can easily be identified from others.
But here is where I believe many go wrong while trying to achieve a fresh and personal style in lighting.
I believe each of us should shift our focus from trying to be innovative to being authentic. Authenticity is in each of us and instead of trying to be original by taking inspiration from the work of our peers, we should all look deeper inside ourselves and let that come through. Finding your inner voice is one of the hardest things any creative person will do. We are being bombarded daily with visual stimulants and distractions that keep us from putting what we really are into our work. This is not to say that seeking inspiration in others is a bad thing. On the contrary, there is much to be learned from our peers.
However, being different means being yourself. As each of us is one of a kind, why shouldn’t our work be? You might not be the first to light a certain subject or have a specific idea, but you can be the first to light your way. Here I believe lies the difference between being original and authentic. It doesn’t really matter if what you’re doing has been done by others before you. As long you are in fine tune with yourself, your work can and will stand out by means of personal touch. It involves developing a consistency and process for the way you do things. You might end up doing something that’s never been done before, but then again, you might not. It doesn’t really matter. What matters at the end of the day, is to make sure that every good effect you created could have been created only by you, in your specific style and way. I know it’s a lot easier said than done, but the fact is, the more you work at it and the more you build yourself as a creative, the closer you will get to being original and Unique.
This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 20 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.Gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .
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