The Things You’re Passionate About Are Not Random
The things you’re passionate about are not random; they are calling you.
Your Creative Core (CC) is where that calling lives. It’s the foundation of your artistic voice, the patterns that quietly repeat in your work, and the threads that connect your images, whether you realize it or not.
What is the Creative Core?
Your CC shows itself in patterns. Sometimes it’s easy to see, other times it takes reflection. But it’s always there, guiding the choices you make, shaping the images you create.
Here are a few areas where your Creative Core often reveals itself:
Color — Notice the palettes you keep coming back to. Are they muted or vibrant? Warm or cool? Earthy, jewel-toned, pastel? Our color choices reveal a great deal about our inner world.
Light — Think about the light that excites you. Do you love soft, natural window light? Or dramatic, high-contrast shadows? Some of us are drawn to golden warmth, others to moody twilight.
Value — Value is the range of light and dark in your images. Do you crave deep shadows and strong contrast, or lean toward soft gradients and gentle mid-tones?
Space — How do you use space in your work? Do you crave openness and negative space, or do you love to fill the frame with detail and texture?
Composition — Look at the way you frame things. Do you prefer symmetry or asymmetry? Wide open space or tight, intimate frames? Balanced order or a bit of tension?
Perspective — From what point of view do you usually shoot? Wide and expansive, or close and intimate? Do you like eye-level realism or unusual, unexpected angles?
Style / Mood — Finally, the emotional tone of your work. Romantic, raw, ethereal, playful, painterly, abstract. Even if you don’t try to make it so, mood seeps into your images.
When you begin to look for your Creative Core, you’ll notice patterns in your work. Let’s take a closer look at one of my images, Among the Unseen, and see how the Creative Core reveals itself.
Color
The palette is soft and muted, with creams, pale golds, and earthy browns. These colors feel timeless and natural, inviting a sense of calm and reverence.
Light
Golden, directional light illuminates the figure and sheer fabric. It creates a radiance that feels almost spiritual, suggesting hope, transcendence, and vulnerability.
Value
There’s a gentle range of tones, bright highlights in the dress and skin balanced against textured mid-tones and shadows. The result is depth without harshness.
Space
The open, airy background is filled with atmospheric texture. Space here feels both expansive and intimate, as though the figure is suspended between earth and sky.
Composition
The vertical orientation emphasizes lift and ascension. The figure is slightly off-center, surrounded by delicate branches and textures that bring balance without rigid symmetry.
Perspective
Shot at eye level, the perspective invites connection. The layering of textures shifts the image into something dreamlike, blurring the line between seen and unseen.
Style / Mood
Romantic, ethereal, painterly. The mood carries a sense of longing and transcendence — a reaching for something beyond what is visible.
This is how Creative Core works: the choices we make in color, light, and mood are not random. They reflect who we are and what calls to us. By noticing these threads, we begin to see our images not just as photographs, but as mirrors of our inner world.
A Simple Way to Explore Your Creative Core
Take 5 of your recent images and place them side by side. Notice the threads that appear again and again.
Is there a particular kind of light?
A palette of colors?
A mood that seems to carry across your work?
These patterns are not random. They are your Creative Core speaking, calling you deeper into your unique artistic voice.
Why It Matters
When you start noticing your Creative Core, something shifts. You realize your art isn’t random, and it isn’t just about mastering techniques. It’s about listening to what already lives inside you.
Your Creative Core acts like a compass. It points you toward the colors, light, and moods that feel most alive to you. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by endless possibilities, you begin to recognize the threads that matter most, the ones worth following.
This matters because:
It gives your work cohesion. Instead of a scattered portfolio, your images begin to carry a recognizable voice. People start to say, “I knew this was yours the moment I saw it.”
It brings meaning into your process. You’re not just “taking pictures”; you’re creating from a deeper place, which makes the work more satisfying and more sustainable over time.
It helps you grow with direction. Once you know your Creative Core, you can intentionally lean into it, refine it, and push its boundaries in ways that still feel authentic.
It reveals you. Your images stop being about imitating trends or copying what others are doing. They become reflections of your story, your passions, and your unique perspective on the world.
At its heart, the Creative Core matters because it is what makes your art unmistakably yours. When you follow that call, your work not only becomes more powerful, but it also becomes more personal.
