Beyond the Camera: Creativity, Identity and Finding the Magic Again
Through the Creative Door with Josh Wells
When people think of photographers, they often picture someone chasing perfect light or capturing the perfect moment.
But when I sat down with photographer, filmmaker and friend Josh Wells, it became clear that photography is only part of the story.
Our conversation quickly wandered into creativity, self-doubt, perfectionism, identity, and what happens when mastering your craft unexpectedly steals some of its magic.
It was an honest reminder that every creative… no matter how accomplished… continues to evolve.
Creativity begins with creating the right environment
I asked Josh what a creative space means to him.
His answer wasn't as simple as a studio or a desk.
While he'd love to be someone who could create anywhere, he admitted that environment matters. Cafés have become his unofficial office, where conversation hums in the background, coffee fuels long writing sessions, and ideas seem to arrive more easily. Long walks offer the same gift, creating space for thoughts to settle and new ones to emerge.
For Josh, creativity isn't something you force.
It's something you create the conditions for.
Sometimes the work begins long before you ever pick up the camera.
When becoming better makes creativity feel... predictable
One of the most fascinating parts of our conversation centred around an unexpected challenge.
As Josh's photography became more refined, something disappeared.
Surprise.
He reached a point where he already knew what the final image would look like well before pressing the shutter. Professionally, that's exactly where many photographers hope to arrive.
Personally, however, it left him feeling disconnected from the excitement that first drew him to photography.
It wasn't that the work became worse.
It became expected.
That realisation sent him on a journey of rediscovering why he creates in the first place.
Learning to fall in love with your craft again
During his honeymoon, Josh found himself reading essays by photography critic Susan Sontag alongside the work of photographers who continue to inspire him.
Rather than simply learning new techniques, he began questioning photography itself.
What makes an image meaningful?
Why do we instinctively believe a photograph tells the truth?
How much of creativity is really about the artist, and how much is about the stories we attach to the medium?
These questions didn't provide immediate answers.
Instead, they reopened his curiosity.
And sometimes that's exactly what creativity needs… not certainty, but wonder.
Film reminded him that imperfection has value
Recently, Josh returned to shooting film.
Not because it's easier.
Quite the opposite.
Film removes convenience. It asks for patience. It embraces uncertainty.
Every frame carries intention because every frame matters.
While he still edits his film photographs, the slower process has helped reconnect him with the joy of making images rather than simply producing them.
It's a reminder that sometimes limitations don't restrict creativity.
They deepen it.
The best advice isn't about perfection
Towards the end of our conversation, Josh shared one of the most practical lessons he's learned.
For years, he believed great photographers never cropped their images.
One compliment, offered with good intentions, convinced him that cropping somehow meant he'd failed.
It wasn't until much later in his journey he heard accomplished photographers openly discuss their own editing process… at that point he realised creativity doesn't happen in a single moment.
Photography begins long before the shutter clicks.
And it doesn't end until someone experiences the finished image.
Every creative discipline is a process.
The magic isn't found in one perfect step.
It's found in embracing the whole journey.
You're a person before you're an artist
Perhaps my favourite part of our conversation came right at the end.
Josh reflected on something author Margaret Atwood once said; that she doesn't define herself solely as a writer.
She's a person.
She writes.
She walks.
She talks with friends.
She lives.
Josh believes creatives often fall into the trap of allowing their art to become their entire identity.
Society romanticises the "tortured artist" trope, the idea that great art only comes through sacrifice and suffering.
But creativity doesn't require you to disappear inside your work.
In fact, your creativity becomes richer when you allow yourself to live a full life outside it.
Because art isn't meant to replace living.
It's one of the ways we make sense of it (well I know i sure do!).
Final Thoughts
Josh reminded me that creativity isn't about chasing perfection.
It's about staying curious.
It's about allowing yourself to question your process, fall out of love with it for a while, and trust that you'll eventually find your way back.
Whether you're holding a camera, a paintbrush, a guitar or simply an idea you've been too afraid to begin, perhaps the goal isn't to create flawless work.
Perhaps it's simply to keep creating.
Because every creative journey has seasons.
And sometimes rediscovering the magic is part of the masterpiece.
Alexis x
Listen to the full conversation with Josh Wells S1.E2. on Through the Creative Door, where we explore photography, creativity, perfectionism, identity, and why staying curious might be the most important creative skill of all.
