For the past few months, David and I have been creatively stuck.
No new ideas were coming. Everything we shot felt flat. We knew we weren’t pushing ourselves creatively, and everything just felt stagnant.
And when your whole life revolves around creativity, that’s a scary place to be. We were frustrated with ourselves, and at times, even with each other, trying to figure out who was to blame for the lack of spark. But it wasn’t one person’s fault. It was both of us.
In our workshops, we teach people how to tap into creativity, how to use exercises and mindset shifts to find new ideas. But none of those tools were working for us. We were doing the exercises, taking time to recharge, looking for inspiration everywhere, but that inspired feeling just wasn’t landing.
Until one day, David sketched something in his journal. It was a set with these wild, curvy walls. We both paused. “Woah,” we said. “That’s cool.”
But it was something we’d never done before. And just like anything new, that meant facing a lot of uncertainty. The idea of failing and wasting time on something that didn’t work, was terrifying. We both take a lot of pride in what we do. But art doesn’t exist without failure. If you never experiment, you stay stuck, and that’s exactly where we already were.
We sat on the idea for a few days, too nervous to commit. David even tried sketching simpler versions, but neither of us could shake that original design. Deep down, we knew we couldn’t take the easy route. So we went all in.
To build a set with curvy walls, you need bendy plywood. It’s a pretty wild material. Usually with plywood, the grain of each layer runs in opposite directions to make it strong and stable. But with bendy plywood, all the grain runs the same way so it can flex and curve. That small change opens up huge creative possibilities.
Most of our past builds were modular, structured, and boxy because we were using regular plywood. But with bendy plywood, suddenly our work could take on a whole new shape and feel.
That first build was complicated. It pushed David’s woodworking skills, but he loved it. The challenge gave him a rush, like a puzzle that needed to be solved. Working with a new material got his imagination firing again.
And just like that, we were back in flow. Within two weeks, we built and shot two more sets that completely reignited our creative energy.
All of this reminded me of a few things.
First, uncertainty is way more exciting than certainty.
We were stuck because our ideas had become predictable. We already knew how they’d look and how to execute them. But this project was unknown. We had no clue if it would work or how it would photograph, and that mystery sparked our excitement again. Sometimes curiosity itself is the fuel.
Second, the materials change everything.
I don’t know why I’d forgotten that. But switching up your tools, your medium, gear, or even your process, instantly shifts how you think. I used to feel that same excitement every time I got a new lens. I’d shoot everything with it just to see how it changed the work. And it always did.
So if you’re feeling stuck, try something new. Use a different material. Change your setup. Pick a method that scares you a little. Because I’m realizing that uncertainty isn’t something to avoid. It’s where creativity actually lives.
If you're feeling brave and want to step into something new, check out David's Set Building Course. It's designed to get you started on your set building journey in a simple attainable way. He teached you to build a small box set that you can scale up later and build at any size.
