"Anyone can be an artist." Esteemed Chinese-American playwright and filmmaker Sean Niu shared his inspiring journey toward becoming an artist during a virtual talk.
Invited by the Irvine Book Club, Niu spoke yesterday on the topic "Exploring Creativity Through Photography" and offered insights from his personal experience. He emphasized that being an artist isn’t about ranking or hierarchy—it’s simply a matter of choice: you either embrace it or you don’t. According to Sean, the bar for creating art is not as high as people often think. Anything in our daily lives has the potential to become art if we are willing to pour ourselves into it.
Learning from Bad
Sean Niu pointed out that artists don’t start with a clear understanding of what they’re truly seeking. Instead, they discover it through constant trial, exploration, and growth.
"Bad" is not the enemy of "good."
Even if your work isn’t perfect at first, don’t be discouraged. Embrace imperfections and keep moving forward. The only way to guarantee progress is to keep creating. Niu shared that in 2024, he took over 5,000 photos, but only about 10 truly satisfied him—a perfectly normal outcome. Sometimes, achieving the ideal shot requires photographing the same scene multiple times until it resonates with you.
Embrace Imperfection
The definition of a “good photo” is entirely subjective and often influenced by your preferences at the moment. These preferences may evolve over time. Today, you might favor representational imagery, while years later, you might lean toward abstract styles. Regardless of the style, a photo is "good" as long as it communicates what you were feeling or thinking at the time.
Mistakes Can Be a Delightful Surprise
In the process of photography, mistakes are inevitable—photos might not turn out as intended. However, these "errors" can sometimes lead to unexpected surprises. Hao-Ran Niu shared three examples: overexposure, motion blur, and missing the perfect moment. These apparent missteps often create an unanticipated atmosphere, diverging from the original vision yet yielding results that are equally satisfying.
Editing Enhances but Shouldn’t Dominate
Cameras capture the moment, and post-editing can elevate it further. Adjusting lighting, color balance, cropping, or even using AI tools to remove distractions can help achieve the desired effect. However, Niu cautions against over-reliance on post-editing, especially AI. The true creator should always be you—not the computer.
The Camera is Just a Tool; Creativity is the Core
Niu emphasized that while many people chase high-end cameras and equipment, they often overlook the essence of their work. A simple camera can produce stunning photos if infused with creativity and vision.
He encourages photographers to ask themselves: “Why am I taking this photo? Do I like these tones? Why is this moment worth capturing?” Often, he uses a small film camera or even his phone, and they still allow him to create images he’s proud of.
As he puts it, "The best camera is the one you have with you."
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Overcoming the Paradox of Choice
“How do you begin and improve your craft?” Niu explained that creating a photograph involves various fundamental elements such as exposure, composition, proportion, lighting, filters, space, subjects, aperture, and shutter speed. For beginners, mastering all these at once can be overwhelming.
He suggested focusing on just 1 to 3 elements at a time. For instance, spend a period concentrating on “composition” and “lighting,” and then shift to “aperture” and “shutter speed.” This step-by-step approach allows for a balanced mastery of different techniques over time.
Pick a Theme
Once you’ve built a foundation, Niu recommends selecting a theme that resonates with your interests. For example, his fondness for museums inspired a series of photos centered on museum settings.
Go On A Walk
“Creativity begins with living!” he said. Try stepping outside, slowing down, and observing your surroundings. Everyday life is filled with inspiration to fuel your art.
Learning from Other Artists
Another strategy is to study works by artists you admire. You might analyze the lighting, tones, and mood in movie scenes and replicate those styles in your photos. Alternatively, draw inspiration from famous paintings to experiment with similar compositions or atmospheres. This approach offers a rich avenue for learning and growth.
Express Yourself Through Another Medium
Hitting creative roadblocks is inevitable. When that happens, Niu Hao-Ran suggests setting aside the camera and trying other forms of expression, such as painting, filming, or writing. “I don’t take photos all the time, nor do I write all the time,” he shared. “These creative outlets often rotate, keeping my mind consistently stimulated.”
This talk offered more than just photography tips—it provided a fresh perspective on the creative process. It reminded us that at the heart of creation lies an honest confrontation with ourselves. Regardless of the outcome, the courage to explore and express is what truly matters.
Niu believes art isn’t about striving for perfection but about seeking collisions of genuine emotion and thought. As long as you start creating—whatever the medium or result—you’ve already embarked on the path to becoming an artist.
The lecture was hosted by Laura Yen, President of the Irvine Book Club, with Rose Cheung, the former president, serving as the speaker introducer, and Tsu-Wang Chen, the vice president, as the questioner.
Rose Cheung highlighted that Sean Niu has an impressive academic and professional background. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the London School of Economics, an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, and an MFA in Film from UCLA. While working as a senior product manager at Amazon, he developed virtual reality shopping software and secured two patents.
Today, Sean Niu is a playwright and film producer, with a wealth of experience and a diverse background.
「人人都可以成為藝術家。」知名華裔劇作家及電影製作人牛浩然透過雲端向所有聽眾分享他努力成為藝術家的心路歷程。
受爾灣讀書會之邀，牛浩然昨天以『如何透過攝影激發創造力﹃為主題，和大家分享他自己的心得。他表示：「藝術家」沒有優劣之分，只有「是」與「不是」的區別；只要願意投入，你就是一位藝術家。創作的門檻並不高，在生活中的任何事物，都可以成為「藝術」。
從錯誤中學習
牛浩然指出，藝術家不是一開始就清楚自己真正追求的是什麼，而是在不斷地嘗試、探索與成長中去探索和發現。
“Bad” is not the enemy of good．
即便作品最初並不完美，也不要氣餒，要接受自己的不完美並繼續努力。唯一能保證進步的方法，就是持續創作。他提到自己在2024年拍攝了超過5,000張照片，但最終只有約10張讓他滿意，這是正常的。有時候，為了達到理想效果，拍同一處場景，可能要嘗試多次，才能拍出讓自己滿意的作品。
什麼是“好照片”?
對於「好照片」的定義，其實完全取決於當下的喜好，而喜好會隨著時間變化。你現在可能偏愛具像的畫面，但幾年後可能更欣賞抽象風格。無論風格如何，只要照片能傳達出你當下的想法，就是好照片。
錯誤有時是驚喜
在拍攝過程中，常會出現失誤，讓照片無法正常成像，但這些「錯誤」有時卻帶來意外的驚喜。他舉了三個例子：過曝、晃動、錯過拍攝時機，這些看似失誤的照片，反而呈現出意料之外的氛圍，與原本的設想不同，但結果依然讓人滿意。
後製能提升作品，但不要過度依賴
相機能捕捉當下的畫面，而後製則能進一步提升效果！例如調整光線、色彩比例、裁切，或靠AI修圖、去掉畫面中多餘的部分，以達到理想的畫面。但不要過度依賴後製，尤其是AI，因為創作者應該是你自己，而非電腦。
相機只是工具，創作才是核心
牛浩然提到，有些人過度追求高品質的相機與設備，反而忽略了作品本身。簡單的器材，同樣可以拍出好照片，關鍵是你的創意與表達。
每個人可以問自己：「我為什麼要拍這張照片？我喜歡這個色調嗎？為什麼這一刻值得記錄？」他常攜帶一台小型底片相機和手機進行拍攝，同樣能創作出讓他滿意的作品。
The Best Camera is the one you have with you.
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克服選擇困難
"要如何開始並精進自己的創作？" 牛浩然指出，一張照片的構成涉及多種基本要素，如曝光、構圖、比例、光線、濾鏡、空間、題材、光圈和快門等。對初學者來說，要同時掌握所有要素並不容易。
他建議，起步時可以選擇1至3個要素來專注練習，例如一段時間只關注「構圖」和「光線」，隨後再轉向「光圈」和「快門」。通過循序漸進的練習，逐步掌握不同攝影技巧的平衡。
選擇主題
當掌握了基礎能力後，可以選擇一個自己感興趣的主題進行練習。例如，他喜歡逛博物館，於是拍攝了一系列與博物館有關的照片。
去探索生活中的靈感
"創作源於生活！" 試著走出門外，放慢腳步，仔細觀察周圍，你會發現很多靈感，為你的創作提供養分。
借鑒其他藝術家的作品
你也可以選擇喜歡的電影畫面，參考其中的光線、色調、氛圍，拍攝出類似風格的照片，或參考名畫，也是一種很好的學習方式。
通過其他方式來創作
創作的過程難免會遇到瓶頸，這時可以暫時放下相機，嘗試用其他方式表達自己。譬如繪畫、錄影或寫作。他表示：「我不會永遠拍照，也不會永遠寫作，這幾樣創作通常會輪流進行，這樣才能持續激發腦力。」
牛浩然認為，藝術不在於追求完美，在於追求真實的情感與思想的碰撞。只要你開始創作，無論形式，無論結果，你都已經踏上了成為藝術家的道路。
這場演講由爾灣讀書會會長李克琪主持，前會長方光梅擔任引言人，
方光梅表示，牛浩然不僅曾先後獲得倫敦
