Creativity in lockdown : For PhotoGrad
By Stan Platford
‘Life in Lockdown’, a new blog series here on Photograd created by graduates who are sharing their thoughts, giving advice, and promoting new work. Our first post here is from Stan Platford, Manchester School of Art graduate, who talks about his time adjusting to a different way of life and making new work.
“Like many I was adjusting to working from home during the period of quarantine. I was one of the last among my peers to make this adjustment, working in a school and sixth form college in the heart of Hackney. I was anxious in my final few weeks working, in the normal sense, from school. I felt jealous of those who’s offices and jobs had already allowed them to begin working from home. 2020 had already been an incredibly turbulent year for me personally. I lost my mum in January to cancer complications and a very close friend also to cancer a mere month or two later. At the time I had not quite realised how much I was struggling to be productive in my job or my personal work creatively.”
“When schools were finally closed by the government and I found myself working from home, the realisation that I wouldn’t have the same set of responsibilities as I usually did felt incredibly comforting. It is incredibly difficult to speak of personal benefits during a situation that has drastically and terribly affected so many people here in UK and across the world but I knew that, for me, this time away from “normal” could be used as a time of possible healing and at the very least a time to recharge and regather myself.
The first few weeks of lockdown I was filled with restless creative energy, my own photography stems from exploration, walking and documenting both people and place. A hybrid genre which I have called “observational landscapes”. Taking much inspiration from photographers like Simon Roberts and Mark Power. It was hard to see a situation where this sort of photography would be possible while adhering to lockdown rules in South East London. Prior to these restrictions I had begun a project documenting the rapid change of East London’s Isle of Dogs and the surrounding area of Canary Wharf. As I shoot the vast majority of my work on 120 film and had not had a chance to process them before lockdown I was stuck with no new images to work on.”
“This restless energy, led me to photograph what was directly around me. Documenting the strangely quiet street scenes of Forest Hill and surrounding areas. The limitations felt like a challenge. How could I create something of interest from a time which seemingly nothing was happening in? That quietness would later be the focus of the work I could make during this time. The process of creating work is as much for me as it is for anyone else. If I haven’t engaged in photography for a while, I feel that restless energy build. It is also one of few activities which I engage in alone, a time for myself and a process which I love. The fact I can share that work after is sometimes almost an afterthought, so engaging in some form during this time was really important to me.”
“In many ways I was very lucky, to have as stable financial situation, not being put on the government furlough scheme and to be working from home in a reduced way. This gave me the opportunity to spend more time on my own work and myself generally. Looking at the work I was able to make during this time I can see the limitations in it, but their simplicity is also it’s strengths. I’m happy I was able to capture the strange sense of quietness that many of us felt during the lockdown period. Looking forward, I will soon be returning to work in a more “normal” sense, the time away from the office and a less hectic time in my life in general I feel ready for it. I’m especially excited to have less restrictions on my own photography. Being able to travel freely around London and beyond, creating new work and continuing my previous projects will be something I look forward to greatly.”