Martin Luther King "I have a dream" : Ian Ruhter Thought Experiment 1 of 4

The next few posts will be about significant people in our past, and how their ideas translate to art and photography. Anyone can learn how to use camera equipment, but what schools never teach you is how to find your own inspiration. They can teach you the mechanics of it, but they can't teach you creativity. I feel like creativity comes from what's inside you and what your beliefs and fundamentals are. You reach down and then convey them through your art. What I do is take what I'm surrounded by and what I'm experiencing and let my feelings come out through the photos. I believe that this way the process becomes much more creative. Someone can go to photography school and pay thousands of dollars to learn the mechanics of a camera, but still not understand the emotion or purpose behind taking a photo. If I had a school I'd encourage and teach people how to reach into their mind and into their soul, and how to convey those messages and thoughts through art.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an amazing person for all that he did and what he stood for. In a time not that long ago, we had separate schools, restaurants, and public transportation based on the color of someone's skin. In that time, Dr. King led the movement for civil rights. What the did during these peaceful demonstrations was greeted with violence and death. MLK's message was always one of peace and non-violence.Through this movement he never used violence or hostility, but used the power of the media to show the discrimination and brutal treatment of peaceful protesters. He used what I deal with to portray his message. This is an example of how powerful and significant photography can be. The work that artists create can actually help to alter the opinions of and change the behavior of a whole society. His dream was so powerful that it sparked the imagination of millions of people. He had the courage to stand up to a world that was filled with ignorance and fear of ideas and fundamentals that were different. How this translates into my life and work is that for me to be able to use my dreams as an artist has opened up so many more doors for me to be able to create work. Having a dream in life gives you something to reach for; it gives you a purpose.

What are dreams? They are the foundation for life. To only be able to see things in our three-dimensional world would be a tragedy. I encourage everyone to look for the answers to all their questions through the power of their dreams. Einstein learned how to use these dreams to figure out theories that the best scientists in the world are still pondering over. Einstein called going into his dream state the "thought experiment". I use my own dreams to shoot photos. I have had dreams of actually photos that I've taken. It's like if I created them in the universe outside of our world and manifested them into our reality. I want to encourage everyone to have dreams, to follow them, and to do what they love.