The Art of Mistakes

An Apostle Islands postcard

It was late, windy, cold. I could keep going, listing a million and one legitimate excuses why I didn’t notice that my lens had some errant water droplets on it as I set up a long exposure of the northern light glimmering over the Bayfield Harbor and Basswood Island. But, I won’t. I didn’t notice. I didn’t clean my lens. And, I am glad.

The enemy of creativity is control, the fallasy that an artist can, and should, be in masterful control of every element in the work at every moment. Artists, and children, know better. Demanding or even expecting control can be paralysing. Certainly there is always an element of control in art but the true genius lies in letting go.

I forgot to clean the lens, took the shot, and then smiled to myself as I saw the result: an errant water drop creating the faintest illusion of an outsized moon hovering impossibly just behind the curtain of northern lights. A gift, unexpected but accepted with gratitude. And yes, then I cleaned the lens and kept on photographing.

— Jeff Rennicke (all photography - and smudged lenses - by the author unless otherwise noted).

When has a “mistake” turned out well for you? Let me know by sending a message or leaving a comment below: