In Search of The Creative Jean

by Jean Maher

I’ve spent years searching for my creative side: I've been happiest when starting with a blank slate to build an engaging training program. I have enjoyed producing videos. It has felt great to nail a PowerPoint or design or knit a fabulous sweater. While it would have been nice if a neon sign with all the answers directing me to my creative self appeared, my path wasn't that obvious. I realized a fully baked, off-the-shelf “grand plan” just didn’t exist.

Nurturing my creativity happens when I go with what interests me without attaching to an outcome. It’s working – I’ve become a photographer, created a book, slowed down, got stronger, and am kinder.

I found that quieting my busy mind is achievable and necessary for creativity to appear. I understand at a deeper level how important it is to let go of what anyone else thinks of my ideas. Now, I put fewer limits on myself.

I walk daily in nature, enjoying seeing a forest creature or a rare plant. My inspiration to capture images of the natural world came from Jim Brandenburg’s Chased by the Light book, where he took just one fantastic photo daily for 90 days. I began to take better photos and shared one (of many I took a day) each day on Facebook and Instagram. No captions. I wanted people to have their own experience with the photo.

I discovered the beauty in the small things that I often had overlooked. The lens on my phone could zoom in on flowers, insects, mushrooms, and a cool pattern on a log. I saw details that were not visible with my eyes, like the red and blue stripes on a red-banded leafhopper.

Capturing moving insects led to experimenting with more prominent targets. I began taking a digital camera with me, shooting in automatic mode until I figured out how it all worked. I practiced following flying birds (but mostly captured an empty blue sky). Little steps added up—I recorded over 300 living species at a local state park over several years. And I was having fun!

Inspiration for a book idea came from another photography book, “Find Momo” by Andrew Knapp. It is a hide-and-seek children’s picture book that features photos of his dog, who is hiding in the photos. It was fun to find Momo! I couldn’t put the book down. Such a simple, uncluttered idea!

I played with an idea to use images in pairs, selecting photos with two views of an organism: one image partially hidden, the other with more context. I added clues and fun facts for parents and teachers and a bald eagle as a narrator. Eventually, I had 75 pages of “seek-and-find” material for What Do You Spy With Your Eagle Eyes? The book resembled a field guide, inviting Pre-K to 6th graders to learn about observing nature. The “seek” pages have whimsical clues about what may be hiding in the photo. Turn the page, and “find” photos reveal the answer.

I completed the manuscript and made a mock-up. Publishing was a little daunting, but a mentor kept after me to dive in and “finish it.” I met a local printer who understood what I wanted, and am very happy with the final product. My book is now in nature gift shops and available on my website.

How did I get to this moment? It’s a moving target—I’m not the person I was yesterday, but an accumulation of the yesterdays that led me here. I trust myself to try new things through this process, even if it feels complicated, and not to force an outcome. It keeps me centered and content with the real me—and that is freedom.