I have been surprised to learn that the deeper I go as an artist making photographs, the more I learn about myself.

Making Art is a Journey of Discovery

You could say that living life is the ultimate journey of discovery, but in my experience, I’ve learned more about myself by working on my art than in any other way. My artistic work brings me face to face with what I love and don’t love, what I need and what I need to avoid. It teaches me about what I have to say and helps me find my voice.

Finding my voice as a photographer is helping me find my voice as a person.

I am learning to say no to things that do not serve my higher purpose even when my ego or my socialization would have urged me to say yes. I am learning to speak out when I have something to say and to be silent when I don’t.

My Yes’s come from the heart and soul, not the ego.

Looking deeper into my motivations for saying yes has shown me that if deep joy or learning is not one of my motivations, I need to say no instead of yes.

Learning to Discern

When I first began making photographs and someone asked me what kind of photos I made, I always answered very broadly—”I photograph anything and everything, I do nature shots, landscapes, portraits, you name it.” But over time I learned that I don’t enjoy doing all types of photography and I began to notice when the work I did brought me joy.

Now I am very clear that I do nature, landscape, still life, and contemplative photography with a little bit of conceptual portrait work mixed in.

Discovering What I Love

When I began making photographs I didn’t know how deeply I love flowers, trees, and nature and how deeply I abhor making “pretty little portraits” that say nothing and do not truly represent the real person.

With the benefit of hindsight I see how my love of flowers, trees and nature was present even in childhood, but I had not paid attention to it until I became a photographer.

I learned that I hate selling at markets and shows but I love selling my work online. I love the print process and dislike turning any image over to a print shop.

Every time I see a print emerging from my printer it feels a little bit like magic. I love being able to see and hold my images in my hands and I need to have control of all steps in the process to ensure that my vision is realized in the finished work.

Although I initially started writing this blog because it was supposed to help my photography business grow, I discovered that I loved writing it for the sheer joy of doing it. And that has become my motivation for continuing to write, letting go of any desire for a particular outcome from it.

I love creating images that feel Zen to me, whether it be a still life with a Buddha statue or a particular view in a Japanese garden. Blending my love of photography with my practice of meditation and presence teaches me about how it feels in my body and in my work when I am present and how it feels when I am not present. The work always suffers from lack of presence.

Discovering What I Don’t Love

As I explored photography I discovered that I don’t enjoy event photography of any kind. As an introvert this makes perfect sense to me. Take me to a large gathering of people full of noise and sensory overload and my first response is often, “This is my idea of hell.” But I did not clearly see this about myself until I had photographed several events.

I’m also not fond of architectural photography, street photography or photo-journalism. But the thing is, I didn’t know that about myself until I tried.

Following Joy

Doing what I love and following joy have taken me on a journey of discovery. I’ve learned how important nature, trees, and flowers are to my well-being. And even though I often resist the effort to get up in the wee hours of the morning to do sunrise shots, I am always, always glad I got up so early when I’m out in nature in the ephemeral early morning light.

At home, as I gaze out at the pond, watching the duck families come and go, listening to the frogs at night, and soaking in the beauty all around me I realize that this is what feeds me, this is what I love—basking in ordinary miracles, appreciating beauty and sharing it with others.

May you take a journey of discovery through your art.

May you walk in beauty.

Note: Photos in this post are some of my favorite photographs from my journey of discovery.