Today I spent time going through photos from five years ago to see what I could learn from them. I ended up finding several that I liked and wanted to rework. The images are from several different photo shoots during the summer of 2013.
Looking Back in Black and White
I was in a black and white mood today so all have been rendered in black and white. It seems to be calling me more and more. The original images were all made in color and I can see vividly when I look at before and after images how much I’ve learned about expressing my personal voice through the edits I make in my photos.
All creatives grow and change if they continue to work and learn new things. Looking back I think that it is a blessing that I did not realize how unskillful I was when I began my creative journey. If I had I may not have had the courage to continue pursuing my dream. It’s a shame when we allow the voices of “not good enough” to stop us from doing what we love.
I’ve learned that whenever I focus too much on the end product instead of enjoying the whole process, I lose my joy in creating. Because I make it a practice to notice what brings me joy and what does not, it has changed the way I create and work. I no longer work hard to create a “successful” business. Even though I enjoy selling my art selling it is not the reason I create.
I create because:
I cannot not create.
It brings me joy.
I want to share the beauty I see with others.
The ambivalence I feel about social media and what it apparently takes to create a successful business keeps me creating but not marketing my creations most of the time. Every so often I do a burst of Instagram posts and Facebook posts but then I stop because something about it feels disingenuous or because I notice that it is not bringing me joy.
Recently I’ve given away more images than I’ve sold and that has brought me great joy. This whole area is one that I continue to explore and think about. Perhaps I will decide to close my business and simply focus on seeing and spreading beauty. Or perhaps I’ll figure out how to joyfully market and sell what I create.
All of the photos in today’s post were made with my old Canon Rebel T2I or with my iPhone 4S. I am surprised by some of the shots I found. Even though I replaced the Rebel because I felt I had outgrown the camera, I see now that one can make beautiful images with almost any camera.
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life
? — Mary Oliver
What is is you want to create? When was the last time you made time for it in your life? Why not set aside some time this week to create with no particular outcome in mind?
May you walk in beauty.
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