Day 7 – River Birch Tree and pond
Today I have completed
7 Days of River Birch Tree Photos
in my personal 30 day challenge to photograph the same subject each day for 30 days.
Each morning I wonder “How shall I photograph the river birch tree today?” And each morning I pick up my camera and simply look. Then I begin making photographs, not worrying whether I’ve already made a similar photograph.
I make many of my photographs of the birch tree through one of the windows of my house. But I have also gone into the backyard and made photographs from various vantage points. And I’ve gotten up close to photograph the tree’s beautiful bark.
Do whatever brings you to life, then. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart.
— Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Day 1 of 30 day challenge
Frustrated, Afraid?
Am I getting tired of this challenge yet? Yes and no. Today I feel a bit of a heavy weight thinking, “only 7 days done and I’m running out of ideas.” Then I relax and give myself permission to repeat myself and to make boring photos if that’s what I feel like doing. The point is to pick up my camera and make at least one photo of the tree each day.
Frustration is not an interruption of your process; frustration is the process.
— Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Day 4 of 30 day challenge
Fear and frustration are two of the biggest hurdles to creating that I’ve experienced. But I would also add, self-judgment as a hurdle I deal with often. Another biggy for me is lack of persistence. When something gets difficult or frustrating it’s tempting to give up and walk away. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked away from the hand-made photo/essay book I’m working on. But even walking away can be valuable. Sometimes when I come back I have a new perspective that seems to move the process along.
The essential ingredients for creativity remain exactly the same for everybody: courage, enchantment, permission, persistence, trust—and those elements are universally accessible. Which does not mean that creative living is always easy; it merely means that creative living is always possible.”
― Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Create, Do What You Love
Life is short my friends. And now is the time to create and do what you love. If you’re afraid or frustrated, try doing one small thing today, another tomorrow, and still one more small thing the next day.
Your life is short and rare and amazing and miraculous, and you want to do really interesting things and make really interesting things while you’re still here.
― Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
May you walk in beauty.
Day 2 of 30 day challenge
Day 3 of 30 day challenge
Day 5 of 30 day challenge
Day 6 of 30 day challenge
0 Comments