Hopefully Some Encouraging Words

Hey Everybody! I am on Thanksgiving break and the semester is winding down. I have a lot on my mind while I try to write 3 papers, make 4 presentations and 2 projects but I wanna write some words down that will hopefully encourage other creatives or individuals that might feel the same way!

I wanna say some words about social media. I know I know, a millennial talking about social media, how original. But I think it is good for me to talk about what I think about it so I can better use it in my life so I don’t abuse it. As I have started my photography business recently, I have noticed how negatively I have felt about my skills and creative talent. I didn’t know where it came from until I realized where a lot of my time was spent. When I wasn’t taking pictures, I was looking at pictures and people on Instagram. Instagram can be a great way to inspire and encourage other photographers but I didn’t see it that way but rather compared where I was at with my photography with people I followed.

I’ve had a lot of trouble recently feeling proud of myself and where I am at with my photography because I see that there are so many talented photographers that have SO many opportunities to travel and meet with great creatives. I am so thankful for the opportunities and friends that I have that support me on my photography journey but as a photographer, more opportunities and places you travel to, speak more to your ability to do a great job. I don’t like that mindset and of course, this is just my opinion, but I feel like this is true. I have been putting pressure on myself unintentionally to go out and travel and shoot anything and everything and that is not bad to have that desire, but if I want to go out and do that just to get more clients, that isn’t necessarily a good way to approach taking pictures.

Especially in the arts, the more people you know, the better the opportunities you will get. I have reached out to instagrammers that I follow and we have some mutual friends and I wanted to see if they wanted to work with me, and no reply. I have such a longing to reach out and make some cool projects but my insecurities get in the way. I am learned to realize that my photography journey is my journey crafted by the Lord. My journey isn’t like the people I follow on Instagram. My journey and their journey can’t be captured in the limited pictures and captions they post.

Let’s all talk about our frustrations so we can make better art!

I guess this post was just meant to post my opinions but I hope you all enjoyed!!!