Today I am struggling between the place of "having so many good ideas that I should be encouraged", and the "not having enough time to implement the good ideas I have that I'm discouraged". Like I said... conundrum. You see, in order to improve our photography skillz, we spend all this time studying other photographers. The problem is that we study the photographers that we want to be like... who are better than us. So eventually we get into this mindset that we are the worst photographers out there with the lamest marketing materials because compared to the ones that we look at all day... we are!
The worst part is that as far as their cool ideas go, we feel like we could rival them with our own cool ideas... but WHEN is the question! We're always like, "you know what we should do?!" and then we both get totally excited about what we deem our best idea yet, and then we realize we are either lacking in time, resources, or who knows what else to accomplish that. Sure, we may be able to get there, but it's like 5-10 years down the road. So for now we have to settle with being mediocre photographers with a rushed website that doesn't even work right in internet explorer, who can't afford cool music on their site, who don't seem that different than anyone else (even though we KNOW we are different than others, it's just that no one can see it yet because we aren't able to express it yet)!
I don't mean to sound like I'm bragging, it's not that I feel like I have some genius that's being hidden from the rest of the world, it's more that I feel like I do have a personality and style (just like everyone else does) that is being repressed due to circumstances. My husband, however, DOES have a genius that could benefit the world around him, but sadly it has to wait to be exposed. So combine my suffocated personality with his underground genius and we could create this beautiful, artistic force that is unstoppable and could be used in unthinkable ways. Instead we take pictures and answer emails.
The major issue here is patience. There is one photographer named Zack Arias who put out an entire video about the frustrated artist syndrome. He reminds me that it takes time. We are constantly improving, it's just hard to see it because it's slow and I want results NOW. The best part about this video is that he is one of the famous photographers we look at all day and count as having "made it". So it's nice to know that we're not alone in this frustrating cycle of artistic depression.
If you are an artist, you should watch this video. If you are a musician, you can imagine John Lennon or Joe Satriani as being the speaker. If you are a writer, imagine Stephen King or Shakespeare. Because no matter who they are and what artistic medium they're in... I think all artists hit the wall of comparison and end up getting stuck on the depressing side of it.
OK and just so this blog itself doesn't send you into a downward spiral, here's some beauty for your enjoyment to lighten the mood. Take it as inspiration, not as a neon sign pointing directly toward your own weaknesses!
These are all the beautiful things others have made that I'm so jealous of that I wish I could create myself RIGHT NOW. I have to mention that even as Scottie was checking these things out with me to pick some for this blog, at one point he said, "yeah, I'm done looking at this stuff. It makes me sick to my stomach and I don't want to have to quit photography". Ha ha, he needs to watch Zack's video again! Thanks for listening to all my bellyaching... I feel a little bit better now.
Disgustingly beautiful art:
(If you only check out part of this MAKE SURE you watch the video + Photography ones!)
Video + Photography... we'll get there some day.
The Nichols Family! from SarahQ on Vimeo.
carol + bryan's // stillmotion special edition sde // NY from StillMotion on Vimeo.
www.vincentlaforet.com - seriously watch the "Reverie" video on his homepage. Your life will change!
Ah-mazing websites with unlimited personality expression... ours will be visible in our website eventually.
www.jasmine-star.com
www.jeshderox.com
Non-boring photography blog... working towards it already.
http://the222blog.blogspot.com
http://chelseahudson.com/blog
2 comments:
I am inspired by these photographers..I love photography and I'll enjoy looking around at these websites and there work, just as I enjoy looking at your work too!
Thanks for the blog love :)
~Becka
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