When you’re trying to make a living through art, a large chunk of your effort is devoted to figuring out time.
There’s the question of whether you’re being compensated well enough for your time, whether you should spend more time on personal projects or the things that will help you gain visibility, or whether you’re spending too much time planning and not enough time creating.
In the past, I’ve spent more effort worrying about time than becoming a better photographer.
I knew I was approaching things the wrong way when I had an idea for a shoot but could never act on it until months later, when everything was set up to be ‘perfect’. I wanted to get the ideal images in one perfectly planned session so I felt like I had used my time wisely - but efficiency should’ve never become my focus.
I was still thinking about lighting, framing, and color - yet discovering my own style was weighed down by the pressure to have enough to post and stay relevant, constant comparison, and wondering whether I was improving fast enough.
I’ve taken a step back from full-time photography since then and got to really think about why I love to pick up a camera. What kind of artist do I want to be, and what type of projects do I want under my belt?
Instead of trying to find the best equipment or fastest way to have the most stellar portfolio for a target market, I hope to spend my time finding untold stories through my photos. Completing a photo series, essay or project (I haven’t figured out exactly of what yet, but I just want to dive in and let it take its own form). I hope to create a body of work that people can spend their time flipping through instead of scrolling past, the way I sit with photo books, and work with people who value documentary style over the polished, commercial look I thought I had to achieve to feel successful.
I also hope to document the process, which is what I hope to do through this blog! I love hearing about others’ creative process, how they gain inspiration, and the story behind their work. I hope that in sharing what I do as I go, I find other people doing the same.
Currently, I’ve been working on:
- taking a break from consuming content
- Catching up on editing to share spring projects I created, with super talented teams
- Collecting inspiration from artist talks, unexpected things I bump into, museums
- Practicing street and documentary photography on @montrealsummerproject
- Reading widely again, from Kennedy Ryan’s romance novels to Belle Burden’s divorce memoir
Thank you for spending this time with me!