My first blog laid myself a little bit bare, confessing to feeling stuck when it came to allowing myself to believe in my worth as a photographer. Writing from the perspective I did was a step into the unknown that touched a vulnerable element within me and yet it felt necessary.
Doubting ourselves, especially when we are sharing our creativity is probably more common than we realise especially with so much creative talent out there. But, I believe we must seek to address it if we are to nurture that element of ourselves. As has been the case with me, when that negative self talk runs deeper, it can be like trying to move forward knee deep in toffee! Feeling, 'what do I have to offer?' ... 'Am I good enough?'.
I have had to challenge these thoughts so that I could reach the stage where I could say...
'I believe in myself!'
There, I've said it! And, it feels very empowering.
We are all beautifully unique. Yes, that means YOU. We all have something to offer but can get stuck in the game of comparison. Comparing our ability and worth with others is a slippery slope that can inhibit that essence of creativity that wants to shine. Indeed, the roots of self depreciation often come from a deeper part of ourselves. And, if we let them strengthen, our innate selves become suppressed further.
I feel passionate about addressing these debilitating belief systems that may dwell in you as they have in me. My hope is to encourage and share the experiences I encounter along my photographic journey as they unfold.
Where are you at?
Most of us enjoy taking photographs. We record places we have visited, people we've met, perhaps atmospheric phenomena such as sunsets, rainbows or storms.
Nowadays, we can point our smart phone in any direction, at anything that takes our fancy, press a button and there we have our picture. Our phone photo gallery becomes a showing tool for sharing with others the images we've taken or to aid us in conversation as we share experiences. Whatever the inspiration may be, these images are precious because they document events in our lives that mean something to us. Events that we can look back on and reminisce over once more. And, if you've ever lost your camera or accidentally deleted images that you've taken that were special to you, you'll know the void that unfortunate event can leave.
It may be that you are very happy taking photographs on your phone or with your camera that you can just keep and enjoy looking at whenever the mood takes you. But, it may be that like me, you want to explore photography on another level and unlock another part of yourself.
My next blog, will share the next phase of wanting as I did to dig deeper into photography. Where did I start and what did I discover about my self?
"The Desire to Create is one of the Deepest Yearnings of the Human Soul"
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
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