Looking Back Acknowledges Encouraging Future

By Lisa | Inspiration

Feb 04
Lion Close Up

Lion Close Up

 

I was challenged recently to look back and share how I began with photography on another social media platform. During that process as I was reviewing what I had photographed my own eyes were opened to how I began and how I improved in the last 20 years. I had grown in my technique, style, composition, clarified what images I enjoyed taking and what was special to me, brought meaning to me, inspired me, gave me hope and encouraged me and hopefully soon in my future others.

We all start any creative ‘hobby’ having to learn how to use a camera, paints, brushes, clay, or fabrics. Each time you use that talent, you improve even from the day before because you learned something new that can make you better. Knowledge and repetition allows us to improve, to take a hobby and turn it into something more.

It’s like learning how to drive a car, when you first start you have to pay attention to everything, adjusting mirrors, when to use your lights, how to use the wipers, turning on the heat or AC, driving in the center of your lane, when to brake, and so on. Once you have learned to drive by practicing over and over again you get where you don’t think about the mechanics of driving, as it’s now something you do automatically.

It’s the same with photography or painting, once you get use to the mechanics of the camera settings, or how the paints mix and the brushes glide over the canvas you no longer focus on this aspect when you sit down to paint or when you go to take a photograph. You automatically know how so you pick a project or a subject to photograph, just like you pick a destination to drive your car.

Are you struggling with a combination of both how to use the tools and what to create? Is this keeping you from doing anything at all? Then start doing, that repetition will make using the tools something you no longer have to struggle with and you can then focus on ‘what’ you wish to do instead. Baby steps allow improvement, so work on those basic mechanics so you know them and keep doing. Dreams come true this way.

Share this with someone you know that could be going through a time of struggle with the creative process to encourage them or leave a comment below.

Have a Blessed Day!

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(6) comments

John Knell February 5, 2015

Great post. The passage of time can sometimes bring perspective and clarity….especially when it relates to perfecting a skill. Main thing for me is to show up everyday and keep working on my craft. What is it they say that it takes 10,000 hours to become really good at something?

Reply
    admin3Ps February 6, 2015

    Thanks for your comment John. Yes, that’s actually from the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell where he repeatedly mentions the “10,000-Hour Rule”, claiming that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours. Now I wish I had kept a time card of some type to know how many hours I have spent on learning photography. It would be interesting to know at least.

    Reply
Brian February 5, 2015

Building yourself to follow your calling.

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    admin3Ps February 6, 2015

    One baby step at a time. Thanks for commenting Brian.

    Reply
Gloria February 6, 2015

Love the photo and your blog post!! So relevant and fitting. Great message!

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    admin3Ps February 6, 2015

    Thank you Gloria for your comment. Have a wonderful day!

    Reply
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