Oh the pressure of a 365. It can be exhausting. Lately all I have been feeling is pressure all around me. Pressure to be accepted. Pressure from seeing what other photographers are creating. Pressure brought on by myself to constantly produce eye dropping images. Now this is almost impossible. Every image I take is not a masterpiece. Sometimes they are gorgeous and follow every photography rule. Other times they are filled with flaws but move my heart strings. More often, they are a combination of both.
The need to create is lodged inside me and each day I am trying to top whatever image I took the day before. I haven’t been enjoying the art I have been creating because I am too focused on what I am going to shoot next. I need to slow down and appreciate how far I have come instead of looking ahead. I need to be in this very moment. I need to realize that I have created some truly beautiful images and if I never created another beautiful image that would be okay. What I have taken is moving and filled with memories for me. That is what matters most.
Am I capturing memories for my daughter? Will she look back at my images from my 365 project and think how great the composition is or awe over the pretty light? Or will she be transported to that moment I saved for her with a photograph. Will she know which ones got the most likes on Facebook or the most comments on my blog. No she won’t. She will hopefully see the moments I thought worthwhile to remember forever.
Moving forward with this project, I am going to try and focus more on memories and what I want Myla to look back on years from now. I vow to shoot from my heart more and if that means having multiple images of her little hands or dramatic portraits that is what I am going to do. I vow to be proud of both the beautiful and the mediocre images because they both mean something to me. I vow to stop seeking acceptance from others and focus instead on how I can grow. I vow to not pressure myself to create. I vow to be in this moment when I am creating. Instead of giving up, I am saying these vows to push me along and remind me why I want to finish this project.
Now see what my friend Tricia has been up with her 365 project.
