The answer is cats. Get a cat. Take pictures of the cat. Be a cat.
Wrapping up this college year has both killed my energy for creativity and made me realize how much I love photography. Now that summer is in full swing and senior photos are mostly finished, it’s time to get my camera clicking again. Today, we’re both going through my Prep-Shoot-Edit process with a twist. Oh yeah, we’re getting out of a creative slump (see Step 2 for cats).
Prep
What we’re not going to do is pick up a camera and force ourselves back into the field. If you’re feeling burnt out or uninspired, it’s for a reason. We want to know what those feelings are trying to tell us, we’re trying to mend our relationship with our work and make it a little bit stronger. Right now, I know that I Do Not Want To Take Pictures, but I’m not really sure why. To dig into that feeling, I like to complete a Whiny Worksheet, or a handful of questions to figure out what’s going on.
Why do I do what I do?
I like to reframe my thinking from ‘I need to take photos because it’s my job,’ but ‘I want to be excited about taking photos because that’s what makes me better at the thing I love.’ At the end of the day, I’m not a photographer because of the money, I’m a photographer because seeing people light up when they see themselves is how I can contribute to my community.
How do I feel about photography? Am I overwhelmed, bored, ambivalent, stressed? What’s the tone of the emotion I’m feeling?
I feel pretty apathetic about photography. I’m not excited about it, but I’m also not adverse to it. The idea of doing a photoshoot feels like going through the motions, like there is no creativity or challenge behind it.
What specific elements about photography feels the most daunting to me? What makes that thing so icky?
The idea of going out and shooting sounds exhausting right now. I have to plan a time in my day, probably commute somewhere, deal with the anxiety of being in public. It just doesn’t sound worth it right now.
What external factors might be affecting me right now?
I just finished a college semester and am heading into summer, where I will be working full time and completing an internship. Even though the busiest part of my year is over, I’m still feeling quite buzzed with the memory of finals stress.
By completing the Whiny Worksheet, we know why we want to make changes, how we’re feeling, and what’s influencing our mood. For me, I realize that I’ve just been really busy and haven’t had the time or space to be invested in my craft.
Shoot
Now that we’ve found the root of the problem, we can start taking action. Because we’ve lost the photography sparkle, we need to focus on rekindling that interest by following what we’re naturally drawn to. Here’s a list of some of my favorite inspirations:
Cassidy Lynne: Branding- I especially love Cassidy’s Oh Shoot podcast!
Jessica Kobeissi: Editorial fashion- Jessica’s photography is gorgeous, and her Youtube series on photographing strangers on the street always makes me want to shoot.
Mango Street: Creative photoshoots- Mango Street was one of my first photography inspirations on Youtube, and they remind me to have fun with my work.
NorCal Images: Sports photography and videography- No notes, NorCal is just incredible, go check out his work.
Finally, cats! The next step is to get shooting literally anything that sounds fun. I chose my friend’s cats.
Edit
Unfortunately, I am not a full-time cat photographer, so the final step in this process is to keep the inspiration and motivation moving. My advice? Make a list of your inspirations and make a plan for the projects that interest you. Personally, I’m spending the next few weeks remaking my website and planning out some creative photoshoots. And probably taking a few more cat pictures.
Even though this is my job and I love it, I still get into slumps. This summer, keep an eye out for lots of cat photos, some new branding, and some h*cking cool photoshoots. For updates on my daily photographer-lifestyle, check out my Instagram. My Pinterest has lots of inspiration, and my portfolio has my work. Thanks for coming along!
Comentários