Further to the prior post, let’s talk about the relationship of creativity. I can’t speak for other artist types but in a group of photographers, this topic comes up frequently. It seems there is a thin line between loving what you’ve shot and then hating it after you bring it into Lightroom for editing. I can’t recount the number of times I’ve been hyped about shooting something and then instantly crestfallen after importing it onto the laptop. It’s not just an issue when you start getting into photography, in fact, I think it gets worse the more seasoned you become.
Like any other discipline, photography requires standards, so the higher the standard, the more you’re likely to beat yourself up over creations that aren’t better than previous work. When that awful thought “is this good enough?” haunts your brain, the answer is always “no, it ain’t!”.
This, on the other hand, is the perfect summation of creative process:
1. THIS IS AWESOME
2. THIS IS TRICKY
3. THIS SUCKS
4. I SUCK
5. THIS MIGHT BE OK
6. THIS IS AWESOME
(to whoever posted that on the Internet, thank you)
So, remember, the barometer for hating what you shoot to loving what you’ve created is always the question of “good enough”. Trust me, it is just those two little words causing you doubt, it’s not you!
Shot at Bronte Harbour in Oakville, Ontario.
