in which i am dramatic
i took atlas and my camera on an urban photo walk last week. by the time it was almost over, i was feeling very sad and discouraged.
i hadn’t been inspired. at all.
the few times i took photos, they felt contrived. i could tell that i was forcing myself to take photos instead of following what i was drawn to. mostly because i couldn’t understand why i wasn’t drawn to anything. that never happens! even worse, i didn’t like any of the images. at all.
i was pretty sure that my lifelong love affair with photography was over and that i would never again take another photo that i loved.
(possibly i am a tad dramatic.)
a few steps later, i saw a silver chair on the sidewalk with holes in the seat; i saw the sunlight peeking over the buildings to the right of me; and i wondered what would happen if i captured the light through the holes in the chair.
so i did. then i looked at my images and clapped with glee. i even have a series that i am pretty sure is an ode to an artist of the paintbrush, if i could just decide which artist.
all of which is just to say: if you find yourself similarly uninspired, do not despair. i feel quite sure that inspiration will return. possibly when you least expect it.
I think most people understand that success can be long in coming, that it takes hard work and dedication. So why are we so ready to accept failure and lack of inspiration, especially when success has already been demonstrated?
I wonder. Maybe because it’s easier than trusting.
I think self-doubt fits in there somewhere. Others have always thought I was a bigger success than I thought I was.
you must remember too . . .
atlas being in a splint for so long and the two of you out of sync with your normal life for that time might have affected your muse!
suffice to say…
you’ve got your groove back!
xo
Isn’t that a movie: How Stella Got Her Groove Back ?!
lol. i thought the same thing as i wrote that! but didn’t mean it in that way. i was thinking more the artistic groove like a musician finds.
i’m just a nerd! what do i know?
It takes a moment of loss to appreciated joy all the more. This was a nice boost, Elizabeth. And I think you are the kind of person who will always find inspiration, or make it happen. :o) ((HUGS))
You’re always so wise.
Oh, yes, I have been there…. Inspiration has a mind of its own, never to be forced, but always playful and darting in and out when we least expect it. We need only to trust and be receptive…
I had to go and look up inspiration in The Book of Qualities. It’s great.
“Inspiration is disturbing. She does not believe in guarantees or insurance or strict schedules. … She will be there when you need her but you have to take it on trust. Surrender. She knows when you need her better than you do.”
oh thank you for that. this quote on inspiration is a little post in itself.