Be original…. but how?
I love mentoring other photographers. I certainly don’t have all the answers or the perfect formula for success, but if I can help someone avoid the mistakes I’ve made, then the industry as a whole is better off.
One thing I hear from many photographers is their desire to be like ______________ or ____________, insert any number of amazing artists’ names whose work is showcased locally, nationwide or even worldwide. And while I think there are many incredible things to learn from them, they aren’t YOU! Their challenges aren’t your challenges. Their market is not your market. Their motivation is not your motivation. Their 100% is not your 100%. What’s in their head is not what’s in your head.Their heart is not your heart.
Everyone is in their own unique circumstance and that cookie-cutter mentality would have killed the industry long ago. One of the beautiful things about photography and any art is the HUGE net of subjectivity. It casts a wide footprint and includes many visions. What one loves, another disdains. What someone thinks is an incredible raw performance by a singer, another hears pitchy vocals and lack of confidence. One painting reminds someone of their grandmothers house with the smell of oatmeal cookies and a flood gate of fond memories envelopes their senses, while another sees it as an old rickety shack by a tree in need of repair.
These subjectivities are what art is all about. Imagine if there was only one type of photography. Where would that have left the Ansel Adams or Anne Geddes?
So the question then becomes not “who do you want to imitate?” the question becomes “who are you?” What’s in your heart? What’s important to your soul? Create what feels right to you. Find your very own style.
Storytime…we are looking to build a home someday and I have a pretty definite list of what I want from kitchen to flooring to doorknobs. Everyone keeps asking what style we would build. I’ve tried to pigeon-hole this vision I have in my head but it doesn’t seem to fit the mold of any one particular style. Does it have to? Do I have to build craftsman style because that’s the style I see going in down the street? Do I have to build traditional because it’s a long term investment? Granted I want to build a nice home that has some resale appeal for down the road, but what if I built a traditional-craftsman-pottery-barn-european-alisha style? I think that makes it a craftsditional pobareansha style. Not a hashtag worthy label, I’m sure, but I know I’ll be happier in a home with what works for me and my family, then doing what I think others want me to or just copying what I’ve seen.
Your art is the same way… take inspiration from others, learn from those who have mastered their trade, don’t be afraid to try something new. THEN take from it what feels like you, make it your own, keep educating yourself, let your art evolve, and push your limits to create.
Anyone can copy a style, offer it at a less expensive cost, rip off someones concept or design. But no one can have your motivation, your heart, your vision and your uniqueness.
It can all be summed up very easily…. be you!
___________
Feel free to pin or post a link to this article and share your thoughts on it. If you have ever wanted help with your business, I’d love to sit down and find out what’s working and what’s not. Together we can create a plan to move you toward your goals. Check out my classes and mentoring.
