To be honest, we spend 99% of our time worrying about what other people think rather than doing what our hearts want. I am no exception.
I recently spoke with a friend on Instagram who specializes in photographing sunrises and sunsets. She posted a travel photo of a small town, and I loved it and wanted to see more. However, she expressed that she felt they were not as well-received as her sunset shots, aka the number of likes.
Do you spend time making a well-curated Instagram grid?
I totally see where she’s coming from. I’ve felt the same way about my film photos. Perhaps it’s the algorithm, and the reach is not the same as a simple sunset photo. Recently, I let go of the belief that people don’t appreciate them. I just don’t care anymore. Being my authentic self is liberating. The truth is, I enjoy shooting analog, and I have tons of photos in my archive. It’s 2024, new year new me. So, I created a Film Series for me. And I got great responses.
I can’t control what other people think and do. Whether it’s 1000 likes or 100 likes, they are first-world problems. What matters is that I show up for myself. Why do I have to please everyone? It’s my feed, my page, my blog.
Who cares about an organized grid? I love a wide variety of things and that’s the real me. I’m so glad that my film photos get to see the light of day. I truly believe the right people will resonate with them.
These are the lessons I learned from reading “The Courage to Be Disliked” by Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga.
Are you giving away your power?
Stop worrying about it and concentrate on taking the pictures that interest you.
To wrap this up, here is the excerpt from “The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin.
“The reason to make art is to innovate and self express, show something new, share with what’s inside, and communicate your singular perspective. “
“Whenever an instinct towards movement or evolution arises, it’s wise to listen to it. The alternative being trapped by fear of losing ground is a dead end. You may lose your enjoyment and belief in the work because it’s no longer true to you.”