So I want to talk about what's been heavy on my mind. Over the past month I've been in a creative rut. Which is strange in the sense that I have booked the most business this month, drawn up the most contracts, and I'm coming up on the 3 busiest months of the year for me. So why should I even feel this way? Why when I have so much work to do, am I procrastinating and just downright uninspired? These are the questions I've been stuck on.
I lived in New York City for almost 2 years and I loved it. I was traveling, road tripping, and naturally my photography was geared more towards landscape and collaborations with brands, just because that's what I was surrounded by. I moved back to Hawaii at the ending of last year, and jumped right into portrait and couple photography which I honestly do love as well. I dove in head first, it was different, it kept me inspired, and ultimately it was what pushed me to (officially) start my own business.
But moving back to Hawaii also meant being in the middle of the ocean, where when you need a change in scenery, you can't just get in the car and drive to a different state. So maybe that's what caught up to me? Maybe once things set in and I finally took a breath to slowdown and realize what a change in lifestyle this was, maybe that's what started my rut?
Although I'm still not entirely sure, I did a lot of reflecting. I took a step back and really asked myself the big questions. Where do I see myself? Am I being true to myself and how I present my work? What direction do I want my business to go in? And would I be inspired for the foreseeable future with that direction?
As an INFJ (Google it) I decided I want to be more authentic and transparent with myself, my business, and all of you. I'm naturally a very private person especially on social media but I want to change that, I want to be able to wholeheartedly be able to connect with others. I'm still trying to figure out how to convey that on different social media platforms, or if it will be blog based but that is first and foremost the most important thing to me. That translates to also being honest about what I want and who I want to work with. I think my mistake was thinking that I was restricted to only one "specialty" in photography. That since I'm in NYC where people mainly work with brands, that's what I'm going to do. Or that since moving back to Hawaii I've been so in love with capturing love, that it's what all of my focus should be on, and the only type of work I should do. Wrong. Yes, it's good to be adaptable, I think it's key to successfully working in a specific location, but if you're also restricting yourself when you do have opportunities that you want to explore, it's contradictory. I'm not saying this approach is for everyone, I'm strictly speaking for myself.
I've come to the realization that for me to stay inspired as a creative I need to have a variety of outlets. Isn't that why I quit my day job? To actively and relentlessly pursue what inspires me?
So here I am. Attempting to grow personally and professionally and to be more transparent. I know there will be more ruts to come but I'm hoping that this change in direction will make a difference.
