The Next Upswing
Lately, I’ve been pining for the past – those productive photography days when I had a glut of photos to take, process, and share.
These days, photography is harder to do. I don’t have a picturesque commute, or much time to dedicate to making the types of photos I did a few years ago. I look back through my Flickr feed and remember those productive days, and it makes my heart ache a little bit.
A lot has changed. I got married, had kids, switched jobs, moved our household. It wasn’t one thing that made me shoot less, but a combination of things. There’s also a mental component, where I find it hard to feel like making photos.
The tough part is being okay with this new period in my life. Here’s how I’m trying to cope:
- Picking up Instagram has helped a bit – trying to keep to a semi-daily photo sharing practice
- Wrapping up my photo project and staying in touch with my portrait subjects
- Making more family photos of the kids playing around the house, or going on walks
- Revisiting some old photos and processing them in my current style, for a change of pace
- Feeling grateful that I had a period in my life where I was super productive, and made some fun photos
Those are not a cure-all, as a lot of my guilt comes from my life situation changing, and I can’t do anything about where I live or the free time I have. What I can do is build some new routines around my current schedule and lifestyle.
One of my favorite artists, Joan Miró, went through similar ups and downs during his career. Art can be bi-polar, filled with peaks and dips. My hope is that a few little things will be satisfying enough to last me until my next upswing.