Stop Doing Photography!! Little Did I Know This Would Change Me

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"Stop doing photography!" That's what I had to tell myself after my husband and his friend advised me to take more breaks in my work day and give myself some breathers. Sometimes it's just hard to stop when I'm deep into editing and the hours just roll on by, before I know it, I've crouched over the computer screen for a good 6 or 7 hours without any lunch or breaks. 

So, I did just that. I stopped doing photography, not for good of course (don't panic!)... just for the evening. You see, I mentor a sweet high school girl and week after week I encourage her to explore her God-given creativity and to not neglect the artist within herself. Last night, we did a creative exercise, you know, to take her mind off things and to get her creative juices flowing.  Little did I know this exercise would change me. 

We spent several hours going through magazines picking out things that represented us. We sifted through color palettes, textures, images, words that we would soon combine together to make an art piece, something that makes us, well, us.

Thanks to many PDN & Rangefinder Magazines ( I promised I've already looked through them before doing this project) and other fashion magazines, I came up with something I ended up liking more than I expected. It's funny, I've done a couple of mod podge projects before, but this time was different. The way I composed was different. I found myself finding random things yet coordinating my colors, textures, I even added some pieces to make it 3D. 

 

When I stepped back to see my final project, it was clear the things that move me. I realized that this time was different because of my thought process and how I knew what I wanted before I could see the end product. It wasn't a bunch of random things anymore, each piece was significant. And this is exactly how I should compose my photography. (Roberto Valenzuela light bulb moment!, he was our mentor at WPPI 2012) What a great experience to "stop doing photography" only to find myself that much more inspired to do the things that I do everyday. My favorite phrase in this whole project was this, "Celebrating the world's greatest love stories." (thanks Tiffany & Co. for the awesome ad from which I borrowed this) This resonated with me so much because I truly feel that is what I do weekend after weekend. Chris and I get to celebrate the world's greatest love stories! And then of course, with one camera and multiple lenses, our possibilities are truly endless. 

So, I would encourage you to stop doing what you're doing. Stop having mundane overworked weeks (or weekends for all you fellow wedding vendors) and have a little fun and do something to get your creative juices flowing. Yes, even photographers can lose their drive for creativity if you don't make room for it in your lives. I'm glad to say that I now have an encouraging art piece hanging in the entrance to my urloved office. You never know how one little project could become an inspiration for endless possibilities. Now go, be creative! I'd love to see what you come up with!