Feeling inadequate

[Sherlock77]

I was having a bad moment recently, a friend of mine who is a full time artist (it's her job) doing a post about her past year and all her grand adventures worldwide creating her artwork, and fantastic accomplishments, etc...

Meantime my year? Photography or otherwise... Pretty much dull and boring, hardly any travels at all, no real accomplishments to mention, no proper successes, and I still get hardly any attention on social media... And job struggles too, moreso a feeling of under employment but I have worked full time most of the year doing contract (temporary) work

And then another friend of mine? Right now he's at the Daytona 24 Hours car race taking photos, a major league car race, and he was even able to get a press pass this year, so his week will be far more exciting than mine, as my January has been very dull so far, lack of energy

Just feeling inadequate, but then I start to think, does life have to be a series of accomplishments? I tend to think that way, but I think many people don't think that way at all and just do their "thing"

 

[Neonatal RRT]

As you know, there are the types of images that other photographers might appreciate (subject matter, lighting, composition, an important moment captured, etc.) and there are the types of images that sell to the masses and grab attention. Sometimes they are the same thing, but not always. So above, you mention the 24hrs of Daytona, traveling to those rare, not often seen places, and then capturing images. I am always amazed at the level of patience and planning that some photographers and videographers have, especially for say, capturing wildlife in rare and intimate moments, in spectacular 4K for some of those BBC series, National Geographic, and so on. They will wait for weeks to capture one moment. Amazing.

I don't expect most photographers to have that level of time and commitment, but you get the idea here. What can you do to set yourself apart from the rest?

 

[Tiffany Kate]

....
Just feeling inadequate, but then I start to think, does life have to be a series of accomplishments? I tend to think that way, but I think many people don't think that way at all and just do their "thing"

Not everyone thinks of life as a list of accomplishments (or not), but I think if you do, you do. I do. And I also have that feeling of failure, where it feels as though I have accomplished nothing in my life.

On the other hand, it’s also important to:

• Define what you mean by an "accomplishment" that you wish you had done. Some things that others think of as "accomplishments", I wouldn't take as a free gift with a box of chocolates.
• Recognise what you HAVE achieved, rather than only what you haven't.
• Recognise that unless you are at the top of your profession (and very few people are) there will ALWAYS be people who have done more/better/faster/higher/louder/further/more often than you.
• Recognise that accomplishments aren't only professional. Sometimes getting through the day without bursting into tears or ripping someone's head off is an accomplishment (at least, for some of us). But happy relationships, existing independently, and all sorts of other things also count.

For instance, if you're a semi-pro photographer, clearly you have the wits and skill to take photos that enough people will buy to make you "semi-pro" rather than "wannabe" or "happy snapper".

If you truly do want more, then it's:
A) Skill
B) Knowing the market
C) Hard work and persistence
D) Having the financial/time/emotional wherewithal to be able to do the things in A-C.
E) Honesty with yourself about all of the above
F) A generous dose of luck.

Being appropriately hard on yourself can spur you to more and greater efforts; being inappropriately hard on yourself will just send you into a downward spiral. The trick is to know the difference between the two!

 

[Sherlock77]

She does installation based art, so gets to travel the world when doing that and is highly creative in the process

We had a web chat last night briefly, it was good, we are just both doing different things and at different levels... And she reminded that I'm Mr. Steady, trawling downtown with my camera regularly since 2007... Early in those wanders I even photographed her downtown prior to her artistic career starting...

 

[Tiffany Kate]

We had a web chat last night briefly, it was good, we are just both doing different things and at different levels... And she reminded that I'm Mr. Steady, trawling downtown with my camera regularly since 2007... Early in those wanders I even photographed her downtown prior to her artistic career starting...

It’s nice to be able to be happy for other people, and to chat about things without always thinking about “which of us is doing better?”

There’s a lot to be said for “steady”. And while jazzy exciting photos of exotic places and events are good, photos that make you look at your own environment in a new way - seeing something you hadn’t seen before, or seeing it differently - are just as good, just as creative and artistic, but different.

I once saw a collection of photos of “faces” the photographer had seen in local buildings and other structures - pareidolia. It was the sort of thing that once you’d seen it, you couldn’t un-see it - but the photographer saw it first, and showed it to everyone else via his photography.

 

[Shevek]

"If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself."
- Desiderata

Your life looks amazing to many people. I would only suggest that you consider putting more effort into things that will matter when you are old, and presumably living in a much poorer world.

 

[Sherlock77]

Not everyone thinks of life as a list of accomplishments (or not), but I think if you do, you do. I do. And I also have that feeling of failure, where it feels as though I have accomplished nothing in my life.

On the other hand, it’s also important to:

• Define what you mean by an "accomplishment" that you wish you had done. Some things that others think of as "accomplishments", I wouldn't take as a free gift with a box of chocolates.
• Recognise what you HAVE achieved, rather than only what you haven't.
• Recognise that unless you are at the top of your profession (and very few people are) there will ALWAYS be people who have done more/better/faster/higher/louder/further/more often than you.
• Recognise that accomplishments aren't only professional. Sometimes getting through the day without bursting into tears or ripping someone's head off is an accomplishment (at least, for some of us). But happy relationships, existing independently, and all sorts of other things also count.

For instance, if you're a semi-pro photographer, clearly you have the wits and skill to take photos that enough people will buy to make you "semi-pro" rather than "wannabe" or "happy snapper".

If you truly do want more, then it's:
A) Skill
B) Knowing the market
C) Hard work and persistence
D) Having the financial/time/emotional wherewithal to be able to do the things in A-C.
E) Honesty with yourself about all of the above
F) A generous dose of luck.

Being appropriately hard on yourself can spur you to more and greater efforts; being inappropriately hard on yourself will just send you into a downward spiral. The trick is to know the difference between the two!

I have made a choice to not pursue the photography full time, which means certain things of course, not necessarily ability level, and I struggle with how to promote my work...

And I likely miss a few things I could submit for, because I miss hearing about them... I don't follow my social media as much as I could (is that wrong?) And I do have a track record of my photos not being judged well in competitions mainly because at times they are rather unorthodox, so sometimes don't even bother trying knowing that... A little bit of discouragement that I feel often...

 

[velociraptor]

You're actually one of the people I know personally that I look up to @Sherlock77. I see you do what you're doing and am amazed at it. Seriously.

 

[Sherlock77]

You're actually one of the people I know personally that I look up to @Sherlock77. I see you do what you're doing and am amazed at it. Seriously.

I also had a nice chat with my same artist friend last night at an art reception too, about much the same thing, a positive conversation... Yes, as a full time working artist, she obviously has more accomplishments, and she needs to in order to make a living... But that doesn't have to diminish what I do as effectively a part time artist...