That Insatiable Need To Create... Something

A Burning Desire

First of all, I’m a little behind. I started the year with the hopes of writing about a photographer each month. Someone whose work I admired and felt that it influenced me. And to be fair to myself, I’m still reading, but as usual with life, things are getting in the way. Most notably, my own laziness. But I still feel compelled to write something to let you know I’m still alive.

Lately I feel like my camera has been neglected. It sits there in the bag, lens attached, battery charged and SD card primed and ready for storing all of those photographs yet to come. And somehow, those photographs never seem to come. I see so many things even in my home that I think would make a beautiful picture, because of the light or the mood that I’m in, and yet my camera remains in its bag. The desire to make something still allows me to see things, but the practical person in me prevents me from retrieving my camera and taking the picture.

What do I mean by the practical person? The practical person says, “What are you going to do with that lovely picture?” I say this using the voice of Neale James, a UK Photographer whose podcasts I’ve been listening to, I tell myself, “Nothing", it’s not going anywhere.” And I’d be right. There would be no purpose of the photo, I wouldn’t feel compelled to put it on social media because it wouldn’t do anything and my website has better things to do. So why bother taking the photo?

To me, that’s the wrong way of thinking. Taking a photo of something that I find interesting should simply be just that. Something I find interesting. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but simply a reminder of something I felt at that particular moment. And sometimes, at that moment, I saw something worthwhile.

Listen to yourself, creative outlets shouldn't be restricted to what impressions you can make on the world, but rather, what the world has left as an impression on you. What is your burning desire?