I assume you read the title and are either curious how no one could see your art, or your wondering if I have lost my dang mind. Well the latter is always probable but hear me out.
I am not insinuating that your work is less than anything but wonderful but what if we shift our mindset to a place where we just assume, no one will ever see it. How does that thought make you feel? I would love if you paused here and put those thoughts in the comments. I hope others can relate to you and we can encourage one another. Ill get to my thoughts about this toward the end.
So what does it matter if no one see’s our work? What if our LIKES decreased? Does this matter? Why does it matter? Maybe its the validation we take from those numbers but that also means we feel defeated when those numbers don’t meet our expectations. The idea of comparison is not new and my ideas on that probably wont be earth shattering but I think we subconsciously see others “succeeding” because their Instagram post has thousands of likes or tons of comments and we want to have those same accomplishments for ourselves. Everyone needs to feel seen on some level and the thought of pouring our time and talents into something, no one ever see’s can feel a little suffocating at times. If not ALL the time.
Ok, so what are my personal thoughts on this idea? Well I think the idea of creating and hoping to spark some level of feeling in others through that work, and thinking I failed is too much to handle. The flip side of this though is relieving because we grow in the uncomfortable times. Vivian Mier is probably a house hold name now and she was a photographer that never shared her work. She didn’t even develop all of the rolls of film she shot. I will not speak to her talent as a photographer but her mindset. I didn’t know her personally so these thoughts are mine based on what I have read and seen but I think she shot for herself, and for the love of photography alone. That is everything. How would your work feel if you only made it for yourself? What if you didn’t post it to social media immediately? I am not suggesting you not post it but sit with it a little longer than you would usually and really see it. I challenge you to look back at some of your past work that maybe you loved but wasn’t worthy of the Gram and maybe re-edit that and post it. Be vulnerable but ultimately be yourself for yourself because that is the greatest reward.
I personally hope my work makes my clients and viewers feel something. That is the goal for everything I post. I want a reaction. Emotion, a spark of memory, or something deeper.
Thank you for hanging out with me until now, and if you do decide to re edit and re share an image because you saw this and felt inspired, please tag me in it so I can follow along. Maybe we can all use #lettinginart2022
I’m on IG @jeremy.gouge
Twitter @jeremy_gouge
not a great image by any means, but the light vs dark catches my eye.