Today is day 4 of me trying and wanting to Blog daily. I missed yesterday completely but thats also the topic of this entry so I am giving myself some grace on missing, because of why I missed. I think as creatives we often find ourselves caught up in the “Hustle Culture”- meaning we think the only way to win or succeed is to outwork everyone else. As a very competitive person, this is not something I would shy away from, or have in the past. I love what I do and I dedicate a lot of time and energy to it. Into learning, growing, adapting, & stretching my creative boundaries. One of the problems of living this way and never taking time off is you get burnt out so so quickly. Fall as I mentioned a few posts back, is easily the busiest season for me and most every photographer. Yesterday I had full intentions on going to a local Enduro Mountain Bike race at Tannery Knob to take photographs and see my friends. I had planned this for months actually and had to cancel those plans once ( I thought ) due to a scheduling conflict but that worked itself out leaving me open to go do this one thing that I have wanted to do for a long time. The morning came but instead of packing my gear to head to Johnson City to watch people send it down the Mountian, I packed a different backpack, and chose to spend the day with Natasha, and Atlas. Jaryn and Austin were very much so missed, but they both have jobs now. We decided to head to Bays Mountain for a hike together. To reconnect with nature, to reconnect with each other, and. to look for our Creator everywhere we walked.
So in short, todays topic is “ How do we recharge as creatives?” I am so guilty of my “down time” consisting of spending time on my phone scrolling through Instagram, or Twitter. Tik-Tok is a time portal from having a second to myself, to losing an hour on the app. We have been programmed to want and expect something new constantly. I am referring to our attention spans and our patience. Everyone wants it NOW. Answers now- go ask Google, photos now -take it with your phone and remove yourself from the moment entirely, food now- call GrubHub. I think you see where I am going with this. So what are ways we can stop and recharge our creative brains other than with constant and painful comparisons?
For me this has always been by being active to some degree, and the older I get those activities I prefer all revolve around and in nature. In the wonder and beauty the the Lord has given us to enjoy and to protect. Finding his presence among the tress, in the rivers, hiding in plain sight in the clouds. He is omnipresent and so are his works. I find myself longing for adventure more and more often, to see the Redwoods, to explore Iceland, to see sharks breaching off the southern coast of Africa. Because when I remind my self to sit, and be still and listen I can always find my peace outside of technology which is sadly ironic as I am writing this on my Macbook I suppose. The irony of using a camera to document life for myself and others and also wanting to disconnect is not lost on me, but finding the balance within them is where I find I can reset and reconnect the easiest. I would love to know your thoughts, and if you have ideas as well.
Thanks for being here and remember we all fall short, so give yourself some grace today too!
j
