Are we able to reach our goal in literature if it’s impossible to surpass Homer and Shakespeare?
In painting – if it’s impossible to surpass Leonardo da Vinci and Van Gogh?
In photography – if it’s impossible to surpass Ansel Adams and Cartier-Bresson?
We take this for granted and usually we do not compare ourselves to the great masters. By the way, there’s no shame in losing to genius.
But sometimes we feel uninspired after looking at other contemporary work, because we compare ourselves to others and even envy them, thinking “I could never do that”.
“He (Philip) glanced obviously at one or two sketches of men who set near him, and wondered whether he would ever be able to use the charcoal with that mastery.” (W. Somerset Maugham. On Human Bondage)
Everything has already been photographed/painted/described, hasn’t it?
But all of us who do creative work hope to say something new.
It’s true for photography too.
Photography is a combination of two worlds, the world of feelings and the world of reality.
Through photography you can express your own point of view about beauty.
Focusing on the beauty of the ordinary life is an active form of a therapy.
You are totally here and now.
All you have to do is to slow down, to feel and to capture the moment.
You will feel that all your troubles are left behind. Photography will become a creative fulfillment of your life.
So state your goal. And compete against yourself only.
So when you see amazing photograph next time, say to yourself: “I will definitely get to that point and the only difference is time and experience”.
“Every one of us has the creative potential of Mozart or Picasso or Edison or Einstein. To boost your creative output, capture your new ideas as they occur, challenge yourself in order to get ideas competing, broaden your training so that many new repertoires of behavior will be available to compete, and surround yourself as much as possible with diverse and ever-changing stimuli”.
Robert Epstein Ph.D.
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