Note: If you don’t see a widget above that’s showing my images, you can find them directly from my Flickr photostream.
I have recently started a 365 project. In other words, I’m taking one photo a day for a year, and posting it for the world to see. "Why?", you might well ask. In April 2011, I quit my job of 18 years at a large IT company to devote myself full-time to my photography-related endeavours. I felt like my creative muscle had somewhat atrophied after so long in IT. This 365 exercise is intended to push me creatively and perhaps take my photography in a new direction. It’s time to grow! So far, the psychology behind the project has been interesting. I’m delighted with the excitement I feel to get out and shoot every day! I do, however, feel "pressure to produce," especially given that I’m sharing the photos. I’m also fighting an urge to make them "perfect," since this might also cause me to keep them "safe." A large part of the goal of the project is to get me outside of my comfort zone (i.e., macro flowers and rural Ontario landscapes). That means shooting more experimentally, which will naturally lead to some less than wonderful images. You’ll just have to bear with me ;-). The other internal pressure I’m fighting is to take the images I think I ought to be taking. This comes back to having an audience, and is no doubt tied up with issues of ego! LOL! In any event, it’s important for me to fight this pressure, and make sure I’m creating images that appeal to me. This exercise is about exploring and discovering my own creative self. I can’t be photographing for "someone else." Finally, I’ve decided that I must not "cheat" by using extra photos from a prolific day on a day where I’m finding it tough. My rule is that the picture I post must be taken on the same day. As I write this, I’m only ten days into the project, so I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. Even this early on, however, I highly recommend the experience, and I encourage you to try it. If you have any comments on my project, or a 365 project of your own, please do share them on the Wall! I’d love to hear them. ~Julie
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