In my last post, I offered 7 Tips for Finding Inspiration. Winter is often one of those times that inspiration feels lacking or photographers say they are feeling in a rut. What do you do when nothing you try is inspiring your creativity or motivating you to click the shutter? Sometimes I think the best thing to do when inspiration is lacking is actually to simply put the camera down. Not only put the camera down, but do it without the guilt. While it can sometimes be effective to “push through” and keep trying, sometimes taking a break is the best remedy for lack of inspiration. I don’t think we should feel like we need to be taking pictures if our hearts are not in it. Especially because when you think about it, we only have a limited about of time to spend editing our images and a limited about of wall space in our homes. Quality over quantity my friends.
Putting energy into other valuable activities can actually be just what we need for our inspiration to organically come back. Here are a few ways we can make the most of our time away from the camera:
Some simple beauty on a foggy winter’s day in the midwest
1 - Tackle that To-Do List - Sometimes the crazy activities of life, the mountain of chores piling up, or literally the clutter around your house can zap all our creative energy. Rather than fight through the negative energy to try to find your inspiration, spend time wading through the tasks that are weighing down on your mind and life. Once you’ve tackled some of those tasks, you may find a weight lifted and inspiration flowing.
2 - Spend Quality time with friends & family - Plan some adventures with your family, or set aside time for a cup of coffee or lunch with a friend. Curl up with a special person to watch a movie. Enjoy time with the important people in your life without the camera.
3 - Enjoy another creative hobby or activity you love - It’s no secret that photography can take a lot of our time. I know when I became so involved with photography, some of my other hobbies and activities got put aside. Rather than fight the camera, go back to some of those activities that have been neglected. So sit down at the piano, bake some cookies, knit that blanket, etc.
4 - Engage in Self Care - Sometimes we lose inspiration because we are feeling stress in our lives. Rather than beat ourselves up about lacking photographic inspiration, take that energy and do something that makes you feel good. Go for a run or hike, get a massage, curl up with a book or get some extra sleep. Fill yourself up!
5 - Process old images - If you want to keep working on your photography but aren’t feeling inspired to shoot, work on your processing and spend time digging into your backlog (if you have one like me!) This is a great time to learn new creative processing tools too. Maybe add a printing project in with the processing. As mentioned in another posts, this is a great way to find inspiration again!
So instead of feeling pressure to create or guilt because you aren’t creating, put your energy into something more productive and rejuvenating. The inspiration will come back!
Kristen Ryan is an award winning and published landscape and fine art photographer and educator residing in the Midwest suburbs of Chicago. All images are available for purchase in the Fine Art Store or by request. Kristen leads ladies landscape photography retreats in the Tetons, Chicago, and the Canadian Rockies, offers private mentoring and teaches an online landscape photography workshop, The World Around You.