June 10, 2011

photo assignment: put your work on display

If you've had difficulty in claiming or believing in what you do, welcome to the club.  It takes a lot of courage to say these words out loud:  I am a Photographer.  It takes even more courage to believe it.

my wall ~ originally posted on Flickr

Here's the thing:  There's not a single person that can validate how you feel about yourself and your work.  It's all you and you have to be willing to own it.  There's no room for comparison here because everyone else is just doing their own thing, making their own art, living their own life - completely and uniquely different than yours or mine.

This is about you.

Here is an assignment I'd love for you to try:  Give your work some tangibility.  It needs to be held in your hands for you to feel the realness of what you do.
Take some time this weekend and look through your camera memory or your filed archives.  Choose 5 of your favorite shots.  Have them printed in a smaller size (4x6 is good) either through and online printer or at home.  Then display them somewhere in your house where you can see them everyday.  Hold them.  Show them to someone, and share with that person who you are and what you love to do.

I had a really hard time saying the words out loud:  I am a Photographer.  It wasn't until a friend asked me about my work that I fully began to understand how small my belief in myself was.  So I started digging into my archives, looking for favorite photos, noticing color patterns and so on.  I had close to 6,000 photos sitting in files on my computer and external hard drive - and maybe one or two that I had printed and displayed in a frame.  I had (and still have) empty wall space in my house that needed to be filled.  And so, I started printing my pictures.

Your work has to be real and be felt and be seen in order for you to begin to believe in yourself.  So, get on this one quick.  And if you feel like sharing, come back to the comment section of this post and show us some of your work on display.

6 comments:

urban muser said...

great advice!

deb did it said...

Bella, this is a fantastic challenge. Me, well, I AM LOUD and PROUD!! I have my own photos all over my house. And even sell notecards on Etsy!! I make art, then photograph the pieces, then print and sell Photo Note Art Cards!! http://www.etsy.com/listing/67395339/photo-notecards-set-of-4?ref=v1_other_1...or find me on Etsy as DebDidIt

Kirsten said...

I love this challenge! I have been taking so many photos but displaying very few. I have a wall that has been begging for this opportunity... My wall thanks you :)
http://flic.kr/p/9Se5Ha

Kirsten said...

it's a process...I'm working on it :]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirsten013/5825881973/

Kirsten said...

ok, last comment on this assignment. It is still a work in progress, but progress it will :)This is what I have for now.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirsten013/5834436217/in/photostream/lightbox/
Thank you Bella for a great challenge. Your blog and prompts have been wonderful for my creative soul.
Kirsten

Janet said...

This assignment was easy for me as I am always looking for new ways and places to display my photos in my home. It is, among other things, a very inexpensive way to decorate!

I have posted a set on flickr that shows some of my attempts...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32355978@N03/sets/72157628098321601/