Before we begin today’s post, I have a question for you fabulous peeps. I enjoy writing this blog and have gotten into the habit of posting content every weekday. I do it for myself, not for the stats or the comments or for whatever may eventually come from it, if anything. But I just read an article that basically said readers may find frequent communication to be overwhelming. Do you find 5 posts a week to be too much to read? If you are a subscriber (Woohoo! Thank you! We’re almost to my goal of 100!), do posts pile up in your inbox? Would you prefer 3 a week? Do you care? I appreciate your feedback. (While you’re at it, do share with me what you most like reading about here.)
Over the past two weeks of Vivienne McMaster’s two-week class, Rule-Free Photography, I had fun being reminded that “photography isn’t about how much we know, but rather about how we engage with the world around us.” I found myself absolutely loving the wildly inspiring Flickr community of the class. I made so many wonderful connections as we encouraged each other’s creativity with each daily prompt. I haven’t felt this much motivation to share my work since I took Picture Summer almost a year ago. It is really fun to see how each person interprets the prompts and to receive such delightful compliments on my own photos.
Of course we need rules in photography, but why not keep that beginner’s sense of experimental playfulness? Often making mistakes or literally pointing and shooting and seeing what comes out of that can lead to finding our own voice as photographers.
Playing in Pixlr Express
So… why not keep going? With another month to wait until Picture Black & White begins, why not find yet another inspiring community in Vivienne’s next class? “Swan Dive is an exploration into your visual voice and your unique story. The course is based around creative adventuring and developing our creative voice as photographic artists.”
It is all about engaging in the art of post-processing and seeing what incredible things we can create.
It is about making friends with post-processing programs (yes, like photoshop or lightroom or other online and free programs).
It is about creatively experimenting with things like layers, textures, borders, light leaks, cloning and double exposing!
It is about being in a creative community…and we have an incredible group gathered for this class!
Week 1: our creative intuition.
“What is our creative intuition? It is what draws us to pick up a camera or to write down a story, even if we don’t know how or believe that we can do it yet. It is experimenting and seeing what we can find. It is trying new things and the feeling you get when something feels right, like home, like it just fits or that it feels like you!”
We are going to follow it down unexpected paths.
We are going to look in between the lines.
We are going to follow it outside the box.
We are going to bond with the ‘awkward stage’ and push through to make images we love.
Here we go!!!
(I have to tell you that I am a bit behind in the class already!)
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Naomi,
I usually see your email notifications in the wee hours of the morning and I always look forward to reading your posts. I must admit, at times. I am too overwhelmed with life in general to always have the energy to comment and connect like I want to. Your postings always have meaning messages, information, and beautiful visuals. To answer your question about posting everyday, well, that is something I strongly admire, and I wish to aspire to do . I love your writing style. I feel like you are talking to me, as we hang out together and sip our tea. There are so many times I say to myself, yes, I know … Yes, I understand … yes, I remember.
Noami, I always look forward to your postings. And, they are always just the right length.
XOXO,
Eydie
Enjoy your posts everyday! I always read them either when I get the email or the link in FB. Especially love the photography since I’m also into photography.
gahhhh, I just realized my tired writing sounded like
I was overwhelmed by “frequent postings like yours”…no, no, no:)
meant blogs that I love like yours!
oh, I shouldn’t go visiting when I’m this exhausted.
just to clarify:):):)
-Jen
Honestly, I get overwhelmed with frequent postings on blogs I love (like yours!);
I don’t want to miss anything
and I can’t get to them all
and feel a trickle of loss over what I’m missing.
Sometimes I find I don’t come around as often
because I feel out of the loop. That’s silly, I realize,
even as I say it.
Anyways, I love the beauty that pours out of your heart
and hope you keep putting it out here!
-Jennifer
Ditto. If the purpose is for yourself, then do what feels right for you. Some weeks I’m able (or motivated) to check daily, other weeks I catch up on a bunch at once.
I wonder this about my own blog and have decided not to post more than every other day. But I enjoy reading other people’s as often as they post them. I can read quickly, but creating a post takes much more time and I just can’t commit to doing it daily.
Keep up the posting – and pictures – I love them!
i agree with cathy. if YOU want to keep posting daily, then do so. your readers can then choose to read or discard. and, i for one LOVE having your items in my inbox every day 🙂
Thank you so much for the encouragement. I know my posts feel at home in your inbox!
If you enjoy posting daily; keep posting! I for one enjoy your posts every morning in my inbox! If your posts were long I probably wouldn’t want to read one everyday. But, your’s are just the right length with gorgeous photography!! You always give me a beautiful start to the morning!!
Oh good! Thanks so much for saying that. I am beyond glad you love them.
Some posts sit in my inbox for a while or get deleted unread. Yours do not. I believe you and I have a bit of a searcher in us. I like that you are willing to try new things, that you are willing to admit when you are stuck, and that you are willing to admit when something is not working and you search for something else that does work. I like that you get me to think about new things. I say post according to what feel right to you.
That’s a very positive way to look at what I’m thinking! Thanks so much, Patti. I really enjoyed your recent post on self-worth. That resonated deeply with me.
Thank you so much.
I have wondered the same thing about posting frequency. I don’t read the same blogs every day, but I try to catch up on all posts. I’m not sure that I am that aware of people’sosting schedules; that is if someone posts 3 times a week, I don’t keep track of which 3 days those are. I’d say that if you do it for youself, it doesn’t matter whether others thonk it is too much. You likely will not drive readers away, but they probably won’t look at every post.
Since I started posting daily, I’ve focused more on my photography. I simply couldn’t write that much. At first I thought it was rather lame, but then something amazing happened: my creativity was unleashed and I found a new artistic vein to tap.
My thoughts exactly! I didn’t realize before you wrote that how posting every day helps me think positively and seek the beauty in life. It feels like an accomplishment. A photo and a quote is perfect some days.