Mar 16

Mar 16 Staying Motivated

In December 2021 I was burnt out.

I had finally hit “the wall” – worn out from trying to create, doing the same things day after day, and ironically, worried that the pandemic would end and me, as an introvert, would be forced back into society to interact with strangers. I’ll probably touch on the introvert thing in another, later, post.

I’ve been there before, not only with photography but with other passions and hobbies. For example, I was in the bike industry for many years – and going from being a bike racer to bike industry insider/influencer was my end-all, be-all. I eventually hit the burn-out stage, ignored it, and learned to hate even just looking at bicycles. I eventually got out of that industry - but even now, years later, I just can’t find a way to throw a leg over a bike, ride, and make that stick.

So knowing that, I was looking for something to change. Thankfully in mid-December I watched a Kenneth Wajda video on YouTube where he talked about “The Photo Game” that he just recently started.

The Photo Game is based on “The Song Game” by Bob Schneider in Austin. The objective – write a new song every week – if you don’t, you’re out. It’s like Fight Club. For more on The Song Game, check out this great article on NPR here .

So, much like The Song Game, if you join The Photo Game you commit to the following:

1. You get the new prompt or phrase every Saturday at 8:00am
2. You have to shoot at least one image based on that prompt ON FILM, develop it, and scan it.
3. Your “assignment” image is due the following Saturday at 8:00am.
4. If you don’t fulfill #3 above, you are OUT.

Sounds like a pain in the ass, right? Great. I was in.

It’s now been three months and I’m still “in”. Many members have come and gone, but I’ve been sticking with it. Why? It’s been something that has forced me to get out there and shoot, sometimes for a phrase that I like, sometimes for one that I don’t like or understand, but all the while motivating me.

In this regard I think it’s a better motivator than the “365 photos a year” challenges as it give structure and rigidity. Don’t like the subject? Too bad, still gotta shoot it.

Here’s a few examples of the challenges, and a few of my images.

“Shadows”

“What’s in Store”

“10 or More of Something”

“Fruit or Vegetable”

So the above was just an example of some of the challenges over the past three months. Some weeks it has been easy, some weeks it has been hard. And that’s OK. Every Saturday morning I get a prompt that makes me go out and do something that I wasn’t planning on doing that week.

It’s a bit like an adventure.

That’s it for this post - I just wanted to share and hopefully inspire others to get out there and try something different to stay inspired.

Last week I went to Hocking Hills and limited myself to one camera and two lenses to stay inspired by imposing limitations.