One of the biggest challenges facing myself and other professional photographers is how to stay continually creative – how to produce images that are full of life and energy that force us to develop and grow as artists. This is especially true in the current economic climate and with today’s hectic lifestyle, with all the stress and worry that comes with the territory of trying to run a successful business.

Stress is apparently one of the archenemies of creativity, and it can quickly lead to feeling unmotivated or being unable to create work that feels new, fresh and uplifting. If we are already tired before we begin, and feeling burned-out, we can come back from a photography session feeling unsatisfied with the results. This leads to a sense of insecurity, lack of confidence in what we’re doing, and even more stress.

If we aren’t careful, we might become locked into an ever-decreasing circle that could lead to more serious consequences, such as depression – with disastrous consequences for our business.

It’s all too easy to succumb to this cycle, and even easier to blame everything else for the problems we face (the economy, where we live, other responsibilities, even the weather), but how do we combat this and stay positive and creative?

I don’t pretend to have anything close to all the answers to this question, which is why I invite comments from anyone who might have any insight on this subject – I’m sure it will make for a lively discussion. However, I have found some things that can certainly help me at least and thought I would share them here…

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Personal Zen attitude, creative, creativity, encouragement, professional photographer, success

Last night I stepped outside at around 8:40pm to watch the International Space Station (ISS) make a pass over the area, something I like to do whenever the opportunity presents itself and the sky is clear. I took my stepdaughter, Amy, outside with me to see the event, and we stood there waiting as a crescent moon floated high overhead in a starry sky.

Right on time, the ISS became visible in the distance. Although the sun had set some time ago, the ISS is so high that it reflects the dull red glow of the sun’s light filtered through the atmosphere (much like the color of a sunset). The moving point of light grew brighter and became more yellow as it climbed higher in the sky, until it was the brightest object in the sky, other than the moon itself.

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Personal Zen encouragement, inspiration, ISS

Unless you’ve been on another planet for the last few months, you’ve probably heard the word “recession” more times than you would have liked to. The news is full of it, mainly because negative material like that is more newsworthy – have you noticed how the [few] positive stories on the news are at the end of the reports, and are given the least amount of air-time?

All this negativity flying around is one reason why I really try hard to limit my exposure to the news during the day, and I try very hard not to look at it at all before at least noon.

But it isn’t just the news – it’s all around us; the people we talk to on the phone, our family, friends, neighbors, Facebook friends, Tweeters and all those other folks we connect to online. Everyone, it seems, is convinced that the end of the world is on its way.

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Personal Zen attitude, encouragement, inspiration, positive, professional photographer, success