Getting out of my creative rut and finding beauty -self portraits
Why am i sharing these with you today? i have been in a creative rut. i've wanted to try new things, wanted to have these wonderful sparks of imagination that hit me and send my creative side over, sharing something that i hadn't. i was looking for fresh ideas, but i couldn't get them executed in my head. i had saved images that inspired me, but i couldn't make it happen.
Then i hit the book store again. a couple days ago i felt a twinge that i needed more books. i knew i was almost done with the current ones, and would need new material soon. before i head to the bookstore, i find my favorite photographers and business people and search what they recommend, but nothing called to my heart. so i went to find something on my own. i bought two inspiration women's books and one business book. i have been journaling for pages ever since.
i wanted to share new material to inspire and motivate you to get your portrait taken. it's so important for your heart and soul. it gives me more confidence, and let's me see myself differently. but this time, those words don't seem enough. i want to share with you instead the importance i've found that reading self-help books and business books and devotionals have helped me with my confidence, my thought process, and my creative ability.
i follow photographers and business people. i read their blogs, watch their videos, and take notes on their advice. It's a wonderful way to learn and grow. but reading women's books, books of encouragement, beauty, and feeling loved has helped me in such a unique way with my photography. i'm not alone in wanting to feel beautiful, or loved and when i sit down and read and take in their lovely words, i have time to reflect. it's been oozing into my photographs, showing all the wonderful things i'm learning about beauty.
how did i get out of my rut? i took time for myself. i have a chair on the patio in the front of my house where i go to sit, read, think, and journal. i take in the quietness that not enough of us search for. i listen to the birds, and the bikes cruising by, and let me be alone with all those thoughts. it's a time to make sense of them, to understand fully what they mean and to get deeper into how i feel, and what i want. I read thought-provoking books. who doesn't love a good novel? you can get lost in their world, and soon you become a character, but there's something about the books that push my own desires, and passions that is so powerful. i soon learn about myself, my desires, and why i desire them. i connect everything that i've been thinking about, and grasp why i was thinking them. i journal and get it down, so i can get them out. i release the ideas, so i can have bigger ones!
Since i started doing this, i've journaled and found more about who i am, why i'm a photographer, my purpose in life, being a confident woman, and so much more.
i'm not just sharing photographs that have been stuck in my head, and finally i was able to visualize what i wanted. (although it's definitely part!) i'm sharing the thoughts finally making sense, and understanding the importance or finding a completely silent place and learning about you. what happened when i did this, i felt beautiful on the inside and out. i was able to be creative again and feel inspired.
i'm here to encourage you in your beauty. own it. i'm here to photograph you and show that beauty. i'm also here to share how i am finding mine, and how you can too. i'm challenging you to take 5 minutes when you can, and find a peaceful place, wherever that may be for you. be in silence, and bring paper and a pen. write down all those beautiful thoughts you have, the things you want, the things you love about you, and whatever you feel led to write. if you can, a few times a week read a chapter of a book (i can recommend a few!) and write down how it makes you feel. soon you'll be exploring all those lovely thoughts and understanding more about yourself.
so this is me, showing you in a visual way how my thoughts are transferring to my work. i wanted sexy, fresh, photos i could share with everyone, and i finally got out of my rut and found exactly what was in my head all along. i wanted simplicity, beauty, just me.
verse that i found that especially related to this week: 1 Thess.5:11- Therefore encourage one another & edify one another.
i've listed some books you can click and buy right from amazon! just click below and it'll head on over! these aren't the ones i'm currently reading, but have finished and found to be some of my favorites! if you have questions about where to start, i'm always here to help. don't hesitate to ask me anything you need.
-Shanna Star
