Having a photography practice while maintaining a 9-to-5 job can be complicated. I’m sure that more than one of you can relate to the feeling: ending a day of work, and trying to start something new, a hobby or be creative, just to feel brain-drained after a full day of work. Not ideal. I tended to have (still have?) this feeling. And then it becomes a frustration that accumulates as days go by, and becomes weeks. Until the point that the hobby, or the creative act disappears, gets blurred by the routine.
I was feeling like that for some time. Trying to do creative work, to take photos, and be frustrated by not doing it at the end of the day. The frustration was piling up, while the camera was sitting collecting dust. Not the best of scenarios. Then, at some point — must have been a month or two ago — I decided I needed to carve out some time for my creative outlets.
The solution was simple, take a break from work, and do it intentionally. I’m sure that all of us do take breaks. It’s impossible to really work 8 hours per day, let’s be honest. The brain needs breaks. So I decided to use those breaks to my advantage. Go for a small walk, and take the camera with me.
What is coming out of those walks is a small creative project. 15-minute breaks, walking in the park in front of my place, and noticing details, light, human presence, nature. Capture the walks, and do something with them. The result I am aiming for is:
Simple. Fifteen walks noticing details, scenes, and the ordinary life that is around me. This work is coming together from giving myself permission to be creative within my workday, set some boundaries, and a clear goal of what I want to achieve.
Now I look forward to taking those breaks, as they have become a win-win. My brain gets some distraction, while my photography, and the way I see the world come into play during a time that was reserved for “serious” work. No more feeling that I should have done more, or lacking creativity at the end-of-the-day. On the contrary, now I’m thinking about what to do with this body of work; I know I want to move it from the digital space, probably a zine, or postcards. What I know for sure is that I want to have something tangible as a result of this process. Stay tuned for the next steps, as I’ll continue to build in public.