No Photo - December 04, 2005

It's been a couple of days since I posted a photo. I would have liked to try and post something today, but it's just not going to happen.

The last few weeks have been insane with taking care of buying a house. I admit I've done a lot or trawling my old catalog. That's been rewarding in its own way. But I haven't been getting out nearly as much as I'd like. I've been feeling a lot of pressure about that. I've decided that I'm willing neither to give in to the pressure to post yet another photo from weeks ago, nor to get out in the face of adversity.

It's that "not getting out in the face of adversity" thing that is the more important of the two decisions. I mentioned recently that I found that I've been becoming quite the "Type A" driver. Theres a lot to say about what's going on there -- more than I can articulately discuss here. But part of it comes from a diminishing ability to compartmentalize my professional life away from the rest of my life. Things are going very well at work right now. I'm kind of getting off on it. But the part of me that is really enjoying that is also a very different person than the person who can relax in traffic.

Plus, I've begun to realize that I've implicitly been treating this like another job. And not entirely without good reason. Work, work, work. You get out of it what you put into it. But as I've been told once or twice (at least once by another photoblogger), forcing yourself too hard to do something like this isn't the greatest thing. And I'm beginning to understand that. I have a lot of other crap going on right now which has distracted me and taken up much of the time I might have devoted to photography. I've fought to get the time periodically, but it's been a struggle. I feel guilty when I don't get out. And I feel like I'm not...

...doing my job... *sigh*.

Then the other day I saw this.

How blown away I was by this wonderful, brilliant photo. I was equally thrilled to see it here as well. It made me realize something. The fact is that my mind just has not had the room for photography these days. Sure, I can get out and make myself take photographs, but what's the use if all I can think about is buying this damn house -- which, incidentally, I am psyched about. Sure, I'll get out if I can, and I'll do what I can with the results. But the thing that really needs to happen is for things to settle down a bit so I can put my heart in it. Not just my body and my camera.

Hopefully I'll have something to put up here soon...

Comments

Hey Tom! Buying a house is always a traumatic time and it sounds like your work keeps you busy too. Unless you plan to turn photography into a money generating effort, it should never "feel" like work! I watch maybe 100 photoblogs now on a regular basis. Some post daily, some when they feel like it. As many folks have told me when I do something like asking for forgiveness for posting an old picture, it is YOUR site and you can do whatever you want with it.
Right now, you feel like letting it rest for awhile. So take some time... get into our new house... and then maybe you will feel ready again.

Just a word of encouragement. While I don't always "get" what you see in the pictures you take... I always enjoy visiting and have enjoyed what I have seen.

Posted by: Bob on December 5, 2005 06:49 AM

Tom,

Cheers !

I second much of what Bob says. I think your regulars understand you may be snowed under at the moment and for very exciting yet stressfull reasons. Buying a house and moving house are rated up there as highly stressfull parts of life, and stress effects health, not good.

So, for me personally, if you don't post for a while then well and good, it means you're taking a break while chaos takes over and posting is one less thing to stress you out.

I for various reasons just had a quite period of posting, as you well know, and it did stress me a little, not managing to take pictures, get new pictures up, but when the day arrived with time on my hands, that break may have been a very good thing to happen. Photographic/ Photoshop thoughts had been mulling away in the old brain, I was feeling refreshed and keen to get out and take pictures.

I know I'll be back when you're posting again, and I suspect you will be, photography is very addictive. Just don't stress and burn yourself out.

Regards,

Jeremy

Posted by: Jeremy on December 5, 2005 05:12 PM

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