Make more, own less.
This is my recent epiphany:
You can enjoy things without owning them.
Better yet — you often enjoy things MORE by not owning them!
Let me explain.
For example, can you enjoy modern art at a museum without owning it? Yes.
For myself I made the realization that more things are better to admire for their visual sculpture and aesthetics, without the desire to own it.
For example, I enjoy the beautiful vista of a forest from a mountain top without desiring to own it.
I can enjoy the innovation and design of Tesla cars and Elon Musk’s vision without having to purchase the car myself.
Fancy cameras
I’ve probably shot with all of the fancy cameras out there, and to be honest — I don’t really feel the strong desire to own any of them. Why?
1. More stuff, more problems. I don’t like owning stuff — too much stress of chargers, organization, and “paralysis by analysis” in photography (if you own too many cameras, you never know which camera to shoot with, thus — you end up not shooting any, or the problem with over-packing).
2. No matter how good your camera or tool is, you’ll tire and bore of it. Thus it seems the optimal solution is to not own any expensive cameras, and also realizing that even the best new cameras will quickly get outdated.
3. I am more interested in testing out new cameras and philosophizing about technology— then “onto the next one”
Why photography is fun
Perhaps photography is fun because we can photograph and visually “own” it without having to purchase it.
When you photograph something, you “own” the image. You store the photons in an SD card, then you can observe and admire the images later.
Make more, own less.
Perhaps this is the takeaway point:
Strive to shoot more and own less.
I love making, creating, and building. I don’t really like “owning”— too much stress and maintenance involved. I like borrowing, renting, and leasing. Perhaps there can be more of these flexible and adaptable forms of usage/“shared ownership” in the future.
Also perhaps recognize that by photographing something, you’re sort of “owning” or “capturing” it for yourself. Perhaps the sense of visual ownership is more interesting and desirable, than to “own” the physical thing indefinitely.
More turbo thoughts to come!
ERIC