How to Become More Motivated in Your Photography

My whole photographic life, the most difficult thing is motivation when it comes to photography. Some simple ideas to get you going:

1. The joy of the child

A child creates for fun and play. If anything, a child is the most creative in terms of inventing their own games.

Then perhaps the way to think about it:

Photography as your ultimate open junglegym.

There are no ‘rules’ in photography. It is the ultimate open game, the ultimate open playground.

Do you ever need to ‘motivate’ a kid to play? No. They simply do!

Then the goal becomes:

Become more child-like as a photographer.

Photograph like a child.

2. The hunger to go on more adventures

Then another thing:

We are easily bored. We love adventure, novelty, and newness.

Then harness that desire for new events and experiences in life motivate you! Then perhaps it means to reject the notion of ‘being grateful for what you got’.

3. Harness your boredom

Another thought:

Perhaps boredom is good.

Boredom is a type of pain, a ‘primum mobile’ (first mover). Consider, if we never got bored … perhaps we would never have a motivation to move or do anything!

Thus perhaps when you’re bored, just go out and photograph. You don’t need to be ‘inspired’ before you photograph. Perhaps we must be bored before we photograph. And as we photograph, we allay our boredom!

4. Inspirational photo books

Buy books, not gear. A book will give you 1000x more motivation to your photography than any camera piece of equipment.

You can either buy a photo book on Amazon, or just download some of my free ebooks.

Or you can learn from the masters. Photo wisdom from the past is timeless.

Download MASTERS VOL 1

5. Photography and music

I have a lot of friends who shoot street photography while listening to music. Personally I prefer not to (I am afraid of getting run over cars), but perhaps listening to music is a good motivator to your photography.

Why? When you listen to bass in music, it stimulates your heart beat. And the more you can get your heart beating, and your blood flowing, the more motivation you will have!

So perhaps you can make a photographic playlist, and jam out to it when shooting street photography. And I recommend using the standard Apple AirPods (not the noise-cancelling AirPods Pro) because at least you have some ambient sound awareness.

6. Give back

Arsbeta.com is great because as you give feedback, you learn. And the more you help others, the more motivation you give yourself.

Start your own local photo club, or create an online photography group. Organize photography events, workshops, in person events, or online events. The more social you can make your photography, the better.

7. Photography as a personal journal and diary

Why start a blog? The best reason to start your own photography blog is many-fold. The biggest reason is that it becomes a personal-public journal and diary of your photographic life. You are your photos, and your photos are you [ERIC KIM LIFE IN PHOTOS YOUTUBE].

Why write a journal or diary? Simple:

As you write, you reflect, and you can better marinate your thoughts, experiences, photos, and life.

Share because it benefits yourself, and because it benefits others!

ERIC

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