{"id":31154,"date":"2016-12-13T02:10:16","date_gmt":"2016-12-13T10:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=31154"},"modified":"2016-12-13T06:33:03","modified_gmt":"2016-12-13T14:33:03","slug":"how-to-find-fulfillment-in-your-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/13\/how-to-find-fulfillment-in-your-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find Fulfillment in Your Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hanoi,
Hanoi, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear friend, when do you feel fulfillment in your photography?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Do you feel fulfilled when someone compliments your photos? When someone new follows you on social media? When someone likes your photos?<\/p>\n

Do you feel fulfillment just when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out shooting? Or when you are done editing a book? Or when you are collaborating with other photographers? Or when you are printing your work and framing them, or giving them as gifts? Or selling your work, or exhibiting your work?<\/p>\n

What is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fulfillment\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/h2>\n
\"Seoul,
Seoul, 2009<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For me, fulfillment is all about your attitude and perspective of yourself, your work, and your world.<\/p>\n

Feeling \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fulfilled\u00e2\u20ac\u009d means to be filled with a sense of happiness, of gratitude, and joy.<\/p>\n

Finding fulfillment in photography means different things for different people. Some people feel more fulfillment from external sources, and others feel it from internal sources.<\/p>\n

When do I feel the most fulfilled in my photography?<\/h2>\n
\"Santa
Santa Monica, 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I feel the most fulfillment as a photographer by teaching others photography, either in workshops, when giving advice, or when writing these articles or making videos. I actually feel the most fulfilled by empowering others<\/em> in photography.<\/p>\n

In terms of my personal photography, I feel the most fulfillment when I make a photograph that I myself am proud of. I feel fulfillment in my photography when I feel like I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m making progress, and whether I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m having fun or not.<\/p>\n

When do I not feel fulfilled in my photography?<\/h2>\n
\"Santa
Santa Monica, 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Strangely enough, I find that getting lots of likes and comments from others hurts my sense of fulfillment in my photography.<\/p>\n

That is a bit strange, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? But let me explain:<\/p>\n

Whenever I upload a photograph that gets a lot of likes\/comments on social media \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I feel excited and happy. But then again, a sense of insecurity seeps in. I start to ask myself questions like, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What if my next photograph doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get as many likes? Are people just liking my photos for the sake of it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And no matter how many likes\/comments I get \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I realize that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have as many likes\/comments as other photographers, celebrities, or people out there. And therefore I feel discouraged.<\/p>\n

And of course there are situations when I think I have a great photograph, I upload it, and it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get as many likes\/comments as I expected it \u00e2\u20ac\u0153should.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This also leads to discontentment in my heart.<\/p>\n

What is photography all about?<\/h2>\n
\"Garden
Garden Grove, 2015 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The more I pursue photography, the more I realize that photography is a tool of self-discovery<\/strong>. To me, photography is less about making images. It is about discovering who you are, what you find interesting in life, what excites you in life, and how you see the world.<\/p>\n

No matter how \u00e2\u20ac\u0153successful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d you are in your photography, no matter how many likes, followers, money you earn, or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153famous\u00e2\u20ac\u009d you become \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you will be miserable if you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fulfilled\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the work that you do.<\/p>\n

How do we find fulfillment in our photography?<\/h2>\n
\"Garden
Garden Grove, 2016 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think the way to find fulfillment in our photography is to seek satisfaction from ourselves\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to please ourselves, and to know that we are living up to our own expectations.<\/p>\n

It means that we are still appreciative of the feedback and comments of others, but not letting their ideas cloud our own self-judgement.<\/p>\n

It means we should be self-critical of our work, but not to the extreme that we are making ourselves miserable. Photography should add more joy, excitement, and fun into our lives \u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather than stress, misery, and anxiety.<\/p>\n

\"Hollywood,
Hollywood, 2016 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So ask yourself, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When do I feel the most fulfilled in my photography?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Once you find the answer to that \u00e2\u20ac\u201d follow your heart, and what brings you inner-fulfillment. Disregard what others say and suggest. After all, nobody knows yourself as well as you do.<\/p>\n

Always,
\nEric<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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