Excerpts

Be aware of strong responses. If you're immediately turned off by an experience, it's worth examining why. Powerful reactions often indicate deeper wells of meaning. And perhaps by exploring them, you'll be led to the next step on your creative path.

“You are afraid to surrender because you don’t want to lose control. But you never had control; all you had was anxiety.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

Nobody has the friends you have. Very few people live on your particular street or go to your particular coffee shop or bike along the same path as you. Nobody has your dog, your backyard, your weird toys or odd books. As it turns out, the most enduring form of originality is happening at the extremely local level. And this truth is changing the landscape of originality in photography. So, while drone images, travel photography, urban photography and celebrity portraits all feel cliché at this point, the individuality of one’s own private world of thoughts, values and passions are as fresh as ever.

'We might read a book and find a quote leaping off the page, or watch a movie and notice a line that moves us to pause and rewind. Sometimes it's the exact answer we've been looking for. Or it could be an echo of an idea that keeps repeating in other places begging for more attention or affirming the path we're on.



When clues present themselves, it can sometimes feel like the delicate mechanism of a clock at work. As if the universe is nudging you with little reminders that it's on your side and wants to provide everything you need to complete your mission.'

'There is no wrong way. There is only your way.'

\-Rick Rubin

'It's not always easy to follow the subtle energetic information the universe broadcasts, especially when your friends, family, coworkers, or those with a business interest in your creativity are offering seemingly rational advice that challenges your intuitive knowing. To the best of my ability, I've followed my intuition to make career turns, and been recommended against doing so every time. It helps to realize that it's better to follow the universe than those around you.'

'The sensitivity that allows them to make the art is the same vulnerability that makes them more tender to being judged. Still, many continue to share their work and risk criticism in spite of this.

If a creator is so afraid of judgment that they're unable to move forward, it might be that the desire to share the work isn't as strong as the desire to protect themselves. Perhaps art isn't their role. Their temperament might serve a different pursuit.



This path is not for everyone. Adversity is part of the

process.



We are not obligated to follow this calling because we have a talent or skill. It's worth remembering that we are blessed to get to create. It's a privilege. We're choosing it.

We're not being ordered to do this. If we'd rather not do it, let's not do it.'

'If you start from the position that there is no right or wrong, no good or bad, and creativity is just free play with no rules, its easier to submerge yourself joyfully in the process of making things.'

\-RR

Natural scenes engage some of our attention without requiring much conscious effort. they provide just enough diversion to occupy the conscious mind, leaving the subconscious free to do its own thing.

'Art is far more powerful than our plans for it.'

\-Rick Rubin