Once again this self isolation has me, and I guess some other artists, taking a moment or two to think about what we are doing, and why we are doing it. I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t say that a certain part of it is the recognition, compliments, ego stroking that comes with putting your work out there for all to see.
Of course there are those periods where the comments, likes, views, and assorted words of praise just don’t come. It’s those periods that make you wonder why we’re even doing this. It’s these periods where you need a thick skin and have to trust that your work is truly worthy of being out there. They always say you can’t put too much stock in likes and praise.
I’ve never been one to really promote myself that heavily. I’m a good photographer, but no better than a ton of others that I admire and respect. I create my work and put it out there. If you like it great. If not, that’s OK too. I will freely admit that my style limits my market and audience quite a bit. That’s OK also. There’s no special meaning to my pieces (in most cases). It’s just images that I’ve seen in my mind and created with pixels and visions. I am not making a living at this. I just create because I feel good doing it. I left the Art Fair circuit years ago, and now show in only a few galleries.
So the bottom line is, I appreciate all who have followed me. Would I like to see that list grow? Sure I would. I’ll just be content to create the work and put it out there. Here’s my statement, here’s my vision.
I’d be curious if others feel the same or have similar ideas on the subject. It feels good to share and having that feedback helps provide the drive to keep going.
Thanks for reading. I certainly enjoy seeing others works and wonder where their drive comes from. Till next time, be safe and be creative.
Dave
You can visit my online galleries by clicking Here
Pixels and Visions 
First, I must say I love your work and you have been a mentor and friend to me for many years!! Second, I agree with what you are saying. Would we all love to have more likes and comments? Or course, who wouldn’t?! I don’t make any money from my art either but it brings me great joy and satisfaction when I can photograph something I see in my minds eye.
The likes are always nice, but when I like what I’ve done that is really good for me. Great blog! Stay well 😀
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Thanks Deb, you’ve created quite a brand of your own. We’ve both seen so many changes over the years. Your images are so peaceful and calming. Who knows where this will all end up. I create and share, that is my joy. I always look forward to your next post. Keep smiling.
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You have the eye David, for combining colors and ideas. I love this photo, the scarf or cloth that you laid on the table really brings out the complete photo. It is so pleasing to my eyes to just look at this photo. It actually looks like a painting. That is a real talent to see this vision and set it up.
I decided to try macro photos this week and set up a table in the house. It is a lot harder than it looks. I admire your work and I looked at Debra’s photos. Her photos are wonderful also, both of yours should be in magazines or prints in museums. Just lovely.
I do it for the pure enjoyment of seeing how high I can reach with improving my photo’s. It definitely is not about money; I sell a couple here and there on websites is all. It is mostly just sharing creation for me. There are a lot of big cities in the world now a days and people don’t get out of their offices and homes much it seems like. So, showing my photos of country sides and sunrises makes me feel good, even if only one person sees it and it makes their day.
Wonderful article David, have a great weekend coming up.
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Thank you so much for your time and thoughts Sandra. You are quite correct that your images bring many folks closer to nature. Many of those folks don’t get the opportunity to see and experience the birds and scenes that you are sharing. Glad to see you stretching your wings and trying some home setups. It can be fun, and you will grow as you gain more experience. I’ll look forward to seeing a few of your results down the road. Stay safe and keep those posts coming.
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Your art matters to me! I suppose what’s most important is that it matters to YOU…to the artist who created it. There are so many great photographers in the world I find it difficult at times to have confidence in my work…”why enter the contest” “so and so wins the club contests most of the time”, etc. But when I give it some thought I can only compare myself to myself…I’ve come a long way in 9 years of DSLR photography and continue to learn. Your blog and camaraderie as a fellow photographer is a part of that journey! It can deflate you if someone doesn’t give a thumbs up on your photo but if it brings us joy to post it, that’s all that should concern us!
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Holly, you have a very healthy attitude towards your work. I have seen quite a large increase in your skills and you should always be proud of what you are putting out there. I think we can both agree that we create our vision and put it out there. You may like it, you may not, but if we can get you to just stop for a moment to view it and make that decision we have succeeded in our goal. Keep up the good work and never be afraid to stretch yourself and grow.
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This is beautiful, David. It looks like an ancient painting. I struggle to believe someone created it with film and has done so recently.
Why do we do this? I’m not sure. Because we must?
I am not a photographer. I am picture taker who gets lucky occasionally. Mostly, I write. And I know that the reason I write is because I must. Something stirs inside me and I have to put it on paper. Well, on the computer.
But I feel like my writing doesn’t tell a story alone, so I take a lot of pictures. Or sometimes I go somewhere interesting and take a lot of pictures and then figure I better have story along with them. Either way, it ends up in my blog.
I know I have over 100 people that “follow” me. That isn’t very many compared to some people’s blogs. Still, sometimes I end up with only six or seven likes and fewer comments. And then I wonder why I bother.
And sometimes a new person will “discover” me, and I will get five or six likes on different blog posts. And they all come with in about 60 seconds. So I know they didn’t even read what I had written. To me, that is almost more rude than not bothering to “like” it at all.
I know not everyone can read everything they subscribe to every time a new post comes out. Buy my goodness. Why are we subscribing if not to enjoy each others’ work?m
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Thanks for your time and thoughts. After reading those thoughts, and revisiting my own, I think we might be able to boil this all down to this. We do this because we have to. Not that we are being forced, but that there is some sort of inner drive that compels us to create and share. Liked or not is unimportant, we just have to put it out there. Thanks again.
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