I was looking at this beautiful scenery in Abruzzo through my camera. It was early spring, it was still cold and tiny drops of salty water were falling on my face.
I felt how much I like what I do, how much satisfaction it gives me. The moment when I act and create something new.
I usually divide my time into an active one – when I travel, take pictures, edit images on the computer and create collections. But I also have a “passive” time. Time to think about future projects and time to research. Part of this time are inspiration sessions.
I was trying to use social media for this some time ago. But it’s so easy to turn inspiration into frustration when you do it. There are so many people doing so great images. With AI we are going to have much much more. Does it mean that I don’t have anything to do? Everything is already there?
No. It is the wrong conclusion of an inspiration session. I do what I do because I like doing it. Engaging in my work provides me a sense of fulfillment and a lot of joy. “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”. This common phrase emphasizes the importance of the process and experience, rather than focusing on the end result.
Lesson learned:
Online inspiration sessions don’t work for me. It is just too much. I’m minimalist. I do one thing at the time. Scrolling and browsing thousands of images is not inspiration. It is a simple way to feel overwhelmed.
My sessions are now mostly offline. I buy albums of famous photographers and I’m looking through them calmly. With soft music in the background. With this approach, the work of others gives me power to improve my own.
What’s new?
I am thinking of organizing a group workshop in Italy in October 2023. After the pandemic I haven’t returned to group classes yet. I focused on the individual ones and I still consider this individual mode of work to be the best for my students.
But there are two reasons why I’m considering group classes. Firstly, some people seem to be thirsty for contact with others. Pandemic times have made our lives very… online. We miss offline contacts now. And secondly, the recession causes people to have less money for their passion. Group workshops are always an economic solution compared to the individual. What do you think? Would you like to know more about my group plan for October 2023? Just answer this e-mail and I will talk to you about possible options.
Print of the Month
In May 2023 I will apply the special price to the Abruzzo image you see at the beginning of this newsletter. You can always find the Print of the Month on my website on the 1st day of the month.