To the person I was most scared of being criticized by
When you truly love what you do, you want others to do it too.
I was terrified to label myself as a photographer. I was terrified to even pick up the camera and try. What if people thought I was just “another girl with a camera”? What if they thought I was a wanna-be?
I’d been happily taking pictures of anything and everything and suddenly, it wasn’t enough. I wanted to do this for other people... and I spent W-E-E-K-S pacing around with a camera around my neck worried silly about what people would think.
I couldn’t shake the negative chatter in my head— I didn’t go to school for this. I’m new to photography. I still have so much to learn. What if I suck? What if no one wants me?
Then always circling back to the same quiet thought, loud enough to pierce my doubts— but I love it.
And then there was HER— the person I was the most scared of being criticized by. Ironically, she also happened to be the photographer who I admire the most. The one who is the master-of-all-photography in my book. It came down to this: I knew I could never pursue photography publicly (and with any degree of confidence) if my self-conscious mind was always cowering and cringing at what her and everyone MIGHT possibly say about my budding photography attempts.
After torturing myself eight million ways imagining the worst that might be said about me, I decided I had to know the truth— If I couldn’t go directly to her, the person I feared the most, and ask how she really felt about me, I’d never be successful in photography.
FACE. YOUR. FEARS.
So with nervous hands I tapped out a text expressing aalllllllll my frets, feelings, and fears, held my breath, and sent it to her. ......annnddddd.... GUESS WHAT!?
I was shocked out of my mind because THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHER IN THE WORLD WHO I ADMIRE THE MOST encouraged me to pursue photography and offered herself as a resource for help! She was nothing but supportive and genuine. And you know what I learned from the way she treated me?
When you truly love what you do, you want others to do it too.
She wasn’t threatened. She didn’t judge. She took me seriously and took me under her wing. She wanted to share what she’d learned because she’d found genuine happiness in photography.
That’s true passion.
Fast forward a few months. I got a message from an old friend asking what I thought about him starting a blog. He knew I’d blogged in the past and he wanted to know if I thought he’d be any good at it.
Suddenly, I was psyched out of my mind for him! I was like YES YES YES YOU SHOULD BLOG! And you know what? I wanted to tell him everything I knew about blogging and when he published his first blog post and sent me the link, I was dancing around the kitchen tripping all over myself to read it! I I laughed. I “aww’d”. I was so thrilled to hear his voice and perspective shine through his writing and to see him pursuing something that I love too.
When you truly love what you do, you want others to do it too.
So if you want to go for something and you’re TERRIFIED to try— go straight to the person who scares you the most— you might just find your greatest ally.
