Wow. Just wow. I’ve been struggling with this exact problem for months and it is a motivation slayer.
Until the pandemic, I skirted around the edges of my latent desires. One of the earliest and most persistent was photography.
At first, Instagram was a wonderful place for inspiration — to see so many incredible images; to learn the intent behind them (in some cases) and to connect with a few really special photographers whose work resonates.
Now I’m overwhelmed and discouraged by the sheer tonnage of images. I know it’s irrational, but I feel like whatever I put “out there” is unoriginal or derivative or similar to something someone else did better.
So I’m taking your advice to heart and unplugging from Instagram for a while.
I am so glad you liked this piece. I have been working on it for a while. I have tried to figure out my own motivations and why I feel so dissatisfied with "social" and the constant onslaught of stuff that frankly isn't that good. And now with feeds filling with AI slop, it feels so disengenuous in purpose. Looking away has helped me see what the constant scrolling hides.
A lot of good wisdom here, Don. Overload is a real danger to the photographer, especially now.
Yes it is, Hanz.
It starts out harmlessly but can continue into a full blown creative meltdown.
Thanks for the comment.
Wow. Just wow. I’ve been struggling with this exact problem for months and it is a motivation slayer.
Until the pandemic, I skirted around the edges of my latent desires. One of the earliest and most persistent was photography.
At first, Instagram was a wonderful place for inspiration — to see so many incredible images; to learn the intent behind them (in some cases) and to connect with a few really special photographers whose work resonates.
Now I’m overwhelmed and discouraged by the sheer tonnage of images. I know it’s irrational, but I feel like whatever I put “out there” is unoriginal or derivative or similar to something someone else did better.
So I’m taking your advice to heart and unplugging from Instagram for a while.
I am so glad you liked this piece. I have been working on it for a while. I have tried to figure out my own motivations and why I feel so dissatisfied with "social" and the constant onslaught of stuff that frankly isn't that good. And now with feeds filling with AI slop, it feels so disengenuous in purpose. Looking away has helped me see what the constant scrolling hides.
Thanks for the note.
Exactly! I feel so validated. Thank you.
The photo of the dried chili had me looking, staring, thinking, admiring ... :)
Great shot! Thanks!