This Is Ruining My Creativity

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.

Being a creative person has never been easier than it is now. We have access to so many references, books, free content online. Everything is there for us.

But at the same time, I feel like there’s so much noise around us.

We are constantly on social media. There’s always something to watch, something to learn, something we should be doing. And sometimes, all of that just makes me feel stuck.

I’m a very anxious person. Some days I’m very creative and I get a lot done. Other days, I’m a professional procrastinator.

As a photographer, I’m always trying to improve. Looking at other people’s work, trying to understand what makes a good image.

As a YouTuber, I’m trying to learn how to make better videos, how to show what I actually feel, how to connect with people.

And some days it just feels like my head is going to explode.

I’m in the middle of changing my career. I want to become a full-time photographer, videographer, and content creator. I’m at the very beginning of all of this.

So if you’re looking for an expert, I’m not your guy.

But if you’re looking to listen to someone who is figuring things out as they go, that’s me.

And I think that’s why this noise feels so loud sometimes. I’m not where I want to be yet. I haven’t achieved what I want to achieve.

I don’t know if you feel the same, but I imagine it’s easier to deal with all this noise when you’re already living your dream. When you’re already doing what you want to do.

But at the beginning, it’s constant.

Is it me?

Is my work good enough?

What do I need to learn next?

We are supposed to find those answers online, in books, in other people’s work.

But I have this feeling that the more I look, the more my work gets diluted. The more I lose myself in all of it.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my photography and my creative process, and I feel like I need less noise.

I need to be more offline.

As a photographer, I have a lot of references, and that’s important. But maybe I should spend more time looking inside and thinking about what I actually want to say with my work.

If you love taking photographs, being outside, making things, I think you should focus more on what you enjoy doing. On what feels like you.

We are all different. We all come from different experiences. And sometimes that matters more than spending hours looking at someone else’s work.

I’m not saying studying isn’t important. It is.

But I think we often confuse studying with actually having a practice.

I’m pretty sure you learn much more by spending hours outside, taking photos, making things, than sitting at home scrolling or watching videos.

And I say this because I do it too.

I produce a lot, but I also consume a lot.

And sometimes I catch myself spending more time trying to understand how to be better, instead of actually doing the work.

If you produce more, you naturally get better. You start finding your own way instead of following someone else’s recipe.

And in the middle of all this noise, I think I sometimes lose who I really am.

Because I’m so focused on trying to make something that people will watch, that I forget that if I’m just myself, someone will connect with that.

If your goal is to go viral, maybe none of this makes sense.

But if your goal is to connect with real people, to share something honest, then I think being yourself matters more than anything.

I always feel a bit weird writing or talking about this. It feels like I’m trying to be a coach or something.

But really, I’m just talking about things I’m going through.

I want to spend more time offline.

More time making things.

More time behind or in front of a camera.

I believe that by focusing on the work instead of constantly listening about the work, I’ll improve. And I’ll eventually find people who connect with what I do.

It might take longer.

It might not get as many clicks.

But if I get there with the right people, I’m happy with that.

I also made a video where I talk through all of this in a more honest, unfiltered way.

If you prefer watching instead of reading, you can check it out below.