Creativity and Trailblazing - Is it time for a new path?

Do not follow where the path may lead.
​Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

by Skip Cohen

As I've shared several times in past posts, Sheila and I read something motivational each morning from one of the books we select each year.  I've got Lou Mitchell to thank for the quote above, and he went on to write:

...Following well-trodden paths can lead to conformity, while blazing new trails fosters innovations and personal fulfillment. By daring to be different and create our own way, we contribute original ideas and inspire others to do the same.

When was the last time you worked on something completely different from what you do every day? We get too comfortable in our routines and fail to seize the opportunities that come along to take a different path. Then, one day, we start to lose interest in whatever career path we've been on...our heart just isn't in it, yet there are people who depend on us, so we keep trudging along.

If you're in a rut, then it's time to take a break - step back and think about what might be missing. Use the innermost circle of your network as a sounding board. Your most trusted friends know you the best, but so often we're afraid to ask for help. The point is, you're approaching burnout, and mixing things up a little might be just what you need most. Maybe it's just taking time off to chill and reflect on future paths.

Years ago, Dean Collins, one of the industry's most innovative commercial photographers and educators, was asked, "Aren't you afraid people will copy everything you're teaching and do the same thing you're doing?" Dean's answer, "By the time they do, I'll be onto something else!"

Here's my point - technology never stands still. Every day, new doors open in capture and post-production. At the same time, consumer demand to capture memories never slows down. As a photographer or videographer, you're an artist and magician - you help people capture the intangible and create tangible proof that time can really stand still.

It's a big responsibility and loaded with fulfillment if you do it right. But again, as I've written in the past, you can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if you're own heart isn't in it.

Blaze your own trail in life. Make your own choices and make your own mistakes.
It's the only way you'll find your own happiness, not someone else's.
M. Leighton