Not too long ago, I was watching a show where one character accused another of not trying to change anything because they weren’t sure they’d succeed. As I watched this unfold, I saw myself in that character. You might be a little surprised, but I’m exactly the kind of person who’s always afraid to try new things.
I always approach any business with caution, especially if it involves a public scene such as the internet. Sometimes I think about opening my own personal second hand vintage clothing shop. I could sell my dresses for a small amount of money. But would my photos be able to interest girls and motivate them to click on the payment button? What if I re-shoot my entire bottomless closet, spend a lot of time and effort, but not a single living soul will buy even a pair of gloves from me.
I’d be more willing to try a new soup recipe when the only witness to my kitchen mishaps is my husband. But the thought of trying to photograph and start sharing recipes on my blog when cooking doesn’t go well terrifies me. What if the soup turns out to be some kind of muddy mess instead of a beautiful, appetizing broth?
Sometimes my head is bursting with endless creative ideas (although, believe me, the opposite is true), but I’m too afraid to put them into action. Sometimes I lie in bed before I go to sleep and I get a wave of new ideas, but when it comes to implementing them, I get stupor. Often I worry that something might go wrong instead of enjoying the creative process.
I have a huge list of ideas in my notebook that I’ve never tried to bring to life. But, if we take photography, until yesterday, I processed all my shots exclusively with a small set of presets, not trying to expand it. But at some point, I discovered a new editing method, and now I’m thoroughly exploring it, testing different options, and damn, I like it.
I like the feeling that something new is coming into my life, and the photos start to sing a different tune. You might not even notice the change, except for some subtle dusting, but I clearly see the difference. And I like that it’s finally a time when I’m okay with it.
Now I have a choice. I can always go back to the traditional editing that I know will always look good. Or I can add some magic to give my shots a special vision.
I like realizing that if I hadn’t dared, I wouldn’t have discovered these new photo editing tools and wouldn’t have known that it’s possible to improve photos further—or at least diversify them with different color rendering and new effects.
The truth is, you’re never good at something from the start. When you try something new, you’ll always be mediocre. The key to approaching new things is understanding that you’ll be at best “so-so,” maybe even terrible—or perhaps you’ll be tolerable—but nevertheless, all these options leave you room for growth.
What if, instead of thinking about how to avoid failure, we accept it as a necessary part of growth? So these days, I want to challenge myself a bit to edit photos.
As I share my thoughts today, I know this post will be seen by a certain number of people, some with anticipation, some with not a lot of positive vibes, but I also know that most of you are with me: always eager to learn new things, encouraged, and perhaps just as in need of a push to try new things.
Read my related posts: Not everyone is a genius and How to live happily.
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