"And by the way, discount everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."

~Sylvia Plath

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DOUBT.

Doubt and confusion has crept in. Yikes! I can't have that - why do I do that to myself?

Yesterday I was full of energy and suddenly I'm doubting my future.

Really, I have so many options and then I think about them all and get overwhelmed and then anxiety sets in...
- what in the world?

Breath. Deep breath.

This is nothing new - this self doubt - It happens all the time. It happened more than 2 decades ago  - when I never thought I could be a 'real' artist, back in the days of the 'starving artist' mentality. It happened when I would send a roll of film off to be developed, only to receive it back and think - what a terrible job I did photographing that family, those children... that baby...  I would hide the negatives away - put them in a drawer for weeks only to pull them out and realize, "hey, these are not bad at all!"

Example - I took the photo above over 6 years ago while on a trip around Sicily - I thought it was so cool while photographing it - then I downloaded them, disappointed - I was sure they were terrible.  I didn't look at them again, until this week, while searching for world travel photos.  I went with a feeling & decided to work on this photo that I took at sunrise -

I 'developed it', if you will - and wa-la, I have something to share.

 I love the curve of the earth that shows up in it... a title is on the tip of my tongue - Earth's curve... Maybe.  Now, I'm doubting myself...

Is it any good? I don't know - I do know that I like it, curves and all.

Luckily, that self-doubt doesn't stay long... Writing this out, I only need to remember what I've accomplished, how far I have come from so long ago.  It helps to feed my confidence when clients hire me for my talent despite the cost of doing business. And I continue on, diving in to create more beautiful images for them. For me, I take such pride in a finished wall portrait.

Doubt. Should I share all this? I don't know. And then I read this quote...

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."

Okay.

Deep Breath. Breathe.

***

Erin L. Clark, M.Photog., AFP, CPP

E-n-E Photography, Inc. 

1777 London Bridge Rd. Suite 202, VB, VA 23453

757-689-2950

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E-n-E Photography, Inc. is located at 1777 London Bridge Road, Suite 202, on the corner of Dam Neck and London Bridge- Near PMS Deli and Delightful Digs and right down the road from Hunt Club Farm– 

We are always available by appointment!