093 - Finding your style as a photographer doesn't happen overnight. I was six or seven years into my photography career before landing on a "signature look"—and that was after many whispers of the devilish voice in my head, saying you're just not creative!
Sound familiar? Well, to all those nay-saying voices out there, I say pfffffft. If you were born human, you were born with an innate sense of creativity. And in this episode, I talk about how to approach putting your own unique stamp on your pet photography.
What To Listen For:
Think of the exercise I share this week as productive procrastination—so enjoyable that it feels like cheating to even call it work!
Resources From This Episode:
JOIN THE PARTY:
093 - Finding your style as a photographer doesn't happen overnight. I was six or seven years into my photography career before landing on a "signature look"—and that was after many whispers of the devilish voice in my head, saying you're just not creative!
Sound familiar? Well, to all those nay-saying voices out there, I say pfffffft. If you were born human, you were born with an innate sense of creativity. And in this episode, I talk about how to approach putting your own unique stamp on your pet photography.
What To Listen For:
Think of the exercise I share this week as productive procrastination—so enjoyable that it feels like cheating to even call it work!
Resources From This Episode:
JOIN THE PARTY:
1
00:00:00,180 --> 00:00:02,870
Welcome to the hair of the dog podcast.
2
00:00:02,870 --> 00:00:04,210
I'm Nicole Begley.
3
00:00:04,210 --> 00:00:07,060
And today we are talking all about style.
4
00:00:07,060 --> 00:00:08,070
So stay tuned.
5
00:00:08,070 --> 00:00:10,750
Welcome to the hair of the dog podcast.
6
00:00:10,750 --> 00:00:12,850
If you're a pet photographer,
7
00:00:12,850 --> 00:00:16,290
ready to make more money and start living a life by
8
00:00:16,290 --> 00:00:17,220
your design,
9
00:00:17,220 --> 00:00:19,400
you've come to the right place.
10
00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:20,660
And now your host,
11
00:00:20,660 --> 00:00:22,000
pet photographer,
12
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:23,090
travel addict,
13
00:00:23,180 --> 00:00:25,450
chocolate martini connoisseur,
14
00:00:25,450 --> 00:00:26,510
Nicole Begley.
15
00:00:26,510 --> 00:00:27,560
Hey everybody.
16
00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,480
Welcome back to the hair of the dog podcast.
17
00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:31,460
I'm your host,
18
00:00:31,460 --> 00:00:32,510
Nicole Begley.
19
00:00:32,510 --> 00:00:36,080
And today we are talking about dialing in your style.
20
00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:39,000
Now style is one of those things that is wow,
21
00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:40,380
just overwhelming.
22
00:00:40,380 --> 00:00:43,620
I think a lot of times we get into pet photography
23
00:00:43,620 --> 00:00:48,250
because we love photographing animals or dogs or horses or whatever
24
00:00:48,250 --> 00:00:49,790
we're photographing.
25
00:00:49,910 --> 00:00:53,150
And we see other things that we love and we're like,
26
00:00:53,180 --> 00:00:53,810
oh man,
27
00:00:53,810 --> 00:00:56,960
I wish I could create work just like that too,
28
00:00:57,180 --> 00:01:00,440
but we're not sure how to start to get there.
29
00:01:00,500 --> 00:01:05,030
And then we're really completely lost at how we can ever
30
00:01:05,030 --> 00:01:07,460
possibly create our own style.
31
00:01:07,490 --> 00:01:11,390
So what happens is a lot of people end up copying
32
00:01:11,510 --> 00:01:15,590
whatever the most popular types of work in the industry are
33
00:01:15,620 --> 00:01:17,540
at that particular time,
34
00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,900
which is really kind of a bummer because we all have
35
00:01:20,900 --> 00:01:23,270
something amazing to share inside of us.
36
00:01:23,330 --> 00:01:26,600
And one of the reasons I believe strongly that if we
37
00:01:26,660 --> 00:01:30,020
have this desire to learn animal photography,
38
00:01:30,140 --> 00:01:33,260
then we have a unique voice that wants to come out
39
00:01:33,260 --> 00:01:35,270
in our animal photography as well.
40
00:01:35,300 --> 00:01:38,330
But often we just don't know how to do that.
41
00:01:38,390 --> 00:01:40,130
And quite frankly,
42
00:01:40,310 --> 00:01:42,740
you can't really come out of the gate with your own
43
00:01:42,740 --> 00:01:49,100
style because we have to actually build our style in foundational
44
00:01:49,130 --> 00:01:50,480
kind of foundational way.
45
00:01:50,660 --> 00:01:52,190
And if you look at any artist,
46
00:01:52,190 --> 00:01:55,280
I'm pretty sure they didn't just pick up a paintbrush or
47
00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,160
pick up a hunk of clay and throw it down on
48
00:01:58,160 --> 00:01:59,000
the Potter's wheel.
49
00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,090
And then all of a sudden start creating this amazing unique
50
00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:03,140
work, right?
51
00:02:03,170 --> 00:02:04,550
It's always a journey.
52
00:02:04,550 --> 00:02:05,930
It's always a process.
53
00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:10,820
Animal photography is absolutely no difference in that.
54
00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:12,890
We start in one area with,
55
00:02:12,890 --> 00:02:13,190
you know,
56
00:02:13,190 --> 00:02:16,190
none of us were born knowing how to use a camera.
57
00:02:16,250 --> 00:02:20,570
None of us were born knowing any sort of artistic rules
58
00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:21,770
or, you know,
59
00:02:21,770 --> 00:02:25,340
what any of these composition rules and things like that.
60
00:02:25,340 --> 00:02:27,950
These are all things we learned as we went.
61
00:02:28,010 --> 00:02:29,510
And so we,
62
00:02:29,630 --> 00:02:31,280
we all have to follow that same path.
63
00:02:31,310 --> 00:02:35,480
So I wanted to record this episode today to kind of
64
00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,260
give you a little bit of the path forward and kind
65
00:02:39,260 --> 00:02:43,940
of explain a little bit about how this style evolution usually
66
00:02:43,940 --> 00:02:46,580
goes. Because I don't know for me,
67
00:02:46,580 --> 00:02:50,240
I know it took a good six or seven years until
68
00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:52,520
I finally found my style.
69
00:02:52,610 --> 00:02:54,080
So I don't want you to think this is going to
70
00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:54,680
be a quick,
71
00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:55,790
overnight process.
72
00:02:55,820 --> 00:02:57,440
It takes some time,
73
00:02:57,470 --> 00:02:58,970
but there's a lot of minefields.
74
00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:01,240
We can kind of step in along the way.
75
00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,330
So I want to help steer you away from those.
76
00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:08,470
So let's talk briefly about what this process usually looks like.
77
00:03:08,500 --> 00:03:10,180
If you're starting out very,
78
00:03:10,180 --> 00:03:12,160
very new in the world of pet photography,
79
00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,620
and you're just getting out there and you're looking around and
80
00:03:14,620 --> 00:03:15,850
seeing work that you love.
81
00:03:15,850 --> 00:03:16,210
And you're like,
82
00:03:16,210 --> 00:03:18,490
man, I would love to create something like that.
83
00:03:18,490 --> 00:03:21,280
So how do we get started doing that?
84
00:03:21,340 --> 00:03:23,920
And that usually is by copying,
85
00:03:23,980 --> 00:03:24,730
right? We're like,
86
00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:25,930
oh, I like that.
87
00:03:25,930 --> 00:03:26,950
I want to create that.
88
00:03:26,950 --> 00:03:27,910
I try to make that.
89
00:03:27,940 --> 00:03:28,930
And you know,
90
00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:33,760
there is a place I believe in the world of learning
91
00:03:33,790 --> 00:03:34,630
for copying,
92
00:03:34,660 --> 00:03:39,100
but there is not a place in the world of photography
93
00:03:39,100 --> 00:03:44,590
or really any artist John rhe for copying and then sharing
94
00:03:44,590 --> 00:03:45,190
as your own.
95
00:03:45,220 --> 00:03:48,940
So let me explain how that the difference of this could
96
00:03:48,940 --> 00:03:52,420
be the difference is when we're starting out,
97
00:03:52,420 --> 00:03:53,980
we see something that we like.
98
00:03:54,190 --> 00:03:57,670
What I recommend you do is to say,
99
00:03:57,730 --> 00:03:59,530
oh, I like that.
100
00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,730
Let me try to create it for my own education.
101
00:04:03,850 --> 00:04:07,570
And it's not me trying to create this thing that somebody
102
00:04:07,570 --> 00:04:09,130
else created and then sharing,
103
00:04:09,190 --> 00:04:10,000
oh, look what I did.
104
00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,030
Look what I did because that is where it starts to
105
00:04:13,030 --> 00:04:13,840
cross the line.
106
00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,350
And that is what happens when everybody sees this one or
107
00:04:17,350 --> 00:04:19,870
two types of work and they all try to pile on
108
00:04:19,870 --> 00:04:21,430
and do the same exact thing.
109
00:04:21,460 --> 00:04:23,530
And then all of a sudden the entire industry,
110
00:04:23,530 --> 00:04:25,240
everybody's creating the same thing.
111
00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:27,310
And it's just not really unique.
112
00:04:27,310 --> 00:04:29,710
And I know you have more of unique voice in you.
113
00:04:29,770 --> 00:04:33,820
So what I recommend you doing is finding these different techniques
114
00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:38,140
and learning this technique and then breaking down this technique and
115
00:04:38,140 --> 00:04:40,660
breaking down that technique and,
116
00:04:40,660 --> 00:04:42,310
and learn to create,
117
00:04:42,370 --> 00:04:45,610
to replicate a photograph so you can learn the technique,
118
00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:47,260
but it's for learning.
119
00:04:47,500 --> 00:04:51,670
And then that replication stays on your computer and it's not
120
00:04:51,670 --> 00:04:52,270
being shared.
121
00:04:52,270 --> 00:04:53,170
Or if you're sharing,
122
00:04:53,170 --> 00:04:53,740
you can say,
123
00:04:53,770 --> 00:04:54,160
oh, I'm,
124
00:04:54,430 --> 00:04:54,760
you know,
125
00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:55,990
practicing the technique.
126
00:04:56,020 --> 00:04:57,010
I was inspired by.
127
00:04:57,010 --> 00:04:57,730
So-and-so like,
128
00:04:57,730 --> 00:04:59,320
just give some credit.
129
00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:00,850
But then this is where the magic is.
130
00:05:00,850 --> 00:05:04,000
And this is what's really important is that as you learn
131
00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:05,140
different techniques,
132
00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:10,450
then you can start mixing and matching these different techniques so
133
00:05:10,450 --> 00:05:13,870
that you are starting to create something unique.
134
00:05:13,900 --> 00:05:18,070
This is the place that a lot of people don't necessarily
135
00:05:18,070 --> 00:05:18,790
get to,
136
00:05:18,850 --> 00:05:20,140
but you know what?
137
00:05:20,260 --> 00:05:22,900
All the people in the industry that I have seen that
138
00:05:22,900 --> 00:05:25,000
have found lots of success,
139
00:05:25,060 --> 00:05:27,190
oh, they've all gotten to that point.
140
00:05:27,220 --> 00:05:30,280
So if you want to find success,
141
00:05:30,340 --> 00:05:35,830
I believe it is 100% imperative that you start to find
142
00:05:35,860 --> 00:05:36,880
some, you know,
143
00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:41,020
start to find a unique spin to your work and how
144
00:05:41,020 --> 00:05:42,160
we can start to do that.
145
00:05:42,250 --> 00:05:43,000
Like I said,
146
00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:45,220
we do that by breaking things down.
147
00:05:45,220 --> 00:05:46,210
Like that's how we learn.
148
00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:48,040
We learn by copying as a kid,
149
00:05:48,220 --> 00:05:50,590
you learn by saying what your mom said.
150
00:05:50,620 --> 00:05:52,960
Like we say truck tree,
151
00:05:53,020 --> 00:05:53,290
you know,
152
00:05:53,290 --> 00:05:56,770
we point out all these things because our parents are doing
153
00:05:56,770 --> 00:05:57,320
the same thing.
154
00:05:57,320 --> 00:05:58,670
We're copying what they're doing.
155
00:05:58,670 --> 00:05:59,810
We're copying what they say.
156
00:05:59,810 --> 00:06:01,070
We're looking at what they say,
157
00:06:01,070 --> 00:06:02,000
what they point to.
158
00:06:02,060 --> 00:06:03,800
And we're saying the same word.
159
00:06:03,980 --> 00:06:06,140
That is how we learn.
160
00:06:06,170 --> 00:06:07,670
We also learn by someone,
161
00:06:07,670 --> 00:06:07,940
you know,
162
00:06:07,940 --> 00:06:09,220
we see everybody walking,
163
00:06:09,250 --> 00:06:10,550
we start to learn how to walk.
164
00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:11,330
You know,
165
00:06:11,330 --> 00:06:11,780
it's just,
166
00:06:11,780 --> 00:06:16,520
it's repetition and it's doing something that's already done before.
167
00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:18,560
So that is just the learning process.
168
00:06:18,620 --> 00:06:21,200
But as soon as we have learned that process,
169
00:06:21,230 --> 00:06:24,830
then it is time to start to make it our own.
170
00:06:24,890 --> 00:06:30,080
Now, one of my favorite exercises for starting to kind of
171
00:06:30,110 --> 00:06:34,750
deep dive into what you actually love,
172
00:06:34,750 --> 00:06:36,130
like what you might,
173
00:06:36,130 --> 00:06:37,780
I'd actually be drawn to,
174
00:06:37,810 --> 00:06:38,410
you know,
175
00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:40,660
the, the work that might make your heart sing,
176
00:06:40,660 --> 00:06:41,920
that you don't even know it yet.
177
00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,480
You, you probably have no idea because we tend to look
178
00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:49,300
for inspiration in the same genre that we're shooting.
179
00:06:49,510 --> 00:06:51,120
And I think that is one,
180
00:06:51,130 --> 00:06:58,540
one of the most challenging worst ideas we can have is
181
00:06:58,540 --> 00:07:02,050
looking for our inspiration in the same genre that we are
182
00:07:02,050 --> 00:07:03,820
photographing. Instead,
183
00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:06,730
this is my homework for you from this episode,
184
00:07:06,730 --> 00:07:07,510
please, please,
185
00:07:07,510 --> 00:07:10,330
please. I can't tell you how many people have done this
186
00:07:10,330 --> 00:07:13,180
exercise and how many people have come back to me and
187
00:07:13,180 --> 00:07:13,840
said, oh my gosh,
188
00:07:13,870 --> 00:07:16,390
Nicole, this was so eyeopening.
189
00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,090
What I want you to do is I want you to
190
00:07:19,090 --> 00:07:20,800
go to Pinterest.
191
00:07:20,860 --> 00:07:23,170
You can go really anywhere where there's a lot of imagery,
192
00:07:23,170 --> 00:07:25,570
but Pinterest is a great place to do this.
193
00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:27,010
Create yourself a little board.
194
00:07:27,010 --> 00:07:27,970
It can be a secret board.
195
00:07:27,970 --> 00:07:29,440
You don't have to share it with anybody.
196
00:07:29,500 --> 00:07:33,010
And then I want you to start pinning images.
197
00:07:33,010 --> 00:07:34,840
You love here's the catch,
198
00:07:34,930 --> 00:07:41,410
absolutely zero animal or pet photographs on that board.
199
00:07:41,500 --> 00:07:46,150
I want you to pin other work that inspires you.
200
00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:47,380
Other types of things,
201
00:07:47,410 --> 00:07:49,780
photography, you can search wedding photography,
202
00:07:49,780 --> 00:07:50,230
high school,
203
00:07:50,230 --> 00:07:51,280
senior photography,
204
00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:52,450
fashion photography,
205
00:07:52,450 --> 00:07:53,830
commercial photography,
206
00:07:54,340 --> 00:07:54,790
you know,
207
00:07:54,820 --> 00:07:56,020
Photoshop, painting,
208
00:07:56,050 --> 00:07:57,190
Photoshop, composite,
209
00:07:57,190 --> 00:07:59,440
and like just look for different things.
210
00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:01,990
You can also search happy photography,
211
00:08:01,990 --> 00:08:03,340
moody photography,
212
00:08:03,370 --> 00:08:04,030
high key,
213
00:08:04,030 --> 00:08:07,300
low key studio photography on location,
214
00:08:07,300 --> 00:08:09,340
photography, flash photography,
215
00:08:09,340 --> 00:08:10,750
natural light photography.
216
00:08:10,780 --> 00:08:14,620
Start looking for all of these different kind of things.
217
00:08:14,620 --> 00:08:17,080
Just start searching landscape photography,
218
00:08:17,110 --> 00:08:17,680
fine art,
219
00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:18,790
photography. I mean,
220
00:08:18,850 --> 00:08:21,880
pick any adjective and put it in there and start searching.
221
00:08:21,940 --> 00:08:24,130
And then when you see things to catch your eye,
222
00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:24,910
just start pinning.
223
00:08:24,910 --> 00:08:25,840
Don't give it any thought,
224
00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:26,740
just start pinning,
225
00:08:26,740 --> 00:08:28,240
all the ones that catch your eye.
226
00:08:28,300 --> 00:08:29,830
And I would do this too.
227
00:08:29,830 --> 00:08:31,360
You have at least 20.
228
00:08:31,420 --> 00:08:31,720
I mean,
229
00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:33,130
it's a pretty fun rabbit hole.
230
00:08:33,130 --> 00:08:35,800
So stay down there for a bit and maybe get 30
231
00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:37,330
or 40 different images.
232
00:08:37,390 --> 00:08:42,100
And then you'll have all of these images and you can
233
00:08:42,100 --> 00:08:44,140
go ahead back to that Pinterest board,
234
00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:45,730
bring them up on a big screen.
235
00:08:45,790 --> 00:08:47,680
Look at them all and ask yourself,
236
00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:51,160
where are the commonalities amongst all of these images?
237
00:08:51,190 --> 00:08:52,570
Like, what am I drawn to?
238
00:08:52,570 --> 00:08:53,770
Is it a use of color?
239
00:08:53,770 --> 00:08:55,350
Is it a certain type of light?
240
00:08:55,560 --> 00:08:57,150
Is it a wide angle,
241
00:08:57,150 --> 00:09:01,800
feel a more like artistic or shallow depth of field feel?
242
00:09:01,860 --> 00:09:04,080
Is it the storytelling?
243
00:09:04,110 --> 00:09:05,940
Is it negative space?
244
00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:06,750
Is it,
245
00:09:06,780 --> 00:09:07,230
you know,
246
00:09:07,290 --> 00:09:12,300
whatever a certain color palette start to look at the commonality
247
00:09:12,390 --> 00:09:14,460
of the different images that you pinned.
248
00:09:14,550 --> 00:09:18,720
And that is going to give you a little bit of
249
00:09:18,750 --> 00:09:23,790
a glimpse into where you might want to start taking your
250
00:09:23,790 --> 00:09:27,240
work and where you might want to explore new techniques.
251
00:09:27,270 --> 00:09:30,540
And then you can look for places to learn those techniques.
252
00:09:30,570 --> 00:09:31,380
And the academy,
253
00:09:31,380 --> 00:09:32,010
we have guests,
254
00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:36,090
artists, we have lots of different editing tutorials on YouTube.
255
00:09:36,090 --> 00:09:40,290
There is a world of different editing tutorials you can explore
256
00:09:40,290 --> 00:09:41,850
or shooting tutorials,
257
00:09:42,150 --> 00:09:42,480
you know,
258
00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:46,920
just start finding different ways to learn some of those individual
259
00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,140
pieces. So maybe look at that big group,
260
00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:51,930
pick out three or four common traits and then learn those
261
00:09:51,930 --> 00:09:52,890
individual tasks,
262
00:09:52,890 --> 00:09:54,450
like learn those individual,
263
00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:54,870
you know,
264
00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:56,880
the, the techniques for how to do them.
265
00:09:57,060 --> 00:10:01,110
And then can you start mixing and matching those techniques and
266
00:10:01,170 --> 00:10:03,330
creating something completely unique?
267
00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:04,920
What other ideas do you have?
268
00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,010
Can you keep a little notebook where you jot ideas?
269
00:10:08,010 --> 00:10:10,200
I have a Trello board when I have just like random
270
00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:17,400
ideas for random interesting either techniques or really like composites or
271
00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:18,660
print and competition images,
272
00:10:18,660 --> 00:10:21,090
or just different things that I just kind of jot down
273
00:10:21,090 --> 00:10:22,710
there because here's the truth.
274
00:10:22,740 --> 00:10:25,800
I used to tell myself that I'm not creative for a
275
00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:26,910
long time,
276
00:10:27,060 --> 00:10:29,070
probably until about four years ago.
277
00:10:29,130 --> 00:10:29,910
It was,
278
00:10:29,970 --> 00:10:30,390
you know,
279
00:10:30,420 --> 00:10:31,200
Hey, I'm Nicole.
280
00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:32,580
I'm really good at business.
281
00:10:32,610 --> 00:10:34,500
I'm really good at the business of photography.
282
00:10:34,500 --> 00:10:36,420
And I do believe that if we are going to have
283
00:10:36,420 --> 00:10:36,870
a business,
284
00:10:36,870 --> 00:10:39,180
we all need to be business people first.
285
00:10:39,210 --> 00:10:45,360
However, I would then not feel secure in my artistic ability
286
00:10:45,510 --> 00:10:46,680
or my creativity,
287
00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:50,160
because I felt like I just was never really creative.
288
00:10:50,190 --> 00:10:52,620
And I think a lot of us can feel that way
289
00:10:52,620 --> 00:10:55,050
because we were all born creative,
290
00:10:55,050 --> 00:10:57,060
right? Like when you're in kindergarten and preschool,
291
00:10:57,090 --> 00:10:58,380
you're just taking the colors.
292
00:10:58,380 --> 00:10:59,760
You're smearing them all over the place.
293
00:10:59,820 --> 00:11:02,640
There is no part of us that is second guessing,
294
00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,100
our creativity we loved to create,
295
00:11:05,130 --> 00:11:07,200
but then something happens as we grow up.
296
00:11:07,230 --> 00:11:10,140
Whether it's an offhanded comment,
297
00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:10,590
you know,
298
00:11:10,620 --> 00:11:11,550
not on purpose,
299
00:11:11,580 --> 00:11:14,970
not malicious from a parent or a teacher telling us to,
300
00:11:14,970 --> 00:11:15,180
you know,
301
00:11:15,180 --> 00:11:19,230
focus on something more practical or artists don't make any money
302
00:11:19,290 --> 00:11:20,070
or, you know,
303
00:11:20,070 --> 00:11:21,480
whatever. It could be.
304
00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:26,220
Just this one little tiny offhanded comment that didn't even mean
305
00:11:26,220 --> 00:11:29,250
anything from like an aunt when you were three,
306
00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:33,630
could have totally changed the trajectory of your self thoughts with
307
00:11:33,660 --> 00:11:37,080
your creativity or how creative you think you are.
308
00:11:37,110 --> 00:11:38,130
But here's the truth.
309
00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:42,210
We're all born creative and creativity is not something we have
310
00:11:42,210 --> 00:11:42,900
or don't have.
311
00:11:42,930 --> 00:11:45,240
It's something that we all have inside of us,
312
00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:47,460
but it has been pushed down in many of us.
313
00:11:47,490 --> 00:11:50,220
So the best way to start to bring it back is
314
00:11:50,220 --> 00:11:55,300
to create is to practice is brainstorm is to go down
315
00:11:55,300 --> 00:11:59,410
this Pinterest rabbit hole of finding things that inspire you.
316
00:11:59,470 --> 00:12:04,630
And then you can start to reclaim that creativity again.
317
00:12:04,660 --> 00:12:05,680
So this is part,
318
00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:07,720
two of your homework is to have,
319
00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:09,820
and it could just be that same pincher sport or another
320
00:12:09,820 --> 00:12:12,790
one just to have a place or a Trello board or
321
00:12:12,910 --> 00:12:14,050
a physical notebook,
322
00:12:14,110 --> 00:12:18,040
or you can keep ideas for things that you want to
323
00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,230
do in your photography.
324
00:12:20,290 --> 00:12:21,160
And, you know,
325
00:12:21,190 --> 00:12:22,630
every stall once a month,
326
00:12:22,660 --> 00:12:25,630
at least once a quarter go out and try something new
327
00:12:25,690 --> 00:12:26,530
because it's really,
328
00:12:26,530 --> 00:12:29,020
really easy to get in a rut of doing the same
329
00:12:29,020 --> 00:12:30,250
thing again and again,
330
00:12:30,250 --> 00:12:31,660
and then just,
331
00:12:31,690 --> 00:12:32,230
you know,
332
00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:35,410
getting really comfortable with it and not continuing to push the
333
00:12:35,410 --> 00:12:38,170
envelope. That's one thing that I actually really enjoy about print
334
00:12:38,170 --> 00:12:41,110
competition is it's not about competing with other people,
335
00:12:41,140 --> 00:12:44,650
but it's actually about pushing ourselves to create something new,
336
00:12:44,650 --> 00:12:46,150
to create something better,
337
00:12:46,210 --> 00:12:50,260
to improve what we have done in the past.
338
00:12:50,290 --> 00:12:53,410
So just find a motivation,
339
00:12:53,410 --> 00:12:57,100
a way to continue to practice that creativity.
340
00:12:57,160 --> 00:13:02,830
And I promise you that creativity will continue to grow.
341
00:13:03,190 --> 00:13:05,350
One other thing I want to talk about before we go,
342
00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,380
and that is really the curse of the artist.
343
00:13:08,950 --> 00:13:14,470
And I hear so many photographers telling me that they're not
344
00:13:14,470 --> 00:13:16,480
creative, their work stinks.
345
00:13:16,510 --> 00:13:18,220
It'll never be where it needs to be.
346
00:13:18,340 --> 00:13:20,620
And I look at it and I'm like,
347
00:13:20,830 --> 00:13:22,840
Hmm, this is pretty darn good work.
348
00:13:22,900 --> 00:13:24,310
I don't know what you're looking at.
349
00:13:24,370 --> 00:13:25,210
Do you have eyes?
350
00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,090
Because my eyes say this is lovely,
351
00:13:28,450 --> 00:13:30,520
but as creatives,
352
00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:34,750
we tend to be hardest on ourselves and it can be
353
00:13:34,780 --> 00:13:39,220
pretty challenging sometimes to kind of get past that.
354
00:13:39,310 --> 00:13:42,040
So one of the easiest ways to do that,
355
00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:42,430
of course,
356
00:13:42,430 --> 00:13:44,470
just keep on creating and then just know,
357
00:13:44,470 --> 00:13:46,000
give yourself permission that,
358
00:13:46,060 --> 00:13:46,420
you know,
359
00:13:46,420 --> 00:13:47,860
not everything has to be perfect.
360
00:13:47,860 --> 00:13:49,330
Cause I think that happens a lot too,
361
00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:51,970
where we're scared to try something new because it might not
362
00:13:51,970 --> 00:13:52,420
work out.
363
00:13:52,420 --> 00:13:55,090
It might not end up as we had hoped it would
364
00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,000
so that we just don't try because we don't want to
365
00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:00,070
fail. But what is failure?
366
00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:00,460
I mean,
367
00:14:00,460 --> 00:14:01,960
it's just learning.
368
00:14:02,050 --> 00:14:02,620
I mean,
369
00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:04,310
yeah. It,
370
00:14:04,310 --> 00:14:06,640
it, every time you try something new,
371
00:14:06,700 --> 00:14:10,060
you're going to usually take a few times to start to
372
00:14:10,060 --> 00:14:12,310
perfect it and start to get better at it.
373
00:14:12,310 --> 00:14:14,710
So if you start doing that now,
374
00:14:14,740 --> 00:14:18,580
then you will reach that mastery level faster and just know,
375
00:14:18,730 --> 00:14:20,650
just know those feelings of self doubt,
376
00:14:20,650 --> 00:14:21,730
those feelings of,
377
00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:22,420
oh my gosh,
378
00:14:22,450 --> 00:14:23,680
I'm not cut out for this.
379
00:14:23,890 --> 00:14:25,300
I don't know if I can do this.
380
00:14:25,330 --> 00:14:27,190
Those are normal.
381
00:14:27,190 --> 00:14:30,520
And we all have those and we all go through them
382
00:14:30,580 --> 00:14:31,990
and you know,
383
00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:33,130
you're not alone there.
384
00:14:33,190 --> 00:14:36,610
So I think one of the biggest ways to combat that
385
00:14:36,610 --> 00:14:39,370
is just get back out there and start creating.
386
00:14:39,460 --> 00:14:42,610
And also sometimes you can't wait for the motivation to come
387
00:14:42,730 --> 00:14:44,740
because I think this is a fallacy too,
388
00:14:44,740 --> 00:14:47,320
where people wait for motivation.
389
00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:47,530
They're like,
390
00:14:47,530 --> 00:14:48,970
well, I'm not motivated to create,
391
00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:50,260
but what if let us,
392
00:14:50,260 --> 00:14:51,500
that's actually backwards?
393
00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:55,040
What if once you get out and you start creating whether
394
00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,500
you feel motivated by it or not,
395
00:14:57,530 --> 00:14:58,670
but you'd get out and do it.
396
00:14:58,730 --> 00:15:01,790
What if that causes you then to feel the motivation?
397
00:15:02,330 --> 00:15:05,480
What if getting out there and doing the creativity,
398
00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:06,740
just getting started,
399
00:15:06,740 --> 00:15:09,140
putting one foot in front of the other is actually what
400
00:15:09,140 --> 00:15:10,430
leads to our motivation.
401
00:15:10,490 --> 00:15:13,070
Cause I know I found that to be true quite a
402
00:15:13,070 --> 00:15:15,560
bit. So that's my homework for you this week,
403
00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:18,710
guys. It is to go ahead,
404
00:15:18,770 --> 00:15:22,550
make that Pinterest board find different things in inspire you that
405
00:15:22,550 --> 00:15:28,220
are not pet photography and then go and try some new
406
00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:31,010
things. And if you're very early in your journey and you're
407
00:15:31,010 --> 00:15:32,720
still learning those basics,
408
00:15:32,810 --> 00:15:33,320
you know,
409
00:15:33,350 --> 00:15:35,990
it's okay to break down an image that you love to
410
00:15:36,050 --> 00:15:37,310
learn the technique for.
411
00:15:37,310 --> 00:15:39,650
Remember then to keep learning other techniques.
412
00:15:39,650 --> 00:15:42,710
So you can start mixing your techniques together and you start
413
00:15:42,710 --> 00:15:46,940
to create something that's incredibly you and unique and amazing.
414
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:48,050
And gosh,
415
00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:49,970
we would just love to see it.
416
00:15:49,970 --> 00:15:52,010
So I would love to know if you guys have any
417
00:15:52,010 --> 00:15:52,880
breakthroughs from this.
418
00:15:52,890 --> 00:15:54,830
If you guys do that Pinterest exercise,
419
00:15:54,860 --> 00:15:56,360
let me know what you find out.
420
00:15:56,390 --> 00:15:58,880
You can let me know on Instagram at hair of the
421
00:15:58,880 --> 00:15:59,840
dog academy,
422
00:15:59,900 --> 00:16:02,450
or you can let us know in our Facebook group and
423
00:16:02,450 --> 00:16:03,830
our podcast community.
424
00:16:03,830 --> 00:16:04,300
If you will,
425
00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,250
to go to hair of the dog academy.com/fb
426
00:16:07,250 --> 00:16:08,600
group, it'll take you there.
427
00:16:08,660 --> 00:16:11,030
But I would love to know what takeaways you guys have
428
00:16:11,060 --> 00:16:11,990
from this week.
429
00:16:12,020 --> 00:16:13,760
I'm going to keep it quick so you can go spend
430
00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:15,200
more time on Pinterest,
431
00:16:15,290 --> 00:16:16,250
happy pinning,
432
00:16:17,030 --> 00:16:18,320
enjoy that rabbit hole.
433
00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:20,690
And I will talk to you guys next week.
434
00:16:20,930 --> 00:16:21,530
Have a good one.
435
00:16:21,530 --> 00:16:25,310
Everybody. If you enjoy this podcast episode,
436
00:16:25,310 --> 00:16:28,730
go ahead and take a screenshot of this episode on your
437
00:16:28,730 --> 00:16:31,970
phone and post it up there on your Instagram stories and
438
00:16:31,970 --> 00:16:35,480
be sure to tag us at hair of the dog academy.
439
00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:39,140
And we would just love to see how you're listening and
440
00:16:39,140 --> 00:16:40,280
a full disclosure.
441
00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,850
Sometimes we just like to give away a little pet photographer,
442
00:16:43,850 --> 00:16:47,690
swag in the form of hair of the dog t-shirts and
443
00:16:47,690 --> 00:16:50,270
sweatshirts. So what are you waiting for?
444
00:16:50,300 --> 00:16:53,390
Go ahead and share that screenshot of this episode.
445
00:16:53,660 --> 00:16:55,520
And don't forget to tag us at Hare,
446
00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:56,330
the dog academy.
447
00:16:56,570 --> 00:16:57,590
And while you're there,
448
00:16:57,620 --> 00:16:59,900
maybe you want to jump on over to our account and
449
00:16:59,900 --> 00:17:02,870
see what we're up to on the gram would love to
450
00:17:02,870 --> 00:17:03,590
connect with you.
451
00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:06,800
Thanks for listening to the hair of the dog podcast.
452
00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:08,870
If you want to check out the show notes for access
453
00:17:08,870 --> 00:17:11,090
to any of the links that we shared in this episode,
454
00:17:11,390 --> 00:17:13,670
as well as any additional related resources,
455
00:17:13,910 --> 00:17:18,530
simply go to www.hairofthedogacademy.com/
456
00:17:18,530 --> 00:17:20,330
93. Once again,
457
00:17:20,330 --> 00:17:24,500
that's www.hairofthedogacademy.com/the
458
00:17:24,500 --> 00:17:25,940
number nine and the number three.
459
00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:30,010
Thanks for listening to this episode of hair of the dog
460
00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,470
podcast. If you enjoyed this show,
461
00:17:32,530 --> 00:17:34,240
please take a minute to leave a review.
462
00:17:34,450 --> 00:17:35,350
And while you're there,
463
00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:36,850
don't forget to subscribe.
464
00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,100
So you don't miss our upcoming episodes.
465
00:17:39,610 --> 00:17:40,360
One last thing,
466
00:17:40,750 --> 00:17:43,420
if you are ready to dive into more resources,
467
00:17:43,690 --> 00:17:49,090
head over to our website@wwwdothairofthedogacademy.com.
468
00:17:49,420 --> 00:17:52,630
Thanks for being a part of this pet photography community.