Off the Ledge

You would think that when the house is quiet in the middle of the afternoon I would get a lot done. But when the house is quiet all I want is to sit and enjoy the solitude. It's not that our house is particularly noisy, but it's a very small house and we're all on top of each other all the time. When it's quiet, the quiet is good.

This week I took an important step in my creative life: I entered a photography contest. But I almost didn't. I almost convinced myself it didn't matter and that I'd never win, mostly because I don't have fancy equipment or stellar Photoshop skills. I talked myself up onto the ledge, where I believed that my work isn't enough like everyone else's work to compete, and then talked myself down. Isn't part of being creative to be an individual? Why should I worry about being like everyone else? Reading this helped.

I struggle with this in my writing, too. I'll write something I'm proud of and immediately try to convince myself that it is awful and it won't resonate with anyone and no one will care. That has never been the case. Why worry about this?

I entered this photo. It will be on display at the mall for a week, along with the other entries. I don't expect to win, though I'd love to, of course. I'd love to do a lot of things. And this is a small, though important, step in the right direction.