Sometimes we photographers get so caught up in photography that we forget that there are other things in life to enjoy! In fact, some of us have lots of passions—reading, writing, music, art in general, and so on. Here, we focus on photography a lot because it is a photography blog, but I do think it’s important that we all take a step back sometimes and recognize that our creative passions don’t have to be restricted to just this one medium.
It is true that we can all have lots of different artistic passions. To my mind, that whole “jack of all trades, master of none” saying needs to be tossed out. Sure, we may not become masters of several different mediums—but then again, maybe we will. Leonardo da Vinci did it, after all. Either way, exploring these different mediums, and not feeling bound by convention to stick with just one thing is important.
Why is it so important, you might ask? Well, because passions tend to bleed over into other things. Let’s say you’re a musician, for example. How many times have you spent an afternoon lost in making music? And what does your mind do as you play? Often, people find themselves dreaming up landscapes, scenes or some sort of story to go along with the song. If you’re both a writer and a photographer, then when you’re out photographing, you might very well encounter places where it seems like a story ought to take place. Perhaps you’ll find yourself exploring an abandoned house, both looking for photographs to take while letting your mind draw up an outline for a fictional murder mystery that could take place here.
These things are all intermingled, I think. Developing a passion for creative pursuits in general, whether it’s creating your own art or having a passion for the work of others, helps us to develop all of our creative skills. It’s easy to have ideas for one medium while working on something else.
Really, the only problem with having a multitude of passions is having the time to pursue them all. Mostly, it comes down to patience. At a certain point, you have to recognize that time is limited. Until we can double the amount of time in a day—without increasing our need to sleep or go to work, no less—there just won’t always be time to get to all the things that you love. So focus on the passions that feel right in the moment, and jot down ideas for the rest so that you can pick them up later, when the mood shifts and the time feels right for those things.
There is no limit to creativity or the kinds of passions we can pursue. The important thing is simply to pursue it in whatever form it takes because creativity in all its forms fills life with something special.
Now go and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation through your lens.
