What I Learned from a Photography Goal

I like to reflect on what I learned about quitting quitting with each goal I reach.  I really have only met 2 goals so far, but they have both been really big ones. My first was to do a pull-up.  Something so simple, and yet I spent months training for that one single moment.  My second, learning photography, took me over a year to “complete.”  I’m still growing with that one.

Here are some things I learned from working on photography:

1. Everyone starts out sucking.  I have a mentor who is fabulous.  At my last meeting with her I saw some of her very first photos she took.  It was SO INSPIRING.  She is such a pro now, and it’s hard to think of her as a newbie.  But she too started out as a beginner, with beginner-like photos.
2. There is someone out there much better than you. This is much more uplifting than it sounds.  There will always be someone better than you at a given skill.  That means there is always someone you can learn from, and be inspired by.
3. I can do anything, literally ANYTHING. I never thought in a million years I would actually understand how to take a descent photo.  When I first picked up the camera I couldn’t turn it on, let alone take a good picture.  Now looking back, I can’t believe how much I was capable of learning and doing.
4. The snowball is rolling. I have and success on two goals, and now I can’t wait to start the next.  It’s exciting now, instead of daunting.

Photography gives me a creative outlet, and a place to grow and push that creativity.  I absolutely love it!