Monday, June 12, 2017

Worrying About Money, Negative Nelly's And The Chasing Down Of Dreams

After the huge lens buy of a few days ago I worry about money. I hear lots of negative you can't do it talk from people I know all the time. Now the negative talk from photo folk has gained momentum. I heard it for years from my former photo club members, I hear now from places like the Large Photography Forum site members (largephotographyforum.info) etc. Many of these folks are angry older types, some of whom give up on their artistic dreams without trying. There is always an excuse why things cannot be done. It is hard not to be pulled down by their negative vibe.

Then you put out huge dollars for a 100 year old lens and a 35x35 view camera and doubts enter your heart. Are all those negative Nelly's right? Are you being foolish, wasting money? Is the chasing of your dreams and pursuing almost impossible art projects wrong? Silly? Stupid?

I think to do these type of grand project type things you got to be a bit crazy. You got to be overly optimistic and you got to have faith that it can be done and your the one and only one to do it. You cannot be afraid to push yourself into unknown places and work yourself past the point of exhaustion on a regular basis. It is important to have faith in your own ability and the ability to dream past your current achievements.

I need to get over the fear the negative people are having on me and the fear of the money spent. I am putting out big dollars for the HF33535 camera and the new (100 year old) brass lens. So be it, that is life. That is the risk of what I am doing. I need to stay positive and keep moving forward, keep trying new projects. I will  use all the "you can't do it!" talk, as motivation to prove all those naysayers wrong.

A me against the world narrative helps me focus and drives me forward. It helps me reach for dreams and create work that others say is impossible.