Hi again- How is your December? How is holiday season treating you?
Usually, this time of the year is my favorite, somewhat counterintuitively. Although I like the warmth in my work, sunlight, and glowy tones. But I still have a big heart for the end of the year, the muted tones, the cold air, and the cozy home.
Everything gets quiet, and friends and family are around. And I especially like the quiet days to re-assess what happened over the passing year; I make plans for the start of the following year. And I take long hikes with my dog in the cold, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoy these.
Usually, when I’m hiking, my mind is spinning for the first irregular steps, but soon enough, after the magical 5 km mark, my steps get more uniform, my breath normalizes, and first, I start to notice the beauty around me and second, my mind clears.
This is a ritual I try to do as often as possible in December, and this year I’m fortunate to take a few days off from work entirely, as bookings got confirmed for January. Which means peace of mind for now.
I am not the biggest fan of putting myself under the pressure of new years resolutions, yet I still enjoy thinking about the achievements and failures of the passing year. And I’m using the quiet times to plan for the year ahead.
One of my biggest learnings this year was to limit and select the input of other people’s ideas into my mind and my work categorically. This is something I have to remind myself constantly, and often I fail to apply this principle, yet it helped me to gain a lot of traction for my ideas and concepts without comparing my work to others.
Other people's ideas can sometimes influence or shape your creative process, but they don't necessarily have to kill your creativity. It's normal to be influenced by the people around you, and it can even be beneficial to get feedback and input from others.
However, it's crucial to maintain your voice and perspective and not let other people's ideas completely overwrite your own. It's okay to be open to new ideas and suggestions, but staying true to your vision and goals is also essential.
One way to protect your creativity is to set boundaries and be selective about the input you take in. It's okay to seek input and feedback from people you trust and respect, but be mindful of taking on too much outside influence. Giving yourself space to think and create without outside distractions is also important.
Ultimately, the key is finding a balance between being open to new ideas and maintaining your creative vision.
Instead, I’m trying to live and work by the following principles, but I need to remind myself constantly:
Take breaks: Giving yourself time to step away from your work and clear your mind can be a great way to stimulate creativity. Taking breaks can help you relax, recharge, and come back to your work with fresh eyes and new ideas.
Try new things: Exposing yourself to new experiences, people, and ideas can be a great way to spark creativity.
Get out of your comfort zone: Sometimes, the best ideas come from taking risks and trying something new. Don't be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone and try something that feels a little scary or uncertain.
Reflect on your own experiences and interests: Your experiences and interests are a rich source of inspiration. Take some time to think about what you're passionate about and what you've learned in the past. These experiences can be an excellent foundation for new ideas.
Use prompts or challenges: If you're feeling stuck, consider using prompts or challenges to spark your creativity. These can be anything from word prompts to creative exercises or projects.
Look at other forms of art: Consider exploring different types of art, such as painting, sculpture, graphic design, movies, music, writing, and many others. These art forms can often provide unique perspectives and ideas that can be applied to your photography. Get out there and broaden your perspective.
But of course it’s not easy to come up with ideas that are truly generated from within yourself. In order to overcome this, I regularly do check-ins with myself, and especially during christmas and new years break. If you want to follow me on this journey I suggest to do the following exercise (sorry for yet another list!)
AN EXERCISE
Turn off your phone for a day, take a pen and a few sheets of paper, or your favorite notebook and try to answer the following ten questions as honestly as possible.
What makes you feel most alive and energized?
What are your values and beliefs?
What are your personal challenges and how do you overcome them?
What are your personal achievements and accomplishments? Reflect on the past year, and expand even further.
What are your unique perspectives and viewpoints?
What are your long-term goals and aspirations?
What inspires and motivates you?
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Build further on that.
What are your unique talents and skills? Don’t limit yourself to your work, try to list a broad range of skills.
What are your passions and interests?
Try to reflect on these questions at the end of every year and take these 10 questions as a guideline for further investigating yourself. Work on these thoughts and try to deepen them. Somewhere hidden in your very personal answers will be the true core of your work, and big slices of your life, too.
Let’s share our ideas in the chat on the Substack app, or just, as always, write me an email. Writing this newsletter was one of the best things I’ve started this year , and I’m truly touched that so many of you tune in on a regular basis, and leave a few words here and there.
~Happy Holidays~
P.S. below you find some housekeeping stuff, work news and as always, things that inspired me during the last weeks.
NOTES FROM THE LAB FEATURE IN GRAFIKMAGAZIN
This very newsletter and especially my series Beyond Instagram got featured in this months issue of Grafikmagazin (german only!). Many thanks to Sonja Pham for this feature, so great to see that the newsletter is making it’s rounds.
Buy the latest issue here.
"I AM EASY TO FIND" STARRING ALICIA VIKANDER MUSIC BY THE NATIONAL WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY MIKE MILLS
A beautiful meditation on life through the eye of one of my favorite directors, featuring one of my all-time favorite bands. In glorious black & white.
Great one to end the year! I can confirm, being an inspirational source for others is not only important, but feels amazing as well. Thank you for inspiring me so much this year!
Wish you and your family cozy last days of 2022. 😊
What inspires me..? THIS!
Mille grazie for your point of view