We’re a few weeks into learning a new skill using online sources for our learning project, and I’ve already hit a wall. I am lacking the motivation and inspiration to continue with photography. This art form is not as easy as I thought! It also doesn’t help that everything outside is covered in a white blanket of snow. But I bought this camera and need to make the most of it. So this begs the question – what do you do when you lack motivation or feel uninspired?

Glad you asked! I’ve combed over multiple websites and have come up with a list for you because who doesn’t like a simple checklist? Am I right?

Here goes nothing. Hopefully, this will help others as well as myself when learning a new skill. 

What to do when you are feeling uninspired or lack the motivation to do something:

• Go outside
  • Between the fresh airand inspiration lurking around every corner, you are bound to find a great shot. Going outside, period, will help you – it’s science!
• Look at the works of others
  • If I’m being honest with you, I think my biggest hurdle is knowing where to even begin. Photography encompasses such a wide range of forms, so it might help to gain some inspiration and ideas from others. One thing that could work is to create an inspiration board. Find photos from others on websites like Pinterest that catch your eye. What do the photos have in common? What drew you to them? What skills will you have to learn or practice? 
• Set small goals
  • What are some things you want to accomplish while learning photography? One goal I have is to better understand shutter speed, ISO, and aperture and how it affects the photos I am taking. This leads to the next point – what I will do to accomplish my goals. 
• Create a plan
  • After setting goals, create a plan of how you will accomplish those goals. List how many weeks you have to complete it, what you want to do and then how you are going to do it. 
• Try something new
  • Change up your routine. Dabble in something you haven’t tried before. Take risks. 

• Do some research
  • There are so many great websites, blogs, vlogs, etc. We have so much information right at our fingertips. In my case with photography, I need to learn more about my camera’s capabilities to become more comfortable with it. Luckily, a quick search on Google and I can find so many videos and websites that have tons of information to help me with my camera. 
• Embrace limitations
  • I’m just going to leave this TedTalk here for you to watch

•  Make mistakes
  • As the famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson once said, “Your first 10,000 photos are your worst.” I have a long way to go before I reach the 10,000 photo mark, so it is important that I don’t put too much pressure on myself to take the perfect photo – just start shooting. This is also just a great life mantra. How much do we miss out on because we are afraid to fail? 

In order to get myself back on track, I created a plan for what and how I’m going to take on learning photography. This is what I plan on learning in the remaining weeks of this project:

1. Capcut – Creating a video with photos
2. Shutter Speed
3. Aperture
4. ISO 
5. Phone Apps
6. Editing
7. Photography Portfolio

I’m going to need your help in holding me accountable. Up for the challenge?! 

Until next week, stay flashy! (See what I did there?!)