Alright friends, we’re going to kick Monday off with some real talk: it’s been a while since I’ve felt creative. I know right now you’re probably thinking, umm girl you run a DIY blog for a living, what are you talking about?! But hear me out.
I love being a blogger more than I can honestly express. I love and am proud of the content that has been produced here over the years and it has pushed me to be better as a photographer/stylist/etc. But with that being said, there is strategy and reason behind every post. Before I hit publish I have to ask myself a series of questions, do the images relate back to my brand? how does this tie into my long term goals? is it okay to say fuck in a blog post? If you’ve ever turned a hobby into a job, I know you know the feeling.
After talking with my friend Max, we decided to get together last week and do something about the similar creative rut feelings we were both having (PS he took all these photos for this post + you can follow him here).
The idea for was for him to come to my studio and just shoot what inspired us. No end goals, no plans, no brand visions in mind, only the freedom to play around, make a mess and get weird without judgement.
As it turned out, once I was able to let go of the idea of “oh this will look good on my Instagram feed”, the stress slipped away. Because the images were for nobody but me and Max, we could throw out random ideas and try whatever came to mind. Nothing was off limits and I can’t tell you how amazing that felt.
[Bless my studio mate for joining in the madness]
I really have no goals or use for these images right now, but that just may be the thing I love most about them. I’m even thinking about making this a regular thing, where I team up with other local creatives just to see what we can come up with.
If you are feeling anything similar, or it’s just been a while since you’ve done the same, turn off your computer and your phone and go make something. Take a photo, throw some paint on a canvas, whatever it is you need to do to get your creative juices flowing. Even if it sucks, even if nobody sees it. Give yourself permission to have that freedom and see where it takes you. You may even get somewhere you never even dreamed of.
Photos by Max Grudzinski