Inspiration

Just a quick hippy-thought for Thursday here, hope it speaks to someone out there the inter-ether.

When I bought the famed Voigtlander a few weeks ago, there were about 10 ‘magazines’, or film backs, or whatever you want to call them included. To use the camera, you not-so-simply go to your neighborhood darkroom, cut the film, load each back with one piece of film, and if you have 10 loaded backs you can then, accordingly, shoot 10 photos – changing the back each time you click a shot.

Anyway, 4 of the 10 backs included in the bag the Voigt came in had a name written on the back in pencil and a piece of film still inside – they were shots that had been taken, I presume, but never developed…..from the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s? Who knows. They’re definitely old. I took them in to the lab to have them developed, thinking that hope against hope I would get back some crazy photo of Babe Ruth and Buddy Holly sitting next to JFK in a 1936 Ford convertible with King Charlemagne in the back or something. I know, I know, anachronisms abound. Anyway, as expected, the photos came back with nothing on them – too long sitting in an attic, who knows. BUT, this got me thinking…

The photo along with this post is of one of those pieces of film. And it is blank. And I like it. I simply wrote the word ‘now.’ on its little frame, because I think it’s a good reminder for me, and maybe for some of you.

It seems that over the past few years I’ve met oodles of stellar photographers and other equally-talented but different genre’d folks across the board, and many of them have this in common: they’re afraid to go for it.

Deep down, they have this knowledge of what they were, perhaps, made to do. The talent, skill, the ability, that they were gifted by God with, that only they do uniquely like they do. But they are afraid of the unknowns that might go along with it if they pursue it. The ‘what if?’. They know their craft, (or, like me, are at least reasonably skilled and are learning), and if they only believed in themselves, laid aside their fear of failure, and dove in, they would swim like eagles. Er, they would swim like eagles fly, or, if, in this analogy they are fish, they would swim like Nemo. You get the picture.

I don’t know what to call this syndrome, but it’s a wall – a road block, and it kind of bothers me to see people not pursuing what they were gifted by God to do because they’re afraid. Thanks wholly to my Mom, I think I largely have an inability to see such road blocks – I almost always just dive in and figure out how to figure it all out. And I’d recommend such action more often than not.

This post started out all inspirational-ish, and is now starting to sound somewhat like a confused book of quotes or something, so I better pull the plug while I’m ahead. All this to say, maybe you’re the someone out there that needs to dive in. As the blank piece of film above, your future is wide open. It isn’t set by your past, and you can choose to change, to pursue, to go for it, to be uniquely you and use your gifts as they were meant to be used in the world.

And maybe, for you, the time to start doing so is ‘now.’

  • April 8, 2010 - 9:13 pm

    Laura - i love you mr. inspirational! i love your go-get-em-ness! you are my hero.ReplyCancel

  • April 11, 2010 - 3:20 pm

    Ben Fullerton - Hey there, New Blog! What’s shakin’? Looking good, baby!ReplyCancel

  • April 11, 2010 - 5:45 pm

    Travis Ramos - Thanks Ben! And of course thank you too, my love!ReplyCancel

  • April 15, 2010 - 6:38 pm

    Mom - Wow. I didn’t realize that I inspired you to ignore road blocks. Guess you can’t teach someone to see something that I couldn’t see myself! That’s probably the greatest compliment you’ve ever given me. And your fine work in photography (and people skills) are testimony that the system worked! Love you Son, MomReplyCancel

    • April 15, 2010 - 9:57 pm

      Trav - Mom, I don’t think you know how much you shaped who I am – and if I haven’t told you enough, thank you :). You are the best, and thank you for making me so much of who I am today!!ReplyCancel

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