10 ways to jump out of a photographic slump

 Mailboxes on the wall | Lauren Odell Usher

I received my Bachelors in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Photography over 7 years ago.  Sometime while I was working towards my degree I lost the woman inside me that carried her camera everywhere.  I lost the woman that pretended to be photographing a tree so she could capture strangers on a park bench engage in an afternoon talk.  I lost the woman that turned everything she saw into a photographic composition.

I want her back.

Here are the 10 ways I am attempting to re-discover my passion for photography.

1.  Just photograph.  Over the last year or so I have photographed without looking at the results.  I just upload the digital files to my computer and go back to taking more photographs.  It keeps me from judging my work, keeps me away from my computer for hours on end, and keeps me outside in my world capturing it.

2.  Look at photographs.  I started taking photos when I was 14.  I did it because I saw a bunch of photographs that made me stop in my steps and escape to another world and another space in my mind.  Looking at other other photographer's work gets the creative juices flowing for me.

3.  Write about your struggle.  I find that it helps to write when I can't create.  It is amazing to refer back to my art notes a few weeks, months or years down the road and see how far I have come and re-center myself over my core concept as an artist.

4.  Talk about your stuggle.  Verbalizing a problem helps you admit that it is there.  There's no more denying it.  And, it's ok to admit that things aren't peachy-keen.  Be careful how far you take this.  If you have artist friends, vent to them.  They will completely understand and support your feelings because they have been through it before.  Be careful not to get too self-involved (I have to remind myself to shut up every once in a while) and don't take your slump too seriously or you might be there even longer.

5.  Look at your old work.  Time has an amazing way of separating your from your own work.  I dug through a box of old photographs from about 10 years ago and the stuff I hated then I LOVE now.  I think part of you has to let go in order to truly see your work for what it is, not what you think it should be.

6.  Photograph something you have never photographed before.  If you normally photograph landscapes, trying photographing people.  If you lean towards still life photography, then try some action shots.  Shake yourself out of your own box.

7.  Go have fun.  Do anything other than make art.  Go to a movie, go for a hike, exercise (if you think that is fun), read a book, whatever.  TAKE A BREAK, you deserve it.

8.  Take a walk.  Step outside without your camera.  Just walk around and realize how amazing the world is and why you want to photograph it.

9.  Pick a fundamental rule and follow it.  This is a great way to keep taking photographs while distracting yourself from your own judgement.  I find that sometimes my own mind can get in the way of my creativity and completing an assignment helps me focus.

10.  Clean and organize.  Tedium is a necessary part of life.  If you find yourself staring at a wall trying to convince yourself to "get to work," then just don't do it.  Organize your files, organize your studio.  Clean your house.  Sometimes your art mind needs a break.

Do you have any tips for when you are feeling uninspired, overworked, like photography is a job instead of a passion.  What do you do to remind yourself why you began photographing in the first place?

-Lauren