Living small

Most people would expect the title to be "Living Large", and indeed, that was what I was going to lead in with. In a quiet moment, however, I realized that honestly, I've been living small. Someone asked me the other day if I realized how talented I was (I believe the term she used was GENIUS) and I responded without thinking, "No, I don't." All our lives, we are taught to be modest about our accomplishments, as though being successful will offend someone like a fart in a crowded room. But really, who teaches that? What parent squashes their child with "That's a pretty bad painting, son... I think you should give up on that." No, my parents didn't say that. So where did we get this idea? Ego. It is ego, that quiet voice that whispers, "Not good enough" in the night, as we go to sleep. It is ego that shouts "You'll never make it!" just before we attempt cliff-diving for the first time. It is ego that convinces us not to be better than our friends, for the sake of fitting in.

Why would we attempt to fit in, when we've been given gifts to make us unique? Why look like one seagull amongst the flock, when we could fly solo, like an eagle, instead? When I asked myself that question, I realized that I've been laying low and being "modest" about my work, when I should be standing up and expressing myself instead. All around us are people whose own gifts have made them genius; I should be exercising my own gifts to capture that spirit, and in doing so, become the photographer I am meant to be, not the one that blends in. Do we admire William Shatner because he blends in? Tom Waits? How about Jeff Healey? Did Heath Ledger blend in? No, we admire these people because of their gifts, and their courage to exercise their talents, and in doing so, entertain us.

So that is the direction we must take. When given the choice between living small and blending in, we must stand up and say "No." When given the choice between good enough and great, we must make the effort to choose great. And as we do so, we elevate ourselves from Guy with Camera to Artist.

The above photo was taken after the rain, in Naramata BC.