The importance of momentum
Recently due to my job’s requirements, I have to bring my laptop with me all the time. Yes, I have another job besides from photography, and it is actually my main income. Nevertheless, now instead of writing my blog articles on my phone as I usually did, I have a physical keyboard to type on and a bigger screen to look at. Needless to say, I have been posting more frequently, and the guilt of purchasing a full year of SquareSpace is reduced a little bit.
The thing with writing on the laptop is that I can type way faster, without almost any distraction at all. I don’t listen to music; I don’t have Facebook or Instagram notifications popping up every now and then. I begin to enjoy the little things like the feeling of the keyboard on my fingertip, the sound of typing, and the peaceful feeling of watching words crowding up the screen. It is as if I was talking to you, the readers in person in a nice quiet cafe. It is Zen. This peacefulness and concentration lead to more ideas. Sometimes I come up with new contents on the road, in the shower, or even in the middle of a meeting. I am not saying that I am pouring masterpieces, but writing is no longer a chore. I have found my momentum to keep going forward.
The same thing happened to my photography. When I was mainly doing portraits, I shot twice a week. The circle was simple, looking for inspiration, forming ideas, planning, contacting models, makeup artists, making props, shooting, retouching, spamming on social media, then repeating the process. Everything became some sort of habit, and I was able to build my very own working procedure. The momentum kept me going for years, improved my craft until I could do commercial work and teach others. I had some reputation in Hanoi and did the job as an Alpha Guru several times. It made everything run smoothly and naturally, which then built up my confidence and inspiration.
Things fell apart when my team split. Long story short, everyone had their own plans for the future. It became harder to organize a shoot, since new members did not integrate well with the old ones. The momentum was lost and until now, I have not been able to form a consistent team. Things that should have been easy are now difficult, and because I no longer shoot portraits regularly, let’s just say I somehow lost my touch and enthusiasm.
When I switched to street photography, the freedom of it jump-started my shutter clicking engine. I don’t have to rely on anyone, just me and my minimal gear hanging around on the street. It is so contrasty with the things that I have come to know in photography when I was still shooting models, since now it’s best that I go out all by myself. I went from needing a bunch of other professionals to avoiding everyone; from planning everything ahead to opening my mind to anything that could happen; from avoiding mistakes to embracing failures. Once again, I found another momentum that got me to this point of my photography career.
To build momentum, you need to get off the chair and start working. That’s the second hardest part. The hardest part is forcing yourself to go on in the first few weeks. This helps you build up good habits, discipline and an initial procedure to follow. In time you will optimize the process, gears and schedule, stop worrying about irrelevant things and focus on creating and creating only. Of course, there are bad days when you cannot go out due to the weather or some urgency, but they should not be excuses for laziness. I try my best to shoot twice a week. The time is actually flexible, but every session should be more than 2 hours long. If something sudden come up, then I will make time for another session in the same week.
Momentum is also kept alive by rewards, like good feedback from viewers, seeing a project get completed, or even some self-compliments for trying so hard. You have to be careful with feedback though, especially ones from social media, which could give you false confidence or destroy your mood. Another source of good encouragement is a group of good friends who share the joy of street photography. It is a luxury to have to be honest, but having someone to chat to, even online only, really helps. I do not go out shooting with other people very often, unless it’s a workshop where I talk more than shoot, but I do talk a lot with people on the internet. I learn from them and enjoy the company. Do not force yourself to like someone as a friend just because they know the craft though. Last but not least, print your work, the ones you are proud of. Having your own space with beautiful things you create yourself for yourself is an enormous pleasure. You might also end up with an exhibition someday, who knows.
Inspiration also fuels momentum. You don’t have to force yourself to watch too much YouTube videos and photos all the time, because that is exactly how you kill the enthusiasm and make photography a class subject. Follow some photographers or group of photographers that suit your style or liking, so you learn passively while scrolling social media. Buy a photobook every now and then, because trust me, holding a physical printing is something else. Carry a small camera or have your phone ready for snapshots every time you feel like it. Recently I have been into podcasts to listen to in the background while doing other stuff, which is captivating since I love talking to people over a coffee like so. Really, anything that makes you want to reach out for the camera and walk the street is good, even Gear Acquisition Syndrome is ok if it makes you shoot more, and you can afford it.
