seasons (turn, turn, turn)

Man I suck at updating these things. I guess I blog when I have down time...so chances are, the happier/more fulfilled I am in my daily work, the less I am going to blog. Which implies that I'm in one of those "down seasons" with photography (and life).

I'm learning to embrace the ups and downs. This summer was a fantastic three-month period of constant shooting/creation/artistic and journalistic growth while I worked for the Naples Daily News. I entered this semester thinking that that season would just carry over, but life got in the way. I'm not shooting the way I was, but I'm not beating myself up over it. God wants me to use this time for other things...it's good to have the freedom to just go on a long bike ride or go pray in the woods. Truth and beauty is the fuel for good art...there are seasons where you need to get refueled.

The down seasons are always a challenge, though. I am not too good at being still. God's been teaching me (or re-teaching me, rather, since he taught me this last fall during my creative slump) that my self-worth is NOT wrapped up in what i do. Photography and journalism is very much part of who I am, but they aren't my identity. My identity is rooted in Christ; I am a child of God! Shooting more, shooting better, being constantly "inspired"...these things are all good, but they are not ends. God loves me just the same (which is a TON) when I'm not feeling productive.

Pat reminded me this week that I need to just stay on the path that God has put me on. I've been running around like a headless chicken, wondering if I'm cut out for a photojournalism career, trying to conjure up other career titles out of fear. But God has given me the passion, the talent, the opportunities, and a whole heck of a lot of amazing people. So I'm going to keep going for it...a photojournalism career...even though I don't have much photography to show for this particular season.

I'm excited to see what lessons God is teaching me this season.