Photography

There's something about photography that really gets me excited. It's hard to explain the thrill that I get when composing an eye catching composition right before taking a picture. I can definitely say that it is a passion of mine.

I have always been a fan of taking pictures ever since I was a little kid. I would beg my mom to let me borrow her camera and I would go outside and take pictures of the trees and flowers and bugs in our yard. To me, it's one of the most relaxing things to do (besides yoga).

This year I am taking a semester of advanced digital photography. Even though I'm the only person in my class (besides the professor of course) I couldn't be more excited. I really hope that I can hone my skills and produce an impressive portfolio.

With the completion of my degree I will have a Bachelors in Arts with a concentration in video game art and design. I am not entirely sure what I want to do with my life when I get out of school but with an arts degree I feel as though my choices are wide open.

My current internship is with branded digital entertainment. I'm a designer with a little app company. Although this is a great job, I can't see myself doing it for the rest of my life. I used to get scared about finishing school. I was always worried that I wouldn't be able to get a good job and that I wouldn't be successful in a career. No longer do I feel that way. I just remind myself every day that I should stay positive because I'm a hard worker, a quick learner, and have great organizational skills. Those are all great skills every employer is looking for. Not only that, I have some really amazing people in my life who will support me no matter where I am.

I'm ready for what ever experiences life has to throw at me. Some will be great and others not so much, but in the end I know that it is through these challenges that I will better understand myself and learn to appreciate the good times even more.

So if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are afraid like I was, just take a minute to write a list of all the things you're good at. This can be anything from being a good listener to being a reliable friend. You'll be surprised that even the simplest skill can be turned into something astoundingly helpful in your future.

Gratification

I find it easy to be hard on myself about well...pretty much everything. Even the things that seem grossly insignificant. Once I feel myself getting to this toxic state of mind I have a bit of reminding that needs to be done.

I'll take a quick step back for a second. Yesterday in my post about music I had mentioned that I gave up early on playing the guitar. I got to a point in my practice where I had plateaued and could not get better. This is one of the most frustrating things to me and I notice it happening more and more in my life to the point where it's becoming a hindrance in enjoying the things that I love. But why? Why am I letting this silly hiccup stop me from enjoying myself? It's simple. I shouldn't.

In a world cluttered with over stimulation, high speed media, and instant information at the tips of our fingers, it is easy to see why some of us might fall into the category of being stubborn when it comes to gratification for the things that we do. Delayed gratification. It's a fairly new subject that has been brought up due to today's expanding technologies.

I thought that the hard work I was putting into work, school, and other new skills, would pay off faster than it really was. I was totally frustrated that after two years of graphic design work, my work still not up to the standards that I expected of myself. Why was this not enough time to grow? I work everyday, I study hard, I am dedicated and manage my time well. But there is one thing that I was lacking: patience. Punishing myself for not being as good as I want to be will get me nowhere. I could work as hard as I wanted and I could push myself to my furthest limits but a garden wont grow in a day no matter how hard you try.

Progress can be slow, especially if it is something you are new at. But the main thing is to have faith in yourself. Believing in yourself is the first step to overcoming the restlessness that comes with thinking you aren't good enough or should be better. You are who you are. Everyone works at their own pace and sometimes things just don't come naturally. So we work at it and we work hard, especially if it is something that you truly love to do.       

 In my fortune cookie (sometimes I love these things) I received a fortune that read "the value of a man resides in what he gives, not in what he is capable of receiving". This can be interpreted in many different ways. The first way that comes to mind is simply giving and not expecting much in return, such as charity work, helping a friend/family member, or just being a supportive person in general. But as I thought about it, it also made me think of gratification."The value of a man resides in what he gives," could also being saying that a person is defined by the hard work that they do, "not in what he is capable of receiving," without expecting the fruits of his labors to be handed to him in a neat little basket. It may be a stretch seeing as I've had gratification on my mind all day.

If you agree let me know! If you don't then I'd love to hear what you think about this quote.