Balancing Purpose & Pleasure
Why am I making these photographs?...
Hey everyone, it’s been a while.
My plan to publish a weekly newsletter has evaporated over the last while due to… well… life.
Long story short, I said yes to too many projects, which threw everything out of balance. I hate to complain about it, as I’m grateful for the interest and opportunities I’ve had over the past while, but as a result, I’ve been stuck in the office for the past month, either shooting or editing videos.
I’m going a bit stir-crazy!
It came at a good time, though, as I hadn’t had much drive or excitement to go out and make any images over the past while, although I am starting to feel the urge again to create.
As this newsletter is released today, I’ll be heading to North Wales to detach for a few days and do some photography. This will be a fairly loose trip, mostly play, but I may make some images for my Slate City project again, slowly getting back into the production cycle.
At the very least, though, I'm looking forward to immersing myself in the area and spending some time in one of my favourite places in the world.
I’m hoping this will help me clarify some things, as whenever I experience periods of low energy and a lack of interest in photography, I find myself questioning the purpose of it all.
I think reflecting on purpose can be both a good and a bad thing.
On the one hand, it can help you narrow your focus and make changes when necessary. On the other, it can lead to overthinking, and rob you of some of the playfulness and curiosity.
It’s all about finding the right balance.
Curiosity, Enjoyment, Experience…
I often think back to the start of my photography career and the pure enjoyment I’d get from going out for an hour or two with my camera to make images.
It didn’t matter what the photographs were of or if they were any good. What mattered was following my intuition, pointing the lens at things I was naturally drawn to, and making images that allowed me to exercise my creative muscles.
The process was straightforward and uncomplicated, and as a result, I absolutely loved photography (and I still do, but it’s become messier now). Back then, it wasn’t just about the images; it was mainly about the act of image-making.
Over the years, I’ve tried my best to maintain that mindset. There have been countless trips where I’ve struggled to make any ‘keepers’ but have still had so much fun exploring new areas, meeting new people, and interacting with the world in a way that I otherwise wouldn’t if I didn’t have a camera with me.
As much as I can, I try to live in a zone where my love for photography isn’t wholly hinged on the results. Lately, however, I’ve become overly thoughtful or critical about my intentions and the purpose of the images I create.
Again, I don’t think this is always bad, but it can be limiting.
Why am I doing this?
For example, lately, I find myself constantly questioning the end goal of my work.
What is this for? Why does this matter? Why am I pointing my camera at this to capture it?
As a result, I’ve been increasingly interested in only photographing subjects and themes that feel they have a story and where the images can serve some purpose.
For example, my Slate City project excites me because it’s about a specific place and its history, and I feel that documenting it is important.
In contrast, I’ve become less interested in making purely ‘artistic’ images—something I’d loved doing in the past, where I’d go out and experience the world and follow intuition.
Those were the times when the subject often didn’t matter; instead, the focus was on light, shape, and form—being creative and trying to see the world differently. I could go anywhere, and it was exciting to see what opportunities I could unearth, especially in ‘normal’ places.
In a way, it’s been a bit disappointing to lose that, as I miss the spontaneity of that type of photography. It’s what fuelled me for a long time in my career.
I also believe ‘detached curious’ photography often leads to discoveries and is a significant growth driver. Create first, think later.
That’s exactly what made me discover my Slate City project in the first place: going to a place, creating for a few months, and eventually having an ‘aha’ moment that led to a clear direction.
It can’t all be formulaic and structured.
Planning and thoughtfulness can be a good thing.
Overthinking is not.
Finding Balance
Each of us will have a different way of working that suits us best, but I think there needs to be some balance in every creative career.
As much as I love the structured nature of photo projects, I find myself leaning heavily one way at the moment, and I need to bring back some of that ‘play’ into my work again.
I’ll have projects to focus on and goals to chase, but I also need to embrace getting out with a camera for a day or two with no set plans or expectations.
Yes, the images are important to me, but it’d be a shame to become so hyperfocused on the final result that I take the process for granted.
Anyway, I wanted to share these thoughts with you today, hopefully encouraging you to look at your process and see how things are going. Whenever I take the time to reflect and ground myself, I find it helps me get back on track and excited about things again.
As I said at the start, up until recently, I’d been lacking excitement for photography, and I think a big reason for that is that it’s been too long since I’ve simply gotten out to play.
Hopefully, I’ll have some new work to show soon from this trip. Still, at the very least, I’m looking forward to immersing myself in a landscape that I absolutely love, putting some miles on the hiking boots, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and, of course, probably getting rained on… it is Wales, after all!
For next week's issue, I’m thinking of trying something new—very much in line with the name ‘Field Notes’. So stay tuned for that.
Also, if you missed it, I uploaded a video on my channel a couple of weeks ago where I sat down with Noah Waldeck from Subjectively Obective to chat about editing and sequencing photo projects. This one has lots of great info for anyone working on a project!
Also, thanks to everyone who emailed me their work over the past month for the artist submissions. I’ll be sharing it in some upcoming issues.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read this.
Talk soon!
Oof - this hit hard as I could have written these exact words. My time has become more limited and therefore so has my photography. Note to self: avoid overthinking every frame.
Hi Kyle, I feel you on this one and I write about this topic often, especially as balancing needs versus obligations stands against the ticking clock. I'm working toward a much more freeing concept of photographing just because and watching how it all unfolds. It sends my socially-constructed driven self crazy but ultimately, it makes for better art.