Breaking Through Creative Rut: The Power of Taking Imperfect Action
Hello friends. Today I’d like to chat with you about what surfing and photography have in common. Have you ever tried surfing? Tell me about it in the comments.
From the shore, surfing looks kind of easy. You sit on a board, wait for a wave, paddle a few times and go soaring down the face of the wave, smiling from ear to ear at the sheer delight of playing in the water. Sure, that happens once in a while.
But the rest of the time, surfing is constant adjustments, missed opportunities, incorrect positioning, and wiping out so hard you can’t tell which end is up… all while trying not to drown. Sometimes, like for me this spring, surfing is a bloody forehead and a new scar.
Surfing is a series of imperfect actions, over time, which make you a better surfer when the conditions are ideal. It’s paddling out when the wind creates choppy water, when the water is frigidly cold, when you arms are tired and the right tide is at some absurdly early hour.
It’s sitting patiently in cold water, trying to figure out if that fin was a dolphin or something else while balancing on a board wearing a rubber suit that feels 10 sizes too small.
Surfing is patience, and perseverance, and sheer willpower.
“ Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction.”
But with practice, surfing is magic. Because when the conditions align, your effort is rewarded with that ear to ear grin and surf stoke to carry you through the rest of the day. Doesn’t that sound worth all the imperfect moments, wipe outs, and scars?
Now that you’ve reached the end, go back and start at the beginning, but replace the word surfing with photographing. It’s not a perfect translation, but you get my drift. Photography, like surfing, is a series of imperfect actions, repeated over time, which will give you the tools you need when the conditions are just right.
Three Ways to Jumpstart a Stalled Creative Practice
The quickest way to break a creative block is to take the pressure off the final result. Try these three low-stakes prompts on your next walk:
The Ten-Minute Burst: Set a timer on your phone for ten minutes. Force yourself to take a photograph every sixty seconds, regardless of whether the composition is perfect. This overrides the overthinking brain and gets your hands moving.
Isolate a Single Color: Pick one specific hue before you leave the house and resolve to only photograph objects or light patterns that contain that color. Shifting your focus to a single element simplifies the visual landscape.
Change Your Perspective: Force yourself to shoot the entire walk from an unusual physical height. Commit to only taking photos from a completely low, ground-level perspective or looking straight up at patterns overhead. Altering your physical posture instantly breaks your brain out of its habitual, eye-level patterns.
If you are stuck in a creative rut, shooting the same flat frames, and wanting to rediscover a deeper, more intentional way of seeing the world through your lens, I invite you to join me at The Saltwater Retreat on the Outer Banks. It is an immersive photography experience designed to help you slow down, step away from daily life, and reconnect with your creative fire alongside a wonderful community of creative women.
