Welcome back my fellow street photographers. I’ve lacked inspiration for this blog the last couple of weeks, which has been a regular occurrence while traveling on my creative journey.

The most important to remember is that your timeline is unique, and no two people will ever experience the same levels of motivation and creativity at the same time.

Your personal life, career path, societal pressures (COVID-19 and lockdowns, for example) can all affect your journey and can have a strong impact on whether you decide to go pro in a creative field or only practice art as a medium for expression.

While this is a photography-based blog, the tips below should apply to all creative fields. My goal in this article is to hopefully offer you some reassurance and remind you that nothing is ever concrete. You never know where life will take you so remember to relax, enjoy everything as it comes, and you will work out the steps to becoming a better artist along the way. A lot of mistakes will be made along the way but if you prioritise your enjoyment, you should see success sooner rather than later.

Get used to failure and re-evaluate your goals

You might find yourself at times envying or becoming jealous of creatives who have made it big, have done something you haven’t, or seem to have figured it all out. What most of these creatives will tell you is that they have made the exact same mistakes you have, that it’s not as easy as it looks and that not everyone will get to their level. Social medias a great place to promote your work and to gain recognition, but it can also breed a lot of negative self-thought on what you have made, what you can make and what your limit is.

The worst thing to do is convince yourself that because you aren’t at the level of someone like Peter McKinnon that you’re unsuccessful. Peter has said in his YouTube videos on multiple occasions how many times he changed career path, failed, altered his goals and did things that were uncomfortable for him to get to that level.

When I first started doing professional work, I hated some of the photos I was producing, but as each project was completed, I found myself getting more comfortable, working out the kinks, and finding out what worked for me and what didn’t work for me… and then there would be another setback. Suddenly, I’d have to learn something new again, I worked out the kinks, and then this cycle continued. This happens A LOT.

After lockdown #2 in Sydney, I decided my best way forward was to drop pro-work for the time being and focus on content I actually wanted to produce (which is how this blog came to be as I fall back into the street photography game). I have adjusted my goals and guess what – I am again failing! I haven’t been consistent with how many articles I write and put out and that annoys me, but I understand that it’s a part of the process. I know I will learn new ways of motivating myself to write and will eventually pick up a regular routine, but it’s about putting in the work, accepting my failures, and re-evaluating my creative goals at each point.

Get used to imposter syndrome – it’s inevitable

Every creator has felt it at some point – that anxiety you get when you post an Instagram photo with every tag possible just to get some exposure or posting something and wondering if it’s going to be well received or not, and then being disappointed when you get 5 likes on a photo you think is good.

Don’t let Instagram or other social media platforms define your idea of success. You need to look at each post as a moment in your own creative timeline because your audience will constantly shift. You never know if or when you will get noticed so take every moment as either a moment of success or as a learning opportunity.

It's also important to remember that marketing your products is a game, which I have approached differently at every level. I have learned a lot through failure, and I no longer see it as a personal attack on myself if my work doesn’t reach an audience. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and continue with what you’re doing because eventually, you’ll find comfort in the process.

Imposter syndrome pits you against yourself and can often be your downfall. Just know that working out what works for you is an uncomfortable process, but inevitably you will find what works best.