P#21 Q7B: Do You Need to Worry About Losing Your Artistic Eye?

Looking to the Future

Bryan Peterson: I can only say this -- that there's nothing wrong with waking up one day and honestly feeling terrified that whatever it was you felt so confident and wonderful about seeing in you is no longer part of your personality. There's nothing wrong with feeling that way.

It's okay to think that after you come off a hot streak you might lose your artistic eye. In fact, embrace it and say, "Oh yeah, this is the phase. I'm supposed to welcome it. This is wonderful news that I'm fearful of not being able to see."

I'm saying that because it's certainly not anything that's unique to me. It's happened to so many people -- particularly people in the professional photographic business. On more than one occasion I showed up at any number of assignments and just got deathly afraid that my artistic eye would be gone.

I thought, "What if I just don't get it? What if I'm not able to plug into all those years of experience of seeing the world around me and knowing my lenses and the time of day at the point of views that I have for different choices? What if I forget it?"

It's ironic but I can't pay a higher compliment to a photographer when a photographer tells me that they're fearful of losing their artistic eye -- it's the ultimate stamp of validation. If you're not fearful of losing your creative vision, then I would only suggest that you probably are a long ways from developing one because there is great satisfaction in stumbling across that "creative photograph" that you know took some creativity on your part, and we've all done it.

The question is, how can you do it again and again and again? It only happens by just getting out there, putting yourself in a position to shoot. There will come a time, when you're having so much fun at this, that you will become fearful of not being able to see. When that happens, take a moment, buy yourself a cup of coffee, and use that as validation that you're there.

Use that fear from that day forward, because you will. Don't let it deceit you but use it to your advantage and say, "I'm afraid I'm not going to see anymore. Therefore I'm going to see extra hard."

It doesn't get harder. It really doesn't. It actually gets easier.

Audri Lanford: That's great advice. What is the one thing you most want our listeners to remember from today's interview that will make the biggest difference in the creativity of their photographs?

Bryan Peterson: I would go back to the very first question and that is to learn to speak the language of your lenses. If you don't do that, you guys are going to be living on two different continents.

Audri Lanford: Two different planets?

Bryan Peterson: You bet.

Audri Lanford: Bryan, thank you so much. This has just been beyond amazing. If people want to learn more about all of the different things you do, what's the best way for them to do that?

Bryan Peterson: My first response to that question would have to be to have them go over to the school. By no means do I have the corner on teaching. I would never suggest that. In fact, I'm quite in awe of some of the instructors we have at that school.

The website is www.PPSOP.com.

I also do workshops around the world, but only about eight a year because my time is becoming more and more valuable to be actually on hands at the school. Nonetheless, there are workshops around the world. If one simply wants information, you can get it by sending me an email which is bryanfpeterson@mac.com and you'll get a response.

Audri Lanford: You mentioned already www.PPSOP.com, and www.BryanFPeterson.com. We'll have links to that, all your books, the different classes that you offer, and everything else in the Show Notes so people can be sure to be able to learn more from you.

Bryan Peterson: Great, I appreciate that.

In Summary

Everyone fears something. It seems that photographers often have on fear in common. According to Bryan Peterson, the fear of losing one's artistic eye isn't something that should control you and you can actually use it to your benefit.