Jumping into puddles with over 300 photographers from all over the world is one of those out of body experiences where you kind of feel like you met your long lost twin and that life would somehow never be the same. You see, the whole idea of putting a bunch of people who usually work from home, alone, in solidarity, into a heap of fun and tents and mud is a little overwhelming in an awesome way. It’s like being surrounded by a mass of humans who “get it.” They understand the weird schedules we keep, the way we get sucked into social media, they get the time spent with brides, the hours spent editing… It was like the photography world shrunk for a few days at Field Trip and you were left with people who actually understood you on so many different levels that you were left pinching yourself and wondering how the heck this group of people were in the same spot on the planet at one time. There were so many incredible people in one little camp in California, it was kind of mind blowing to try and comprehend what was happening.
One common theme throughout the weekend was keeping your head down to what other people are doing. We hear this all the time (especially as creatives) but it’s something that we are constantly bombarded by, yet we rarely talk about it. Stopping this comparison game, it’s such an amazing idea but how does this actually apply to our lives? Comparison is the thief of joy, I’ve written about this on so many levels but it still rings so true in our lives. In a hyper social world that shares everything from vacation to what they ate for lunch, we are constantly bombarded with the idea that everyone else is living these crazy amazing, adventure filled lives while we are sitting in bed blogging. (Guilty.) We put out all of this energy that we have it all together and figured out when in reality we are wondering what the heck is interesting enough in our life to post on Instagram.
I am starting a mini series on comparison because it’s something that our lives are constantly exposed to and yet we never seem to find the cure (hint: there isn’t one.) Instead of curing it, let’s take a step back and see where we, as humans, are at with ourselves. “Chin up, head down” is something I want to incorporate in my life a little more. To not allow people to make me feel inferior while not caring what the heck is going on in this world and instead focusing my energy on what makes my heart beat. To be assured and confident that I am moving in the direction of my dreams means more to me than matching the crazy images on the next photographers blog. You wouldn’t believe the amount of conversation that surrounded this very subject, people who you would think felt on top of the world admitted to the struggle of the comparison game, so let’s remove the veil and get real, like reallllyyy real. Let’s take about how we ward off this nasty bug and create for ourselves and our clients, shall we?
Let’s talk life, shall we? Hop to a post below to continue reading:
This is fantastic Jenna, you have put into words completely the essence of What FT meant to me, a place for us creative lost souls to gather and be at one with ourselves, together!
Truth,