Facing challenging conditions? You can decide it’s not a good day to create. Or, you can convert the challenge to your advantage.
On a recent trip, I had one afternoon to hike in the Coconino National Forest north of Sedona. It’s majestic. Canyon walls and ponderosa pines reach toward the sky. Pine needles crunch softly beneath your feet. Oak Creek flows through the remnants of a fire. There is a familiarity here that whispers to my heart.
The blue sky is cloudless. Open sun and a soft steady breeze are advantageous to the hiker, but make for challenging photography conditions.
More often than I would like to admit, I have made the other choice and put away my camera. If I choose to be present and mindful while enjoying the moment, that’s one thing. But leaving the camera behind out of frustration is another. My level of inspiration on this trip was high. My drive to express through the lens, strong.
Looking back I realize there are 5 key elements that help in challenging conditions of any kind.
- Know your tools.
- Practice.
- Show up.
- Get in the game.
- Play.
These elements are not meant to be prescribed in order. Used in combination, they all augment each other.
You have a choice in challenging conditions:
Restrain yourself when conditions aren’t perfect. Tell yourself it would be a waste of time and effort. Pull back and allow your voice and creative inspiration go quiet.
Or, go for it and and make the best of what you’ve been given.
The temptation to blame the conditions, the environment, the Other is strong. If you wait for everyone and everything to be perfect, you miss the opportunity to create perfection in this moment.
