“You are never defeated until you acknowledge your defeat. Rise again, determined to shine.”

“There is no such thing as something not working. When one thing doesn’t go well, it is simply the start of something else working beautifully.”

“Seek those who would enrich your life rather than a multitude who would stand side by side until a more alluring opportunity came around.”

What are some words of wisdom or advice you have for pushing past failure?

These are the images that I feel have defined my year as an artist thus far. I put great import on analyzing oneself and understanding why we are the way we are. If we understand how something was created and why we are so drawn to it, we are much more likely to repeat that process and create more images that we love. There is still plenty of time to create that image that speaks to your soul, that might be the most defining image you will have taken this year. Seize that opportunity.

Here are a few ways to analyze your own portfolio and continue to create works of art that you love.

1. Be honest about which images stand out to you most.

Stop thinking about likes and comments and your family’s reaction. Stop thinking about how many prints sold or which clients liked which photos. Think only of your connection to it, how you compare it to your previous works, and how well it stands up in the grand scheme of your portfolio.

2. Find similarities between your favorite images so that you might repeat them.

Typically, if an artist has a really great, cohesive portfolio, it isn’t out of luck. They aren’t shooting blindly hoping to get something good. They have analyzed their work and understand what holds their style together. For these images I have chosen, they largely work with nature, have neutral backgrounds, focus on color and pose, and work with inexpensive and minimalist materials to tell a story.

3. Find your story.

In many of the great artist’s portfolios we will see a common thread running through either their whole body of work, or specific series within the portfolio. Most people are compelled to create because they have something they want to tell the world through their art. What is your message? Is it reflected in the works you have chosen? Or alternately, do your works speak to a message and does that bind them together? Once you know the message of each image that you feel defines your year, you understand how to take that message further.

4. Develop critical thinking as well as appreciative thinking.

Critical thinking is easy, given that so many people are quick to judge themselves and do so harshly. However, critical thinking goes beyond being negative and instead invites you to think about why your work isn’t up to par. What specific elements in your images do you see as being weak, and why do they stand out to you so much? Once you identify these weaknesses in your portfolio, you can avoid making those mistakes again, or at least in the same ways.

Appreciative thinking is changing your mindset to see the good in what you do. Again, it is all about analyzing your work critically to see the best parts of what you do. Appreciate your work, first and foremost, and then allow yourself to see the good and bad. Appreciate that you tried, that you failed, that you succeeded. And once you find appreciation for yourself, any negativity will feel like a learning experience.

5. Parts to a whole.

So you’ve chosen a few pictures that stand out to you as being your best this year. But what about how to continue that momentum? The easiest way to do that for me is to see each of my favorite pieces as parts to a whole. Instead of seeing them as finished pieces that are now to be archived, I see them as the beginning to a continuation. I figure out what I like so much from them and then figure out how to apply some of those same sensibilities to new images. The images that result need not be sequels or even seem very much like the old images, but under it all, you will be creating a through line for your work.

Take the image I did of the books. What I like about it is the neutral background, the timeless prop, that it is a self-portrait, and the anonymity. I could take any one of those ideas and turn that into something more. Anonymity – how can I hide someone’s identity? A timeless prop – what other props can I incorporate into my imagery? What are other neutral spaces in which I could shoot? All of these questions can lead to more images that are quite different, yet inspired by something I already love.

Share your favorite images so far this year, and a little bit about why they are so defining for you!

I feel very fortunate for growing up in a house where creativity was not just encouraged but rewarded. I grew up writing magical stories and children’s books and poetry, and then when I “grew up” some more I went to college and studied filmmaking and literature, both completely scary degrees to have in the “real world” but they made me happy. In all of this time my parents never tried to persuade me otherwise. I heard the typical murmurings of how little money I’d be able to make with those degrees, but my mom would always respond by saying “Then you don’t know my girl…”, and so I felt validated.

When photography came into my life in a big way, I had a lot to consider. There were people telling me that it was unwise to jump so wholeheartedly into something as slippery as photography. They said I would never know where my paycheck would come from, and questioned me about specific money-making plots. I was both critical about that way of thinking but also practical, and for a time I answered all of those questions and did so with fervor until I realized that it was no one’s business but my own (literally). I owed nothing to anyone. It was of no one else’s concern where my paychecks would come from or how it would work, save for my husband who is a part of me.

It is so easy to get caught up in other people’s opinions. And depending on our lifestyles, we may never have lived outside that opinion bubble. I know that I was quite sheltered growing up, and that wasn’t because of my parents, it was because of me. I liked being sheltered and having the same people around me and being close to what I knew. My sister was the opposite, completely free-spirited and wild. Because I preferred living life that way back then, I only knew the opinions of those around me. I didn’t understand enough about life.

But when photography came around something shifted. I understood, almost instantly, what was at stake. It wasn’t that no one approved of my photography; on the contrary, they were very supportive. It was that, logistically, they were truly concerned for my well-being if I quit my steady job and went into…the arts. (said with suspenseful music in the background).

I suddenly had a passion so strong that doing anything but photography felt as though it would kill my spirit, and I value that above most else. So I did quit my job, and it took a lot of long conversations with those I cared about, and zero conversations with those who it wasn’t worth having.

When I began exploring different themes in my work, I would hear feedback about the content of my images. They are too dark. They are too creepy. There is too much nudity. This and that and no one could always be happy. But the thing is this: I was always happy. I was creating what I loved, which is no concern of anyone else. I think that we often forget that just because someone has an opinion, that opinion is not fact. It does not need to govern your life.

This can be exceptionally difficult when it comes to loved ones. For example, I met my husband when I was 16. We’ve been together ever since. He and I are joined in every way I can think of and when he has an opinion, I listen to it because I respect him. It can be difficult to understand when to take someone’s opinion to heart and I think one basic question needs to be asked: is your relationship worth sacrificing for the art? Some people are worth losing over this debate. That is plain and simple, and I don’t mean it in any negative way. There are people that bring us down in the world, people who we are better off without. We need not be friends with everyone, and it is best to surround yourself with those who will lift you up.

You are the only one in control of your happiness. If art makes you happy, you have a duty to perform. To keep that locked inside is a disservice to your well-being and to all of those who you might inspire. Art is rarely kept to oneself. These days it is shared, and because of that, inspiration is everywhere. Take what you love and share it. Others will love it simply because you do. And remember above all else that your opinion should be regarded at the highest level. It is not up to anyone else to inspire you, motivate you, encourage you, or support what you do; you need to believe in yourself first. And when you believe in yourself, others are sure to follow.

You start to create despite people in your life telling you not to. You start to create despite that little voice telling you it won’t be good enough. You create because you are inspired, and it feels like the right thing to do.

You are good at what you do. You want to start a business. You worry about money. You worry about reputation. You worry about what people will think if you turn your passion into a career.

You have a career but the pressure is always on. Create something new. Create for your client. Create for yourself. But soon the pressure of creating takes the fun out of it.

So often, when someone starts a hobby or passion or career, these are the things that we worry about: being good enough, staying inspired, making money, looking good, losing it all.

Sometimes we spend so much time worrying about these things that we do lose it all. We forget why we were inspired to begin with and those feelings of passion are replaced with feelings of dread – not wanting to let anyone down, not wanting to let yourself down.

If I think about my hobby, which turned into my passion, which turned into my career…it is easy to think of the milestones which made me worry or cry or jump for joy. I remember struggling so much with money that I got a part time job as a personal assistant. I remember feeling guilt at how I was pursuing my dream but helping no one while I was doing it. I remember feeling like a fish so small I couldn’t possibly avoid the hungry mouths of the bigger fish. I remember feeling like I was someone, and wondering if someone else would take that away.

Over time our doubts ebb and flow. We have concerns and we step on them. We have fears and we confront them. But the one thing we will always have is an uphill battle, and that is a good thing. If we want to learn and grow and become the best version of ourselves, we will always be climbing that hill. And in my years of experience thus far, I have learned something very valuable:

The uphill battle is never just the money, or the reputation, or the competition. It is the hill itself, and willing yourself to climb even when life isn’t easy. It is the hill that never ends, the top reaching past the clouds, and you wonder when you will find relief. But if you learn to see the climb as a challenge and a gift, always teaching you, always nurturing you, you begin to nurture yourself. You adjust to breathing the air that high up, and your legs become stronger, and you push on.

And once you climb so high, you are above it all: the competition, the drama, the fear. Sure, there will be new battles all the time, but you will be better equipped to handle them as they come.

So if you are climbing that hill and you wonder if it will ever be worth it…if you feel stuck and out of breath and wonder if you should keep climbing: the answer is yes. Pursue your hobby or passion or career. Become yourself. Step into your life. Because all the concerns and aches and pains are worth the bliss of being who you are meant to be – unabashedly, proudly, and above all – inspired.

Model: Katie Johnson

I don’t think that the things we do and the people we are have to be wholly connected. Once you give yourself permission to be any number of people while staying true to your core, you become comfortable in your many skins. We are all chameleons, shape-shifters and skin-shedders. We take on new personas as we grow into the world. As we accept ourselves, we become ourselves.

It is easy to get caught up in thinking that there is one person we are supposed to be, yet with all the possibility in the world I think it is narrow-minded to constantly try to fit into one version of yourself. We are infinite. We change into the person we want to be everyday. Each new moment is an opportunity to recognize who you want to be and to be that person.

I was thinking of all these things when I created this image. For me, it is an image of desire. It is an image of the future and the past and the present colliding. I photographed this in Dubai, in an old street with cobblestone and aged concrete. I photographed a young woman, beautiful and carefree. I photographed the ever-changing sky moving past us. And those three elements came together to represent past, present and future. One cannot easily exist without the other in a meaningful way.

We are so many people wrapped into one. The ways that we express those different personas are as varied as the personalities that inhabit our bodies. It is okay to be many in one. It is okay to accept what makes us different. I can say with confidence and pleasure that I am not the same person I used to be. Who I am now is evolving, and who I will be is exciting. We have the power to be whoever we want to be. We have the power to create the art that represents us. We have the power, always.

For these reasons, I am starting a project entitled “I AM ME” which makes the very clear statement that we should be proud of who we are no matter our differences. The most powerful message of self-acceptance must come from within, and if at all possible, that message should be spread far and wide.

What I ask of you is this: Create a self-portrait. It does not have to be personal, or it can be the most personal thing you have ever photographed. It does not have to be traditional, but must feature you (or part of you) in some way. Along with your self-portrait, I want you to finish this sentence with one word: “I am ________”. 

In the comments of this blog post I want you to share your self portrait by pasting a link and writing the sentence “I am _________”. The deadline is March 15.

It can be incredibly scary. It might be less scary than you think. It might be very difficult to push past how you see yourself to see the truth: your physical beauty is irrelevant. By not seeing yourself for the person you are (a beautiful and unique individual), you buy into the idea that there is a universal standard of beauty.

Let’s not. Let’s do something to change it. Let’s decide, all together, right now, that we can be the main character in our stories. I sincerely hope you’ll join me on this.