#NerdsUnite: Confessions of a ginger

Nov 29

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Layne. I forget how we first started talking ... I think it was on twitter, and then we totes became besties on Facebook, and then we started reading each other's blogs and like commenting and like and like and like ... this chick is RAD annndd she's a ginger. No, seriously. Welcome to the world of Layne and the thoughts that are inside of her head. HIT IT GIRL! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Layne Tanley

One of the goals I recently set for myself was to spend more quality time with my camera, just feeling my way back through the daily habit of recording my world. Recording means I generally take images of things as they are, rather than manipulating a scene or subject to fit in with my own desires. Not that there's anything wrong with that, there are different ways that artists express themselves through photography. Generally, I tend to stay in the "observe and record" mode.

On Tumblr, I stumbled across a "30-Day Photography Challenge" that one of the people I was following was participating in for the month of September. The challenge also has a Flickr group, so once I decided to take up this challenge, I joined the group on Flickr as well. I started out strong, but at that particular time I was working for a start-up and I ended up getting distracted (majorly) by all of the things I "needed" to do or "had" to do and forgot a lot of what I "wanted" to do, too.

Well, I lost that job in early October, through no fault of my own, just a simple funding issue that led to my being let go, since as the lowest hanging fruit, I was the most expendable. It was a bummer, but I knew I had an opportunity to really dive into some soul-searching and figure out exactly what the hell I was doing with my life. When I look back at the girl I was graduating High School (~~an eternity~~11 years ago), I have to laugh at her. Not in a condescending way, though the gods know I can beat that dead horse, but in a way of "Oh... you're so naive. You have no clue what's ahead of you as an Artist. None. But don't you DARE give up." As a nerd then (and now), the one thing I did not lack were social skills. This is one thing about me that anyone who knows me will tell you: I will talk to anyone. Strangers, pets, children, inanimate objects, etc.

So, during my freshman year at college, I joined the photography club, known as Photo Society. Being a photography major actually introduced me to many amazing people, and I am still very close to two in particular, so when I started out in college, photography was often a social experience as well as a private one. When I saw the opportunity to challenge myself daily, through social media, I jumped at it. After becoming FUNemployed, I decided to pick the challenge back up for November.

Immediately, I saw a difference in my work. My interest in the project and my connection to the moment of creation was much more intense this go-round than the first. Part of me wondered if it was due to the fact that I had more freedom to pursue the things that I wanted. Was it that I could focus all of my creative energy into one medium? One thing Jen has said before and I'll say it again for her: Timing is everything.

It dawned on me that I had changed so much as an artist in the last 11 years, it's astounding. I've been taking pictures for 18 years, since I got my first camera at 11-years-old. There is something different inside of me, now. Experience. Life. Mistakes and choices made. Ups and downs and inside-outs. I haven't done truly serious or significant (to me) work in a long time. While that may sound like I am complaining, I am not. I'm coming to grips with how my voice has changed, and what I really want out of this practice.

So, in taking the time, every day, to explore a subject and put my time (money) where my mouth is, I've re-kindled the flame. I have started creating lists and inspiration logs in Evernote with ideas and tiny moments in my head where I can see an image I want to create. I'm no longer passive in my art, but active. That is a HUGE deal for me. I haven't felt like this in years.

Each day I complete a subject, I post it on Tumblr. I also post it on my blog and upload it to my photostream on Flickr. Through the Flickr group, I am getting feedback from other people participating in the challenge, and can do the same for them. I also get some feedback through my blog and Tumblr, and some of my contacts also help keep me accountable for completing the challenge. If they see I haven't posted a subject in a couple of days, they're there to encourage me and keep me honest.

Now, I'm looking forward to spending that time with my camera each day, enjoying the buzz I get from the snap of the shutter. I'm extremely thankful that via social media, I got some of my joy and pleasure back with regard to photography. It started with a goal, but the execution is what has really lead to discovering something new about myself.