Today I declare my intentions and define my path for the future. Lately multiple people have called me a photographer and at each introduction or mention of it I have declared that I am in fact not a photographer. I have had this misguided representation of what a photographer was, I was projecting the profession onto the title and not the act. First lets define the word photographer:
noun
A person who takes photographs
Well I certainly do that, it’s also what I’m passionate about, so why was I thinking I was not a photographer? For me and many others, there is a idea of what something is versus the reality. When we break down these ideas to their simplest forms it turns out they aren’t what our preconceived notions portray. I may not be a professional, yet, but I certainly am a photographer. Here is my first declaration:
Now that we got that bit cleared up what else. Next would certainly be my struggle with calling myself a creative. I have clever thoughts, think outside of the box, solve problems that take certain leaps and have always identified myself as an artist even when I wasn’t making art; so how can I not say I’m creative? Again, there is this built up preconceived notion that because I am not technically getting paid to be creative (although, I pretty much am, it’s my creativity that makes me excel at my job) or produce “art” that I am not a creative. So lets do this one more time, lets define the word creative:
adjective
Relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas
noun
A person who is creative
Let’s come back to identifying myself as a creative and figure out whether or not I am. First lets look at the adjective definition of Creative, “Relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas”, ask anyone who knows me whether or not I have an imagination, the answer would be a resounding “Yes”, admittedly sometimes to a fault. Next ask them if I have original ideas, I’m fairly confident that would be the exact same answer, “Yes”. Now let’s take a look at the noun “A person who is creative”, well I certainly have had some pretty creative moments, thoughts, and ideas throughout my life so obviously by those simple definitions I certainly qualify as a creative. Here’s my second declaration:
Since we got those declarations stated and displayed for the world to see, what next? Here is my third declaration:
Whether this involves my current profession, Information Technology, or photography, blogging, entrepreneurial work, volunteer work, or literally anything my brain conjures up, I vow to always put my creative pursuits ahead of my logical rationalizations. Now my final declaration (for now):
This is my declaration of creativity, this is my purpose, my passion, my ultimate life goal. Putting these things in writing makes them real, no longer will I just recite them over and over in my own head. This pursuit of extraordinary is no longer a dream, it is now a reality. I have to give credit where credit is due though, Chase Jarvis, legendary photographer and creative, gave me the inspiration to write a declaration of creativity. For the inspiration and foundational idea I will always be eternally grateful. My hope is that you, my fellow aspiring creatives, to write your own declaration of creativity and share it with the world. This is just as much for myself as it is for the masses. Don’t let your days be buried with the mundane and never settle for ordinary, ALWAYS strive for extraordinary!