Negative Thinking is Creative Poison

Negative thinking is the Achilles heel of photographers and creatives. At least it is if you’re not aware of it. What happens when we’re negatively labeling things a particular way is that it stops us from seeing the exquisite beauty of life on its terms that is there in every moment.

You know how it is, it may be you are photographing a wedding, and you have a picture in your head of how the day is going to unfold. You have this vision of the venue and how awesome it’s going to be, how the guests are going to be fired up for having their photograph taken and how it’s all going to be set up for you to create the best photography of your life and then you arrive and it isn’t quite how you envisaged things.

And what do we do? We hit the ground running with a whole bunch of negative.

Our energy drops and we get into wishing things were different. What happens then is that we are not open to what is going on in front of us. We’re not seeing what is there. I understand the need for congruency. Like if we feel great for whatever reason, we all have off days, then for sure, it’s fine that this is be reflected in our work. I’d go so far as to say it should be in some way woven into our approach.

That’s being genuine and congruent. But what I’m talking about here is awareness. When we are being critical and negative and are not aware we are doing it then we don’t have a choice. That’s when lethargy of intention sets in. We’re on autopilot and that is going to dilute our creativity for sure.

When we are aware that we are being negative, then we have a choice. We can choose, via seeing how we are looking at things, to pay quality attention, to let our negative thinking pass, and finding our way into seeing the beauty and elegance of what is, rather than focusing on what isn’t.

We can’t do that if we are unaware we are being negative. We’re all guilty of being negative, I am for sure, and the degree to which we can be alert to our stance in any given moment on a shoot or situation is the degree to which we will have that choice.

How do we stay alert to something that has possibly become habitual? Well, having a meditation practice is a good start. Writing a journal or a diary or these things in combination is another way to go about it. Hanging around with the right kind of people. Turning our attention to what is positive. Giving out rather than expecting back.

The fact is if we're surrounding ourselves with negativity then it is going to rub off. A great book to read if you're new to this kind of thing is The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. The book is pretty much a modern classic within the genre of self-development and spirituality.

Overall whatever it takes to have an awareness of how we are approaching a scenario is the most important thing. However, you go about supporting yourself to do that is good enough. It's just important to get that support. In short, it’s about not being a victim of circumstance.

At my workshop, I talk often about there being events and the events in and of themselves are intrinsically neutral. It is our stance concerning them that is key. Are we going to be negative in relation to the event or are we going to find a way into things? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts guys so do please leave a comment below and I will respond.

Other Resources:

Eckhart Tolle Website.

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