Better Than Yesterday (improvement over perfection)
I think we spend so much of our lives trying to get things perfect! I mean sure… aim high - of course! but don’t beat yourself up if you miss the mark. We all want to make the right decisions, become better versions of ourselves and feel as though we are moving in the right direction. We strive to improve (which is great!), but often forgetting to appreciate how far we have already come.
I see this in life, but I also see it in my photographic journey.
There is always something to learn, something to improve, something I could have done differently. A photograph where the light wasn't quite right, a composition that could have been better, or a moment I almost captured but missed.
So how do I ‘deal’ with that? how do I process that and keep up the motivation to keep going… I take a minute to look at how far I have come.
There will always be another skill to master, another technique to explore and another photographer whose work inspires me to do better (which is actually a positive thing!). The danger is becoming so focused on what I haven't achieved that I forget to appreciate what I am learning along the way. I actually don;t even call them mistakes, I call them ‘Learning opportunities!
Because photography, much like life, isn't about getting everything right. It's about learning to see things differently, being willing to experiment and accepting that not getting everything RIGHT or how we envisioned it in our heads - is ACTUALLY part of the process.
Some days, improvement means taking a photograph I am genuinely proud of. Other days, it means understanding why an image didn't work, recognising something I hadn't noticed before and being abler to change it IN the moment to get the shot. It is also about simply enjoying be out with my camera.
And sometimes, the greatest improvement is learning not to judge everything by its outcome. The process and the experience is just as important! if not THE key part!
It is so easy to compare ourselves with others, to look at their work and wonder why we aren't there yet. But we rarely see the years of practice, the missed opportunities and the imperfect attempts that came before the success.
Their journey is theirs. Mine is mine. Yours is yours.
I want to keep learning, keep experimenting and keep developing my own way of seeing the world. But I also want to enjoy where I am right now, rather than constantly wishing I were further ahead.
I don't want to chase perfection. I want to be better than I was yesterday.
A little more confident. A little more observant. A little more willing to try something different. Not just with my photography, but in life itself.
Because growth isn't always a big breakthrough. Sometimes it is found in the smallest adjustments, the quiet lessons and the willingness to try again after something not turning out how you had planned.
I am learning that I can be proud of where I am while still wanting to improve. I can appreciate my photographs today while knowing that, with time and practice, I will see things differently tomorrow.
And perhaps that is the beauty of being a work in progress. There is always something new to discover, but there is no need to rush towards some imaginary finish line (spoiler alert! there isn’t one!).
So I'll keep picking up my camera. I'll keep learning from my mistakes, looking for the light and finding beauty in the ordinary. I'll keep growing, both behind the lens and beyond it.
Because perfection is an endless pursuit, but improvement is something I can find every single day.
And if I can look back on yesterday and recognise even the smallest step forward, then I'm exactly where I need to be.
