To me, Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland is about the difficulty of making art while fighting against your own self image and fear in the process. The book’s central idea is that artists are not superheroes who never feel afraid; they are people who continue working through fear and challenge themselves anyway. In that sense, artists are similar to people drawn to dangerous sports or activities: fear is not always something to avoid, but something that can make the experience meaningful. The text validates feelings I have had before: feeling behind, doubting myself, or becoming frustrated when something does not work out the way I imagined. At the same time, it also supports the way I try to approach my artistic direction: unapologetically. I want and feel pretty comfortable At this point in my creative journey to go wherever my mind takes me without becoming too concerned with whether everyone else likes the result. I want my work to become an experience that reflects my true self and helps me discover more about myself, other people, and my surroundings. Ultimately, I believe that if an artist only makes work that pleases others, but never challenges themselves and is not continuously learning from everything they do, then they are doing something wrong.

Being a free spirit and allowing my creativity to wander is part of what makes me an artist. And I think a large majority of artists feel the same way. It requires giving up the weight of other people’s opinions, self-doubt, and the constant worry that can prevent progress. Sometimes work will fail. It may not communicate what I hoped it would, and a project may not become what I first imagined. Still, there is always something to learn from the process. That is one of the most important lessons I can carry into my creative practice and my life in general. I have experienced this many times, and it has taught me not to fear failure, but to embrace it and allow it to shape me. Multiple of my favorite quotes come from Astronaut Chris Hadfield And his perspective on fear and failure that I relate to From his book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth.

“Early success is a terrible teacher. You're essentially being rewarded for a lack of preparation, so when you find yourself in a situation where you must prepare, you can't do it. You don't know how.”

"if you start thinking that only your biggest and shiniest moments count, you're setting yourself up to feel like a failure most of the time."

I do not necessarily feel that this text is something I desperately need, because I already feel comfortable exploring my creativity and not letting fear stop my practice. However, it is still a valuable reminder. Over the past few years, I have learned to trust experimentation and accept uncertainty as part of the process. That mindset has become part of my ethos, not only in photography and art, but also in my everyday life and in how I interact with other people my opportunities. And by that, I think the ideas in Art & Fear extend beyond art itself. The book’s title could apply to almost anything someone is trying to overcome. Fear appears in creative work, relationships, education, careers, and personal growth. The same questions can be useful in all of those situations: What is holding me back? What am I afraid of failing at? What would happen if I kept going anyway?

"The development of an imagined piece into an actual piece is a progression of decreasing possibilities, as each step in execution reduces future options by converting one - and only one - possibility into a reality. Finally; at somepoint or another, the piece could not be other than it is, and it is done. That moment of completion is also, inevitably, a moment of loss - the loss of all the other forms the imagined piece might have taken. The irony here is that the piece you make is always one step removed from what you imagined, or what else you can imagine, or what you're right on the edge of being able to imagine."

Page 15 - Art & Fear

This is the part of the reading that stood out to me the most within its concepts surrounding vision, execution, and imagination. And its also the most tragic part of making any art.

Before a project begins, it is easy to imagine a perfect outcome. I can relate to that because I often begin with a strong vision. However, I do not think vision should be fixed. It should be malleable, something that shifts, warps, and changes as the work develops. Sometimes that original vision even disappears, and something new takes its place. I have had experiences where I began with one vision, lost it during the process, and then found a more interesting direction. I think allowing that change is important. The best advice I could give someone is not to hold onto a vision. A vision should push you into the process of making, not control every step of it. If you have to let go of the original idea, then let it go for something that feels more honest to yourself, more compelling, or even more fun. Sometimes not having a vision can also be productive. Our last class photo walks is a perfect example of this, by simply walking around, observing, and allowing images to find us became its own creative strategy. Instead of forcing an idea onto the world, letting the environment, light, and unexpected moments shape my creative direction. That openness is something I try to embrace and want to continue carrying into my photography, creative future, later projects, and life in general.