What kind of photography blog is this?

I know,...what kind of photography blog does not have any pictures in it?
You know I had the greatest break through this weekend though regarding photography. While I was at Books-a-Million I picked up an Annie Leibovitz picture book (that weighed about 100 pounds...or so), she is a world famous photographer who takes striking pictures of celebrities and she did the bared back Miley Cyrus photo that caused all of the chaos a few months ago, but anyway...the beginning of the book had regular pictures of her family. Just candid shots, nothing out of the ordinary, but the fact that they were there, displayed as art made them pop and stand out to me. It made me feel more relevant as a photographer. So what if 90% of my photography is normal subjects that are close to me. Art and beauty I believe are both in the eye of the beholder. You have to believe that what you do is relevant before anyone else will believe in what you do, and I would have to imagine, not knowing anything about Ms. Leibovitz, that she believed that her photos were 100% relevant even when it was her parents on the beach and that is what made her such a great artist.

Believe you are relevant.

No more silly goal...

So, I have to admit it...I missed a day taking pictures. My goal was to take a picture every day this year and last week I missed a day. I woke up in a cold sweat (not really, but that sounds more dramatic), thinking I had missed something. I think it was about the time that I was blow drying my hair that it hit me...I DID NOT TAKE A PICTURE YESTERDAY, NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! And I have only picked up my beloved camera 1 time since. Now I am out of town and I have nothing more than a cellphone camera with me. At first I felt like such a failure, my goal was missed and I felt like I had let myself down, but in truth I think it might actually be good for me. Taking pictures had become a chore and not a creative process. I started catching myself today looking at some skateboarders rolling down a hill towards a mass of red and yellow tulips. The sun was behind the trees and the light was pretty good. I though, wow - What a shot that would be...and that was the first time that feeling has hit me in weeks. They say absence makes the heart grow founder....could it be the same for creativity?