Creative Friends Keep Me Going

I’m convinced that forced creativity leads to burnout. My brain categorizes forced creativity as the photography gigs I do to fit someone else’s vision. The ones where I’m creative within certain bounds. Now, let me be the first to say there’s nothing wrong with coming alongside someone and bringing their vision to life. In fact, I’m actually passionate about that and sometimes it’s more fulfilling serving others.

Where burnout can creep in [for me personally] is when I’m not taking enough time to create things that I want to see come to life. I really enjoy getting together with a friend and brainstorming together to create and photograph things just for the sake of creativity and fun. Surrounding myself with friends who believe in my craft, who challenge me, and who encourage me are the ones I’m thankful for.

My favorite creative photoshoot I’ve done was with my friend and I in his apartment. We turned the living room into a makeshift studio and used various lights and a mirror to create some really eye-catching shots. We used everything from Windex to Fabreeze to Water to create some texture on the mirror. You can actually see some these photos on my instagram page @hellohalleymichelle. Shoutout to my friend Will for always being down to experiment with photos.

To my creatives out there, take time to learn and grow. Take time to serve other’s vision, but make sure you make time to rest or stimulate and challenge your own creative flow as well so you can show up as the best version of yourself.