January 1, 2010

My New Year’s Resolutions

I will think of myself as an artist, not as a photographer.

I will develop my own Vision, not copy the Vision of others.

I will work on seeing with my Vision and not with my eyes.

I will avoid studying the work of other photographers.

I will not let the opinions of others affect how I feel about my work, for good or for bad.

I will focus on the creative process, not equipment or the technical processes.

I will shoot more often, every day if possible.

I will always stop when I see something that interests me, even if that means I’ll be late.

I will try something new and different.

I will not try to define what art is, or what it is not.

I will always encourage others in their creative process and I will appreciate those who encourage me.

I will associate with positive people.

I will get on the road and finish my Harbinger series.

I will start several new projects that excite me.

If I’m working on a project that does not excite me, I will abandon it.

When I find myself in a slump, I will not worry about it but patiently keep working and have faith that it will pass.

I will not compromise my values.

I will believe in myself, and that I can do anything I set my mind to.

I will love what I’m doing.

~

Happy New Year.

Cole

 

 

 

21 thoughts on “My New Year’s Resolutions”

  1. That’s great Cole!! Sounds like you’re well on your way to a successful year with that mind-set. Best wishes to you and the family.
    John

    Reply

  5. Happy New Year Cole-
    Ambitious resolutions, and I wish you the best in keeping them.
    The fourth one tho, I’m not so sure. I enjoy looking at other’s work too much- and sharing images and ideas is such a big part of the enjoyment of photography. I think you can study the work of others without copying it…

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  6. A Happy New Year to you as well,
    great aims and I wish you success in achieving all that. But in one point I’m on Lance Keimig’s side: what would happen if I only make pictures for myself, if I (probably) wouldn’t publish them..? I’m very thankful to you and other artists for sharing your ideas, for widening my horizon.

    Reply

  7. If you’re really not going to look at other work, I’ll give you an address where you can forward your Lenswork subscription…

    Not to beat a dead horse here, but I think this is worthy of further discussion. Perhaps an article in the aforementioned magazine…

    I think that as a member of a community of artists- whether it be formal or not- our FB friends for example- it’s each of our responsibilities to participate. In fact you even said, “I will always encourage others in their creative process and I will appreciate those who encourage me.” While it’s possible to support each other in some ways without considering the work, I think it’s probably fairly limited.

    This is not a criticism, Cole- but an attempt to start a dialog about sharing, supporting, and just being a part of the community of photographers.

    Personally, being part of the photo community is at times distracting from getting work done, but it’s immensely rewarding in other ways.

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  8. Great list Cole! I wish you the best in the new year. I commend you on putting down what you feel needs to improved. Please let me know how you do. It will be a struggle but you can do it.

    Jeff

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  9. Lance, you agitator! (smile) I almost left that one item off because I knew I’d hear from you and others.

    But as you suggest, perhaps it bears discussion. How about I make this the subject of the next blog entry and we can discuss the pluses and minuses.

    Of course, I know I’m going into a losing battle, I’ve never really had anyone “agree” with my approach, and I’ve certainly had plenty of disagreements. But what a friend helped me to see is that perhaps this is just where I’m at today, and that others are not in the same place at this moment. That this is a temporary technique I’m using for my current state of progress.

    Thanks Lance, more on the next blog.

    Cole

    Reply

  10. Hey Cole! If we don’t look at, and admire, the work of others, who would purchase your prints! …big smile there.
    I look at a couple of yours each trip down the hall….admire them….and try hard not to copy.

    Shalom,

    Reply

  11. Dear Friend, these are wonderful resolutions! “If I am working on a project that does not excite me, I will abandon it.” LOL! I’m sorry, it is warm laughter for I can just picture you gritting your teeth and trying to make yourself complete the project. Let go of that anal side of yourself, at least as far as your art! You are not a photographer; you are an artist, and I love your art! Have a wonderful and blessed year, Cole.

    Abbey

    Reply

  16. Here are some suggested New Year’s Resolutions from a friend and great Marketing Coach, Alyson Stanfield.

    * Decide to go for it
    * Define success for yourself
    * Commit to your vision
    * Identify and personalize strategies
    * Create good habits
    * Release what you don’t love
    * Set boundaries

    She has a great newsletter, one of the few I religiously read:

    http://www.ArtBizCoach.com

    © 2010 Alyson B. Stanfield. Alyson takes the mystery out of marketing your art and making more money as an artist. Visit http://www.ArtBizCoach.com to get articles just like this one delivered to your inbox.

    Reply

  17. I too was struck by your resolution “I will avoid studying the work of other photographers.” Great topic for discussion and look forward to what you have to say about that in a future blog entry. While I don’t look to copy the work of other photographers, I continue to draw inspiration and new ideas from the work of others. Maybe that’s just because I’m not as far along on the experience “curve” as you. 😉

    Dave

    Reply

  19. Happy New Year Cole. Great list of resolutions. I need to shoot more often myself so I would like to “borrow” that one myself, if I may. Hope to see you in Moab this year.

    Reply

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