Love photos; hate taking them.

I don’t really like taking photos.

And I’ve tried to like it.

A few birthdays ago, my friend got me a disposable camera to take photos throughout the day. It was precious, nostalgic and sweet. I enjoyed having an eye out for those Kodak moments to capture all day long. Snapping a moment I wasn’t going to see until I developed the film months later was like creating a little future treat for myself.

Naturally I thought: ”I should just always have a disposable camera I’m snapping photos on. A roll of film for every season maybe.”

I tried it a few times. I forgot about it most of the time. When I did take a photo, there was a 80% chance it turned out badly. It took me forever to get around to developing the film once the camera was full.

But I kept feeling like I should be taking photos. I should be having an eye out for the everyday moments to capture. I should pick up my camera.

I should be enjoying this and making it a priority.

I finally came to the conclusion: I don’t need to pressure myself into liking something.

I touched on this revelation in a previous blog post, but learning how to recognize what I’m naturally drawn back to and what I’m not has been a self-discovery tool for me. While on paper, filling up a disposable camera with photos from my season seemed like a romantic idea, it was actually an unenjoyable activity for me.

And that’s okay.

I can admire the product, but be uninterested in the process of creating it.