Help Wanted

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”  

 – Charles Dickens

My friends know I’m a “wanna-be” reader...

But I also consider myself a “wanna-be” blogger...

Who knew it would be this hard?!

My goal when I started blogging at the beginning of the year was to NOT be the traditional photography blogger who posted:

 “Check out pictures from Susie and Dave’s big day...”

or

 “Little Mandy’s first cake smash was such a ....smash!”

B-o-r-i-n-g....

Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time photographing “Little Mandy” (name changed to protect the innocent.)

But she was not having anything to do with that cake, we hid blueberries behind it to give you the illusion of her touching the darn thing.   

So the last thing I was going to do was blog about my first and last cake smash failure (but she is adorable, isn't she!)

In hopes of motivating and inspiring me, one of my dear friends sent me a list of 55 potential blog themes.

She was either tired of me whining about not having any creativity or she really did think the list would spark something...

In her defense she pulled the blog theme list from the internet, so I picked out some of my "favorites..."

1. Talk about your favorite makeup brand

(ummm - Houston we have a problem, the last time I wore make-up it was on my wedding day, and I was literally in tears, screaming "I look like RuPaul" believe me, the big reveal wasn't pretty...and now, even my clients bring their own make-up artists.)

2. Share what you do to stay creative
(err, did I mention I have mental constipation?)

3. Talk about your hobbies

(really that's a topic of interest? but my hobby is now my job-by and we are talking about it.)

4. Talk about wardrobe essentials

(my friend was laughing at me because she typed "can't wait to read this one"  translation: talking about my black, blue and khaki wardrobe may be a bit boring.)

5. Talk about your favorite clothing brand

(I'm sure no one really wants to know how many Harley and Navy t-shirts I have in my closet.)

I'll spare you from the other 50 line items, but you see my dilemma. 

This gesture did get me thinking, though.  How many of us get stuck on something or have 'mental constipation' but don't think to ask for help?

There is no shame in it.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”– Mahatma Gandhi

Here are some techniques I use to overcome my mental or creative blocks:

1. Take a deep breath and look at it from a different perspective.

2. Leverage a resource, the never ending internet might get your juices flowing or join a "Mastermind" group for inspiration.

3. Find an accountability buddy, someone to routinely meet with to support your goals and hold you responsible for achieving them.

4. Exercise.

5. Whine. 

Laura Hatcher is a retired Naval Officer, Mother, Harley Rider and Published Professional Photographer located in Northern Virginia.

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