2020 started off well for me. I was working on a sizeable assignment in January and it was also the official launch of my new book North Northwest, which had just won two awards.
I was excited and proud of the new book and really couldn’t wait to start telling the world all about it. As I’ve always found marketing and self promotion a little hard, I came up with the idea of creating this blog, as a way of showing and talking about the work in the book itself.
The idea behind ‘I’m In A Wide Open Space’ was to create a dynamic, evolving space where I can house my landscape photographs, thoughts, work processes, stories and inspirations.
It was an idea that I’d been playing with for a few years, and simply hadn’t had the chance, or the head space, to start work on. It all made sense to me and I hoped it would also help improve my writing and understanding of photography.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic arrived..
At first I was in shock. All work was cancelled. How on earth could this be happening!
I then came around to thinking that the lockdown was actually a great opportunity. I was being given space and time in which I could write and craft the blog. This was perfect.
Then slowly but surely I seemed to shut down. It felt like some sort of mental paralysis. I was completely unable to concentrate or contemplate. I simply couldn’t think, let alone write. I started to doubt everything I had done or was hoping to do. I’d managed just one blog post.
Wind the clock forward eight months.. It’s now October. Work in some form has slowly started to reappear. But I’ve still not touched the blog. I’m still unable it seems to talk or even think about my landscape work. I’m stuck firmly in glue.
So I called my old friend Jack Lowe. He’s a man who’s work ethic and drive I admire greatly, and we talked for well over an hour. One key piece of advice, broadly speaking, was simply to start, and to take very small steps. It sounds so simple right ?
So that’s what I’ve done. I had hoped to launch the blog with a dozen posts, or more, with a fanfare on social media, but I’ve not done that. And it’s fine.
As an aside, but closely related to all of this.. I’m a big fan of Rich Roll’s podcasts and it was there on a conversation with Dr Michael Gervais that I heard the expression FOPO, which if you don’t know, stands for ‘Fear Of People’s Opinions’ This is something I know many people suffer from, but I have been quite shocked to realise its effect on me.
I’m hoping that sharing my work here and writing about it openly and honestly, will lift this cloak and allow me to breath again. I hope you’ll join me on my journey.
Finally I’d like to thank a few folk.. Firstly Fenton Smith, the owner of Concentric Editions, for his incredible patience and understanding. I’d also like to thank Jack for his timely advice and encouragement.
Working in Glen Sligachan, Isle of Skye - January 2017