Whether you are a professional or a hobbyist, going through a period where you are not feeling creatively inspired can be incredibly frustrating. So, what can you do to break out of that and get back to making photos that make you and your clients happy? Sometimes, the best solution is to become your own customer.
Coming to you from Keith Cooper, this excellent video essay discusses the idea of becoming your own photo customer. The idea goes something like this: when you are feeling uninspired or lacking creative ideas, instead of trying to mine your own brain, ask yourself what your target audience or clients are looking for in your images. This will often help you draw connections across your work and uncover common threads that you might not have noticed before. And this works whether you are a professional or a hobbyist; if you are a hobbyist, simply consider those in your audience whose opinions you value, when they are fellow photographers, friends and family, or followers on your social media channels. Even if you have no problem feeling inspired right now, it is a worthwhile exercise that can help you discover more about your own work and what makes you tick. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Cooper.
