Creative resistance isn’t laziness; it's a hidden barrier photographers face every day. It's that invisible wall making you endlessly research gear or tweak your website instead of actually shooting.
Coming to you from Rick Bebbington, this insightful video addresses the core issue of creative resistance and why it's silently sabotaging your productivity. Bebbington openly shares his past struggles—long periods when his camera gathered dust, hindered by overthinking and perfectionism. Rather than laziness, the real culprit was fear, cleverly disguised as productivity through constant research or the illusion of preparing for the perfect shot. Understanding this subtle psychological game is critical because recognizing resistance is the first step to overcoming it. The video breaks down how common activities, like endless gear research or meticulous website tweaking, are traps keeping you from actual creative work.
Continuing his exploration, Bebbington identifies momentum as the most powerful weapon against resistance. Momentum turns occasional creative efforts into consistent practice, significantly reducing the mental friction involved in getting started each day. By simply taking action, however imperfect, you gradually build a habit that can defeat resistance. The video references a telling example from James Clear’s "Atomic Habits," highlighting a group experiment in photography where quantity clearly outperformed quality in producing the best results. The insight here is simple yet profound: frequent, imperfect attempts lead to faster improvement than striving for rare, perfect ones. This is crucial advice for anyone aiming for real progress in their creative endeavors.
Bebbington emphasizes that resistance often masquerades as overwhelming choices—too many cameras, lenses, or apps causing creative paralysis. Instead of perfect conditions or elaborate setups, he advocates regular practice, even if it's just 15 minutes a day. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Bebbington.
