Useless tips for every Photographer!
There is far too much going on in 2015 that your sanity as a photographer, or any artist, shouldn't be at stake! And now the holiday season is upon us... BRACE YOURSELVES!
I can put that Game of Thrones meme up... but that would just be a step in the wrong direction.
To all those photographers up late editing their frozen fingers off and for all the artists out there about to lose their shit, this is for you!
The top tips for Keeping your shit together during the holiday season!
1. Chocolate. 'Oh but my BUTT will get... ' Shhh... No, no... Don't say it. Just. Don't. Open your mouth and put some chocolate in it.
Seriously. The one thing that you shouldn't do while trying to maintain your sanity is to DEPRIVE yourself of something you REALLY want. So, the handle is to REALLY have it. Sure, you might not be a chocolate person, fine, find a treat that you ENJOY. 'ENJOY' is the key word here. Don't go and grab a sugar free hard candy because it's what you 'can have'. SCREW THAT! Grab a cookie, grab a brownie, grab a Mars bar, eat both the right and left side of the twix... YOU WILL NOT SUFFER THROUGH ANOTHER HOLIDAY!
2. Pretend that you don't understand English, or what ever language you are around mostly. Yup, that's right. Shut it down! Once you get a hang of it then you really can zone out every little thing that sets you off! Complaining, whining, slow talkers, people that can't shut up... really the sky is the limit! And as a photographer you really don't want all that crap destroying your work flow.
HAHA... no not really, I mean go for it and let me know how it turns out for you! Honestly though, make a list of music that brings you good vibes. Remember to keep adding to it. Also, extra bonus for you, treat yourself to some amazing headphones. This is a great way to lock yourself into a world of awesome. Goes great with #1 too. You are probably a pro at binge watching Breaking Bad or The Walking Dead by now and music is great in the sense that you can cover a wide variety, you don't have to commit to one song for too long as they are on average three minutes and some songs might get you movin' to the groovin' helping you NOT STRESS about #1. Bonus tip: Search out songs or bands you HAVEN'T heard in years!
3. Find something to laugh at. Seriously. Lot's of laughing is good for the sanity and good for the soul. I am not sure about other artists but I know that photographers can spend a lot of time hunched over their computer editing. Judging their work before anyone has a chance to compliment them. I am not talking about going into glee where even cutting your finger off sends you into laughing hysterics, I am talking about good honest laughter. You might have to force it at first but before you know it, you will have a jolly, guttural chuckle which will naturally generate your own personal cheer. The alternative is to mope around forgetting to take a shower. So not only are you miserable you also stink. Don't be that photographer that has to be dark and solid no matter what. Allow some laughter into your life and maintain your sanity this holiday season!
4. After you have your next chocolate, and a few hours later, if you are still editing, still arguing on FB about the dress being black and gold, still posting all the meme's because you can't get over the mystery of Glenn being alive or dead... drop the mic and walk away from the computer. Turn it off, actually. Turn your phone off too, even if just for an hour. Your posture and your sanity depends on it. Take your body and plop it outside. Now this next part, it's tricky. Inhale deep. Exhale deep. Try not to choke on your own spit or a gnat and try to keep this just a fresh air breathing moment.
5. Last but not least... make sure you are getting good rest and eating well, aside from the chocolate. Believe it or not, lack of rest and lack of actual meal intake lead to stress and upset, irrationally. Ever feel like you might punch a baby or a kitten and then someone hands you some beef jerky and life starts to make sense? Or you feel like kicking and screaming because... well it doesn't matter but you are upset. And you aren't going to do anything about it but sit here and pout... and the next thing you know you are out like a baby? Well, the body is weird, it needs energy to run. And the fuel your body needs comes from rest and food. So once you are out of one or the other your body kicks into high gear and pulls in ANY and ALL energy...but at a cost. So, keeps snacks around and nap. As a photographer, editing might mean you are mostly static but it does take a toll on you. Or if you are emailing all your peeps or fixing your web site or doing a lot of 'in front of the computer' stuff, you might not even notice that you are hungry or tired until you snap! So again, snacks, naps, good rest, good eat. Chocolate.
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