Have you found your inner artist?

Photographer Joshua Cripps is one of those artists whose words inspire me to think about my own work. And his latest challenge has definitely made me start thinking and re-evaluating my photography.

The challenge is this: look through the most recent photos in your portfolio and ask yourself: “are these photos the product of my unique artistic vision or could any photographer have done this?” After this question, my thoughts started unraveling. And with the same question in mind, Joshua wrote an interesting article that could also make you reevaluate your work and become even better at what you do.

In his blog post, Joshua doesn’t focus only on the “copycats” and the popular photo editing styles, locations and even compositions that appear in tons of photos online. It’s more about the lack of vision, which seems to be often present in the market that’s oversaturated with photographers. It looks like many artists rather produce work that’s similar to someone else’ than create something that reflects their own vision and emotion. And because of this, Joshua asks: “Has photography really become that interchangeable from person to person? Or are we becoming less willing to step outside the accepted norm of photography in pursuit of likes and thumbs-ups?”

Of course, these photos aren’t bad. They aren’t unappealing. But the thing is – there’s a lack of diversity of personal styles. None of us is immune to accepting what’s popular, and it’s not necessarily wrong. But what can really make you stand out is following your own ideas and vision.

Ask yourself: “is this a photo only I could have taken?” I have, and my answer is: “Oh, I still have so much to grow.” What’s your answer? Are you pleased with your work at the moment, or you feel your artistic vision still has a long way to go?

You can read the full article on Joshua’s blog. Also, make sure to visit his website, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.