Photography is Easy {but not the way you think)

Written by Elaine Simonsen…..

Hi everyone! My name is Elaine and I am a photographer/mother to 5 little ones!  Yes, I said 5!  My oldest child is 8 (Amelia), then 6 (Georgia), 4 (Garrett), 2 (Walt), and 3 months (Beatrice).

A few weeks ago Amanda said that photography was her therapy after her father died.  I need photography in the same way.

I say “need” because if I’m not doing it, I feel lost inside.  I don’t even have to be working for money, I just need to photograph life!

photo1 There have been many times in my photography journey where I thought I was going to give up because I didn’t feel good enough. During those breaks, I was miserable.  Trying to find another hobby that made me feel like photography did was impossible. I would always come back.

I don’t tend to toot my own horn, but I realize that I’ve come a long way and am good at what I do. That is thanks to my practicing and never actually giving up!

There are many reasons in my life that would make any person need full on, one on one, face to face counseling.  (Which I’ve actually done and loved, by the way). I’m open and honest with myself and others about my struggles because if it inspires or helps someone, then it was the right thing to do.  That’s how I initially found the help I needed; I spoke up.  Out loud, I told someone what I was going through.  She had been through the same in the past and knew my heartache.  She diagnosed me right then and there with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Although, my official diagnosis came a month later.  I often joke about “wishing I had the kind of OCD that made me keep my house clean”, but I’m not serious.  OCD can be, and was for me, a debilitating condition that many people don’t understand. I was cursed with thoughts that wouldn’t get out of my head.  Worries that just wouldn’t go away no matter what I did.

tree Fears that kept me from living my life.  I’ve always been a “worrier”, but when I started having children it got so much worse. Suddenly I had something to live for and worry about. It would  literally kill me if something EVER happened to my family. So I thought and worried constantly.  The friend that helped me had OCD as well and I learned so much about treatment that was available, coping mechanisms, and support systems that I needed.

But the one thing that I figured out myself was that my thoughts calmed themselves while I was out shooting. I didn’t think about the “what ifs” and I just focused on the f stop and shutter speed. It was SO nice to function in a positive manner finally. I would just go drive to a location and shoot the foliage, the wildlife, or bring a long one of my children as a model. It was so easy; I needed something to be easy.  This would be just one way that I would use photography in my life.

To be continued…

 

Comments

  1. You beautifully summarized the concept of “flow,” so I had to google it. Very cool!
    “Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does. Proposed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, this positive psychology concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields.[1]”
    So inspiring to hear your story, part 1. I look forward to more. 🙂

  2. Elaine,
    Thank you so much for being willing to share your journey with us and showing us how photography can be a wonderful therapy.

Trackbacks

  1. […] told you about my struggles with OCD and anxiety/depression in my first post (you can reread that here).  Well, It took a lot of nerve for me to come out and tell you about my struggles.  I had to be […]

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