How Watching Someone Read Turned Into Writing More

Did you ever go through a time at work where you gritted your teeth, powered through the problems and longed for vacation?  I did.

I loved my career, but sometimes the intensity left me too drained to give my best to my family. I longed for rest but felt like I couldn’t stop until my work was completely done. (Note: I had not specified to myself what “done” actually looked like). 

One day, while photographing near Roaring River, I saw an elegant lady perhaps fifteen years older than me lounging on a blanket in the shade of a tree, reading a book IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. She wasn't visibly working, grocery shopping, studying a kids' baseball schedule or responding to a group text about collecting donations.  Her husband was fishing nearby and she appeared to be minding her own business without a care in the world. 

As a visual thinker, this image was electrifying to me.  Could people do that?

Could I do that?

What if... I could do a little bit of something I love every day? Instead of waiting all year for a long break, could I actually take a short break… every week?

That was almost a decade ago, and now I've made it a habit to take breaks and do something I enjoy every day.  I feel so sorry for my younger self that powered through under the noble impression that rest was only available once all the work was complete.

HAHAHAHAHHAHAH (this mindset was several kids ago, mind you).

Now I have learned a name for "having fun every day."  It's called rejuvenation.

Not only is rejuvenation shockingly permissible, but it's highly recommended to pursue daily. Rejuvenation may look different based on your personality and stage in life, but I currently enjoy reading aloud to my kids, eating cherry tomatoes with freshly cracked pepper, and taking long walks in the park lost in an historical fiction audiobook. In these warm months, another favorite practice is to simply sit in the shade of my front porch and drink coffee with 15g whipping cream and 60g Fairlife 2% milk.  (Oddly specific, perhaps? I'm letting you know it's really me, not AI that's writing this blog. I'm also letting you know it's something you may look into because it's higher in protein than half and half).

There’s no photography point to this conversation other than to suggest, in case you are also a hyper-focused person who feels like you can’t relax until your responsibilities are complete, that it’s actually more beneficial to your creativity to take frequent breaks. 

I had Clara take this month's headshot on the front porch since it's my preferred office of choice in the early mornings of July.  We were cracking ourselves up working and I hope all drivers-by were entertained, because we were also shooting for a test gif. Clara shares my creative genes, and we both love to imagine but hate to perform.  In other words, we like to dream up things and have other people do it.  We were brainstorming fun gif ideas because we know how human eyes are attracted to movement.  But what to move?  I can't dance and I abhor trends- dancing or pointing for Reels activates my Demand Avoidance.  We ruled out raising a coffee cup because I use an insulated non-Instagrammable Stanley pilsner that looks like I'm drinking something else.   In the end, Clara voted for pushing my hair back since that's a normal habit for me.  After going through the process of making a gif, I have a list of ideas that would might be fun, especially for people that aren't dancers and receive no dopamine from public performance- but that's another post and I’m overriding my rabbit trail mind now and getting back to the point of this post:  LIFE IS BETTER SINCE I LET MYSELF PAUSE.

Why did I spend the first part of my adult life thinking I had to get all the work done before I could play?   Perhaps I was under the naive impression that I could get the work done.  Now I know the work never stops and the inbox is never empty. This thought is not meant to be depressing- I've reframed it as "new opportunities are always coming in." 

To make myself feel accomplished and keep myself focused, I now set a few realistic action steps for the day that align with my bigger goals for the quarter. When those few action steps are are done I encourage myself to pause and enjoy my progress.  Yes, on occasion I still get a sinking heart when I see how much work there is to be done, but I won’t allow myself to set aside happiness for it!  Just like “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,” I work better when I’m happy because I’m relaxed and alert.  (Which is funny, because my hyperfocus of previous years actually dulled my senses to other things happening around me).  All work- whether it’s studio or housework or homeschool- becomes easier and more energized when I feel easy and energized.

During one of my front porch pauses, I came up with the idea of making my sporadic Calotype emails more consistent and in alignment with what I actually wanted to talk about.  I have waffled for years over Calotype emails, because the business side of me knew I needed to stay in front of people  but there is so much NOISE in the world (and our inboxes) that I felt hesitant to add more.   Feeling unclear about what I was trying to accomplish led me to inaction and frustration.

But then I thought about the people I enjoy following. I like getting occasional updates about their business, strategies, thoughts and ideas!  I love to follow artists and see what they create. I love staying in touch with locals and finding out what other professionals and families are doing in Missouri.  When I get an email saying “Jeff Legg has shared new artwork, “ I race to see what it is.  It’s not noise to me- it’s a fresh, welcome perspective from the over-enthusiastic, corporate-toned marketing emails from J. Crew telling me to buy more striped t-shirts. 

With all that in mind, I came up with a simple plan to stay in touch with clients and prospects. It will be my email newsletter, called The Composition: Non-Fiction Notes @ People & Portraits.   I plan to feature some clients that have made their way through my doors in the last month, some glimpses of my family life outside the studio, some photography tips that have shaped my style, and a way to gather your input on new products or services I’m considering.  As I go and learn what you want to read about, I hope to pull that into the Newsletter.

If you like this idea and want to follow, please subscribe below. I’m starting this particular mailing list from scratch.  I have several contacts through my years of business, but many of my addresses are outdated with clients moving or changing work emails. Because I have recently switched my website (going from SquareSpace to Hubspot)  I decided not to import previous subscribers. Instead, I'm choosing to let them find me again.  Risky, perhaps, from a sales perspective; yet from the view of an artist it will make sure I’m talking to a currently engaged audience.  If this is not your happy place, my feelings aren’t hurt if you don’t subscribe.   Life is too short to live with a cluttered inbox! 

I hope you are the type of person that has learned to pause and allow yourself some happiness everyday. Some people are born with that ability and I admire you greatly for it. But if you see a stressed out 20-something year old that's not naturally gifted in the art of slowing down, model "ease" and go easy on them.  Life is hard, but we have the power to create good words, good conversations, good smiles and good friends. 

Back to the front porch!  Wave when you drive by!

My other front porch lover- Charlotte, age 7.