Christmas Past

2016 tree concept

2016 gift wrap scheme

I think many have complicated feelings about the winter holidays. I know I do. I live for the holiday season: the brisk temperatures, extended time off, the excuse for baked goods, the festive lights and mulled wine and fair isle sweaters. But. Like with any highly anticipated thing that comes packaged with high expectations, the holidays generally find me sinking into a state of thwarted perfectionism. The decor must be photogenic, the gift choices flawlessly suited to recipient, the party conversation sparkling and interesting, the family movie choices a hit with every single person present. 2020 has amplified that questioning & anxiety.

How did I manage to gain so much weight this season? Did I do enough this year? I’m another year older - but what do I have to show for it? And with it all: feelings of guilt for being a wet blanket during the holidays when everyone else is already wrestling with their questions too, and trying not to show it.

At the end of a weird year, the questioning and the thwarted perfectionism are weirder too, and likely not improved by spending the season in isolation. To those of us who have complicated feelings and experience complicated holidays: You’re doing great. Happy Christmas, and may better times lie ahead.

Voyage Houston: Life and Work with Allie W.

Earlier this month, I was connected to the good folks at Voyage Houston, a nontraditional publication that predominantly features entrepreneurs and creatives who are on uncommon and interesting career paths. We corresponded about topics from a creative upbringing to the nature of what I do. Below, a few excerpts and a link to the main feature:

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On the human aspect of photography:

“In high school, my circle was full of kids who had taught themselves to create nearly professional-quality images with DSLR cameras that their families had given them. At first, I was envious of the effects they could get versus what I could do with a point-and-shoot, but then, I noticed that, more importantly, these friends were empathetic and lived in the moment in a way that drew others to them. Photography made them connect deeply to people and to what was happening around us, and in an appreciative, interpretive way”

On the appeal of creative work:

“[At the start of my creative pursuits], I noticed [...] that doing photography as favors for friends felt rewarding to me in a way that was beyond pure hobbyist enjoyment – it was also intellectually stimulating! Each project felt like a business project or puzzle with its own unique requirements, constraints, and personalities to work around.”

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On advice for up-and-coming creatives:

“The best thing that aspiring creatives can do for themselves is to cultivate a healthy sense of realism and self-forgiveness. Are you going to be an artistic legend overnight, or at all? Probably not. Are you going to throw your hands up and decide that your art isn’t worth pursuing at all because it’s not perfect? Nothing’s perfect. Are the people around you going to trash your work because it doesn’t look like it could be in Vogue or National Geographic? Not if they’re normal, reasonable people. The worst-case scenario that could happen if you put your work out there is that the people who don’t connect with it will just pass it over… and that’s fine. That’s not a real setback. A real setback is not being willing to put your work out there in the first place.”

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