Last week, when I wrote about unraveling my identity sweater and running into a knot, I was working through some personal attachments to the way I do things. (If you didn’t read the original post this won’t make sense, so quickly visit the original post here.)
When I started Kat Eye Studio two years ago this week, I had just moved back from Italy and had plans. Big plans. I already had two eCourses written and plans for more. I wanted to fill my schedule with eCourses, connecting more people to the heart and soul of photography, running non-stop. I wanted to interact daily with participants online, creating a supportive learning environment.
And I did! I did everything I wanted to do when I started Kat Eye Studio. I knitted a new piece of my identity sweater and was enjoying the fit.
But then, this year, I ran into a problem. I had created enough eCourses that my schedule was full. I could teach them all year long with very little time, maybe a week or two, off in-between. Wow. Suddenly what was fun and invigorating got a little overwhelming. Teaching these courses takes both energy and time, and that doesn’t leave much energy and time to create. Not to mention the energy and time to take care of myself, getting out to exercise and fuel myself visually, which I had been pretty much ignoring for much of the last two years.
So I ran into a knot in my identity… There was the identity I had created for myself, around being very present and active in ongoing instructor-led courses, and the identity that I wanted to create, continuing as an instructor but also as someone who continually develops artistically and takes care of herself physically too. To loosen the knot, I had to let go of one thread and work through the other threads to unravel what was important to me.
So I’ve come out on the other side of this knot with a new plan: eCourses On Demand. I want to continue to share these ideas and materials I’ve put together. I believe in what these courses have to offer, and deep down in my core I know they are valuable and should be put into the world. I just can’t always do it side-by-side with my students, real-time. I need time to create, time to hike, time to write, and time to develop new ideas.
In the future, I plan to teach two or three eCourses per year as instructor-led. My eCourses will be available On Demand the rest of the time, so that you can take them on your schedule, without having to wait a long time to get the material. They will be missing one dimension, the group interaction, but you can get that in other ways. Ask a friend to join you and take the course at the same time, perhaps. And I’ll always be available by email for questions as needed.
It’s amazing how the knot I had been struggling with came undone once I had committed myself to this new path. It was as if the threads just came apart. I can see it was knot of my own making, through my attachments to how I should do things or had done things in the past.
It was a reminder that much of what we struggle with is internal. Our own concepts of identity can hold us back or move us forward. How is yours working for you?
No matter where I go, I capture two-wheeled transportation. Bicycles, scooters and sometimes even motorcycles catch my eye. I can’t begin to explain my excitement as I came across this scene on a forest walk in Pulau Ubin, an island of Singapore. This scene allowed me to express my own interest, with a subject that has become a common thread running throughout my photographs no matter where I am in the world, but also expresses the uniqueness of the place itself. I’ve never seen a sidecar full of coconuts before. Have you?
A Sense of Place is one of the eCourses I’m excited to offer On Demand. This eight week eCourse helps you with everything from preparation for exploring places to effectively photographing what you see. It goes deeper into the concepts of place, looking at themes across your photography and through time. If you really want to dive into exploring places, whether near or far from home, this course will help you. Find more information and registration here.
Fuel Your Creativity is a quick, one-week boost that will get you going and creating! This eCourse is for anyone, regardless of medium or artistic background. We use creativity every day, all the time in our lives. To get the most out of creativity, we need fuel and energy. Now On Demand, these daily prompts are available to give you the boost you need to break out of a rut and start something new. Find more information and registration here.
More eCourses On Demand to come this fall!
