Finding My Voice.

I’ve been struggling with sharing my thoughts, photographs and perspective through the various social networks and outlets lately. The thing is, putting yourself out there makes you somewhat vulnerable. I might work on something and think to myself, “what if someone thinks my photos are completely bush league? Or what if I’m not communicating what I want to say correctly and I sound like a jackass? What if my grammar is all wrong (I’m pretty sure it is)? What if no one likes this? What if this has been done or said before? And most importantly, what difference does it make if I share this?”

These thoughts have prevented me from sharing so many times. I’m afraid that I’m not good enough and get so worried about an audience liking what I do, that I resort to doing nothing at all. There is a fear of negative feedback and rejection that looms over me that is ridiculous, yet common and understandable. I think we all tend to rely on positive feedback or encouragement from others to motivate us to continue creating and doing what we’re doing. If you’re sharing a part of yourself, you are most likely looking for some sort of validation that people want to hear more from you and then that snowballs. Ideally, you want to feel as though you’ve reached someone or stirred an emotion. If you feel like you haven’t accomplished that, it leaves you feeling somewhat powerless, discouraged and without a voice.

The thing is, I’ve come to realize that not everyone is going to feel what you’re saying or doing. Not everyone is going to pat you on the back every time you put yourself out there, even if they do think it’s great. You have to move on from worrying about what someone else might think because getting praise from others is most likely not the reason you’re doing it in the first place (credit to my husband for pointing this out). You can’t let your fear of failure debilitate you. If you’re a writer, you probably write because you love to write. You’re first published piece may not resonate with your audience, but you don’t give up. You keep writing because it’s what you love and believe in. You know that if you don’t start somewhere, your voice will definitely never be heard. Whatever your passion may be, it needs to be cultivated. You don’t just pick up a pen or a camera and start being great. You have to work at it and build one step at a time. By sharing the steps of your journey with others, good or bad, you’ll end up adding so much value because you may inspire someone else along the way. They’ll remember the first piece of mediocre writing or the first completely overexposed photo you ever shared and see where your love & passion made the difference in the end result. Most importantly, by drawing from your experience, they’ll see that they have the ability to create something too.

Today, I am shifting my focus. I don’t really need validation to keep doing what I love doing. I know that I am not great, but I do know that I could be great. I’ll keep working on defining my voice, one that reflects how the world looks through my eyes, but through it all, I know it will be one that supports, encourages, and inspires others to challenge themselves to dream, create and build. We all have something of value to say to the world, but it is up to each and every one of us to decide whether or not anyone hears it.