Because we're all human

Here's something I'm unlearning...

Perfectionism

On one had, perfectionism has allowed me to serve my clients extremely well. I’m great at the details. The art direction. The concepts. The creation. The follow through. And it's easy to hide behind it because culture celebrates it.

It celebrates the grind. It celebrates success or what looks like success.

But I have seen where it's held me back.

I have seen it manifest in the fear of trying things. The fear of: what if it isn’t perfect? What if my social media posts flop? What if I fail?

What's worse is that fear turned into an identity crisis: What if I'm not taken seriously? What if I don't look perfect, put together, polished, professional, a girl boss? What if I'm a failure? What if people see the cracks I already see in myself?...

This is a serious topic, and I was encouraged to bring this up from a recent podcast my photography mentors, Erica + Jon Photography, published recently. Erica opened up about her own struggle with perfectionism, and she has inspired me to be open about it too. You see, a wound can't heal unless you expose it, properly clean it, and dress it.

Now, I’m coming to a place of asking myself: SO FREAKING WHAT?

So what if it doesn’t work the way I'd hoped? So what if people laugh? So what if I fail. At least I'll be failing upwards.

This is what's being cultivated: A knowing of who I am, whose I am, what my purpose is, and how I am to serve well.

I know this is deep but...

At the end of my life, let it not be said that I let fear control me.

Thank you for reading, and shoot me an email if this resonated with you: Gabij@chasinghorizonsphoto.com