Photographer to photographer, mother to mother, I ask you; Have you been in a place where you felt an overwhelming desire to surrender yourself to creativity, but didn’t know how? Have you admired Personal Projects or 365s of friends, or other photographers, but the mere thought of undertaking a daily shooting project for yourself seemed unattainable?
If you’re nodding your head right now, we are connected. This was me, last year, and the year before that. I had committed myself to so many things, and I had failed at each and every one. 30 Day Projects. Project 52s. 365s. Time and time again, I let myself down. Today, I am here to share my journey of acceptance, my very own personal project that has changed me as an artist, and has shown me so much about who I am as a mother.
It was the end of 2015, and I had this little idea that I laughed about. How hard would it be to take ONE picture per day? How hard would it be to let go of imperfection? How hard would it be to accept my own mistakes? How hard would it be to slow down? Could I ever let go of my chronic habit of overshooting?
I told no one about this idea until the very last minute. Friends thought I was a bit crazy. My family had no idea what I was talking about. I had very little faith in myself to make it through a week, let alone a month, or a year. So, I promised myself no expectations. Then, on January 1, 2016, the “Single Frame Project” was born.
Each day, I find inspiration to take a single frame. No matter the outcome, that shot is it for the project on that particular day. The trick is shooting with intention, or purpose. Taking my time to frame the shot just so. Carefully watching the light. Waiting out the desired expressions. Then, I share it on my Instagram with my thoughts, whether they be silly, or heartfelt. At the end of the year, I create a book.
Sounded simple. Sounded fun.
There have been moments of joy, of frustration, of exhaustion. There have been days that I felt so inspired upon waking up that my camera was the first thing that I picked up. There have been days that I climbed into bed at night without thinking once about my camera. Those days have been the hardest. There has been triumph. There has been failure. Oh, has there been failure!
But the beauty of it all? No matter what, it was just ONE picture. My lack of faith in myself was unfounded. Today, I take image number 120. I have a collection of photographs that make my heart sing, not because they are technically perfect, believe me, they are not. They are perfect, however, because they are my life. It’s only a glimpse, but together, this collection of photographs will make up a year of laughter, of sadness, of injuries, of accidents, the happy ones, and the ones that make me cringe.
I don’t sit down to cull and find my favorite. I don’t debate on sharing. I put myself out there on a daily basis no. matter. what.
Now, you may wonder about how taking on this project has changed me? Well, it has happened, but slowly. By sharing the pieces of myself that come with a project like this, I have been forced to share not only imperfections in my photography, but of myself as a person, and as a mother. Cereal for dinner in front of an iPad? Mom “WIN” on record. It is through sharing these imperfections that I have learned to not only accept them, but respect them. This journey, it ebbs and flows. Some days are full of creativity and fantastic light, great composition, perfect moments. There are other days that people must wonder if I have any idea what the buttons on my camera actually do! Instead of stressing about the “bad” photographs, I laugh at them, and at myself. Then I move on. So liberating!
Creativity isn’t typically viewed as a tangible thing, but maybe we should think of it that way. We don’t always have extra room in our pockets for that spark of creativity. Sometimes it’s filled with other life things that aren’t as fun, but when we make room for it, when we dig deep to find it, it shines so bright.
I understand that this type of project isn’t for everyone, but I do hope that it has shown you that even when something feels unattainable, you have the power to reach just a little farther. Take on a project. If you fail, try again. The trick is to find something that means something to you. Without purpose, failure is just waiting fin the shadows, arms open wide. Find your purpose, embrace it. If you’re feeling brave, join in with me. Even for a day, find that little slice of inspiration and take just one shot. It may be a day that you wouldn’t have picked up your camera otherwise, it may be a day that you want to document the moment, but stay present with your children. It can be what you need it to be in the moment.
If you’d like to follow along, or share Single Frame images of your own, you can do so on Instagram with the hashtag #thesingleframeproject. At some point before midnight EST, there will be an image tagged by me with the corresponding day. It may be something I feel proud to share with the world, it may not. It’s just me, sharing. The good days, and the bad days. This project is a collection of every little piece of my heart and soul.
My hope is that when you find inspiration, you don’t allow your fears to hold you back. Get out there and make some magic!
Brittany Blake, North Carolina
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Brittany Blake is a newborn and family photographer in Raleigh, NC. She loves the in-between moments of life and all of the little details that are so fleeting. Her two children are her inspiration and favorite subjects when she’s not out documenting new life or chasing the sunsets.
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