Disclaimer: This post applies mainly to artists and it is mostly just a constantly passing observation.

As an artist I hear all the time from my peers that “Your work is great. I wish I could draw/take pictures/make websites like that.” If you are a fellow artist reading this you will probably be aware of what passes through most of our heads when given a compliment like this, “That’s funny, ’cause I like your work way better than my work.” There are a lot of people out there that when I look at their work I marvel at how they were able to think of something so original and creative.

I think the underlying reason for this phenomenon is packaged well by the old saying “Familiarity breeds contempt.” After looking at something for as long as we do when creating some new piece of work, it often looks plain and boring upon completion. This applies greatly in web design and other work that requires extended development time. It’s often disappointing to me that I can’t step back and view one of my finished works for the first time.

I think that’s why I am drawn to photography so much. I see things around me all the time that I feel would be beautiful when captured. With photography, I look through the lens, frame the image and press the shutter button. In most cases, there are no sketch pad pages dedicated to roughs, no pile of revisions. If I didn’t get exactly what I thought I would I just move on to the next image. It’s a very liberating process for me and most of the time I still enjoy the images after the comparatively short editing and development time.

Of course, perhaps I’m a little off here and other artists are bigger fans of their work than I am of mine (generally speaking). If so, feel free to comment!