LULL
Lull.
I am in a photographic lull. I feel unfocused, if you’ll pardon my terrible, awful pun.
Some of this lull I will chalk up to JANUARY.
Some of this I will chalk up to a car situation which prevents me from going out on days I have free.
Some of it I will chalk up to needing to practice viola more during those free days.
Some of this I will chalk up to a sense of ennui. The depths of winter…it is 2025…I am almost 54. It just feels paper thin. Dry. Desiccated.
At least with viola if I feel in a musical lull, I have to keep marching forward. Because it’s my job and I must show up prepared. The body must be in the chair with fingers exercised for the passagework. (And honestly, my students keep me out of lulls. I love their repertoire, because it’s for the viola, my voice, the love of my life. I love trying to simplify for others what I know I found difficult once, and often still do. Thank you, dear students.)
I don’t practice viola so I can enjoy playing alone in my living room, I play in front of huge audiences with the Utah Symphony. (Although, if I am being honest, part of me does practice to enjoy playing alone in my living room. It’s probably my favorite part.) So then do I practice photography so that I can enjoy it alone in my living room? Does it matter if I’m not making new images?
Although I’m rarely alone…
.
As I ponder taking a big step away from Instagram, I wonder about how other non-professional photographers share their work. Is social media the only outlet now? Does anyone follow blogs anymore? Will I be forced to try to *gasp* meet people IN REAL LIFE? What about the connections I’ve made with total strangers and the longtime friends who live nowhere near me? Perhaps stepping away from social media can help shine a light on the WHY of photography for me, which might make the HOW and the WHAT a bit less…LULLED.
But for now. I’ll try to work through this lull. Practicing viola, perhaps working on older photos. The only way to get over something is to go through it.
Not a lull, just an older image I worked up looking for inspiration