Thresholds

What inspires you? What encourages you? Do you know the difference? Words are important things, what they mean, and what we think they mean. Lots of folks in the photography industry often use the word inspire. They want to inspire other photographers, hope their images inspire the viewer, hope to inspire clients to purchase their work. 

Inspiring seems to get confused with, or bundled in with encourage. Inspiring another can be noble, but it doesn't accomplish much on its own as it doesn't have a call-to-action behind it. Inspiration is a rather passive act. If we as photographers really want to help each other, if we want to help clients to purchase with us, we need to be more about encouraging that process. Giving others the the encouragement to step through fears is the action needed empower the inspiration. It is the "doing-part" of it all. 

 "To encourage is to give active help or to raise confidence to the point where one dares to do what is difficult." It gives inspiration its muscle, and allows great things to become real, rather than merely dreams. So if you, as a fellow artist and photographer want to genuinely help others in the field, learn the power of encouraging, as well as inspiring. They go hand-in-hand where neither can work alone...