“Dream and give yourself permission to envision a you that you choose to be.”

With a hat tip to Seth Godin, I want to mention a simple point today. Validation is overrated. What someone else thinks of you or your work doesn’t have to have a negative impact on your life. Period. Why? Because there can be only one YOU and only YOU can know if your work is true to your own heart. The way to find out whether or not you “have it” is to just do it! Only YOU can give someone else permission to hurt you.

Understand this… Waiting for validation is waiting for permission. Don’t do it – wait that is. Just go be a photographer. You don’t need permission.

Seth writes often about JUST DOING IT! I agree with that approach, 100%. Go for it! Now – do it now. Don’t wait for someone to tell you that your photos are good. Practice, research, go to workshops, take classes, believe in yourself. Improve by study, trial and error. Get off the couch and start making photos. There is no excuse not to get good at your craft. When you do become proficient, YOU will know it and it will be true wether or not the cool kids agree.

In the United States anyway, there’s no “system” you have to wait on to go work as a professional photographer. In almost any city in the country, you don’t need a license to be a photographer (although you may need a business license if you in fact go pro.)

There’s no central authority here that can stop you. Only YOU can stop you.

If you want to go make photographs…go do it. No anonymous jerk on a camera club forum can stop you. You just need to believe in your heart that you have something to share. So what are you waiting for? As always, I’m rooting for you!

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