Just Start! My First Photoshopped Image
Sometimes the hardest part of learning a new skill is just starting. Knowing that you're going to be confused and perplexed while learning something new often stops us from even starting in the first place. We think about the idea over and over, tell our friends about all the remarkable ways we will use this new skill set, and then a lot of us never even start…
What I have come to learn is anything that challenges you (to an extent) is helping you grow. For the past two months, all I have been thinking about is editing in Photoshop. Envisioning a different type of art form and learning more about the Adobe suite. ( I edit my youtube videos in Adobe’s Premiere Pro). I would screenshot noteworthy photos that I want to make similar edits to when I eventually started to learn. I would talk about how I was going to edit the photos, how epic they would be. I had sketched out how I wanted to edit photos I have already taken. I even started a notes folder on my phone for when I had ideas so I could type them down fast.
Two days ago I was on facetime with my good friend Marli, we were checking in on what was new in each other lives. She asked if I could show her any of my images I was working on or had finished, while I was babbling about my ideas. I then was full-on embarrassed, I hand’t even started. What was I doing talking about something I have not even started. So later that night I picked out a few images from late September of me and my friends. I opened up photoshop for the first time and watched 3 or 4 youtube videos. I watched one of VerticDesigns videos 4 different times. Spending hours learning new tools and experimenting. Watching several youtube’s being mind-boggled but last night I finished my first photoshopped image! Although it’s not perfect, and I can’t figure out how to get my friend's shoe back into the picture, I did it. I just started, not letting my incompetent mind make up a reason why I shouldn’t at least try.
Shout out to my friend Marli for calling me out. I am so lucky to have friends that care and want to keep me accountable.
I know, making time to learn something new instead of doing the same habits can be tedious. It’s so much easier to watch Netflix. Netflix will bring you instant short term satisfaction. but learning something new that you're interested in, is a whole different ballpark of gratification.
