Sunday Photo/Art Quote – Georgia O’Keeffe

I’m a fan of some of O’Keeffe’s iconic images of flowers, southwestern landscapes and of course flower studies. I don’t like everything she created which I found out when tracking down her images in various museums and books. But that’s OK.

Heck, I don’t necessarily like everything I create!

The fact that there are sections of her work that don’t do anything for me shows is that she was not afraid to experiment and try new techniques and explore new ideas. My guess is she would not have created the iconic pieces if it were not for her pushing through her boundaries of comfort.

okeefe quote“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I want to do.”  Georgia O’Keeffe

Fear can keep us from being successful.

How?

In Sales, being afraid to ask for the order.

In art, being afraid of what other MIGHT say.

In life, worried about what MIGHT happen.

Our minds are trained and conditioned to play out worst case scenarios. It’s a defense mechanism that served humans well when we lived in cave-man times when fight or flight was essential to the survival of the species. We have moved beyond the need for that type of thinking as a species.

Push forward. Try something new. You never know what you might accomplish if you push through negative thinking.

This advice doesn’t mean you should ignore the ‘little voice’ that warns you of potential problems. That can save you lots of grief. Take the voice with a grain of salt and don’t let it paralyze you.

Here’s one more quote to round out this post from, I believe, Michael Jordan. “Don’t be afraid to fail, be afraid not to try.”

Yours in Creative Photography,     Bob

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