Richard Schulz

There is a thunder storm on the way.

I have this idea – write an article about overthinking. But now I’m overthinking it. Today didn’t turn out as well as I hoped it would. When something happens I mull it over. I chew it to bits and then mentally regurgitate it. Something which doesn’t bother the average person tends to occupy my mind completely.

Like the ruminant digestive system my mind is made up various places for overthinking.

I put my overthinking down to anxiety. I’ve always been anxious, hyper aware of my surroundings. This is a great superpower to have if you don’t want to forget anything. If you want something done to near perfection.

It’s a shitty superpower when you make mistakes. You analyze details which you didn’t think existed. You find problems you didn’t see at first. You start predicting the future. Who hasn’t been at this point?

How do I subdue this?

Photography tends to stop this problem for me.

As I walk around, camera in hand, this thinking stops. In fact, most thinking stops. I stop worrying about a problem at work. I stop thinking about problems in my life. I stop worrying because I stop thinking. All the anxiety I have goes away.

I’ve found my creative outlets to be the best remedy for overthinking. As I explained initially my brain tends to go quiet when I take photos. Or when I’m working on another newsletter.

I finish this newsletter as the rain starts to fall and the wind picks up. Tomorrow is likely to be a better day. And if it isn’t then it’s okay as well. Thinking too much doesn’t solve problems. It amplifies them. It blows them out of proportion.

Now if I can only remembers this wisdom the next time I overthink.

Thanks for reading : )

I’ve had the idea of selling photos for a long time.

It’s been a dream to become financially independent. To be in a situation where I don’t have to fully rely on someone else to provide me with an income. Ideally, I’d love to do this full time but many factors make this a bit difficult at the moment.

Yet typing these ideas into my editor doesn’t make it so. Starting this process takes time and it’s a journey more than a destination. Anyone trying to sell something will tell you this.

This post is going to serve as a place to where I can return and look at what needs to be done and what has been done. A to do list. It is a road marker where I can return to when I’m unsure. Or when I don’t know where to turn next.

This will be my road map.

The list.

An endeavor such as this isn’t something you want to wing. There are a few things I have to do if I want to make this even mildly successful. Because this isn’t a complete list I’ve put down what I think is important. As it grows I will update the list, adding or removing, as needed.

In no particular order, this is what I’ve came up with:

1. Find photos.
2. Get them on a platform to sell.
3. Decide on the format.
4. Marketing.
5. Goals & time frame.

Find photos.

I need a good product if I want to sell it. I’m going to work through my existing photos and take a few new ones. Look at what works and then update as needed.

This might mean more early mornings or perhaps some travel. Going to new places to find different environment. Learn new techniques when it comes to editing. A collaboration or two.

Get them on a platform to sell.

The website I have will serve as a redirecting point to a Paystack online shop. Most of the heavy lifting is handled on their side.

I’ll have to look at what they offer in terms of costs, terms of service and so forth. I did have an Etsy shop a few years ago but didn’t sell any work from it. This might be an alternative to Paystack or something to use in conjunction.

Decide on a format.

I was considering only digital formats.

Physical copies have a more personal touch but for the time being it will be limited to people in the same country as me. Shipping to different countries are going to be too expensive for me to cover.

The digital copies make it a lot easier as it gives me a wider market. It also eliminates the need for shipping.

Marketing.

If no one knows I’m selling photos no one will be buying right?

For this part I don’t want to use the traditional media. I want this to run from two places. Primarily my website and then off Substack.

Substack serves as a introduction to myself and my work. My website gives a bit more backstory if you will. Here you can see some more images, read more of my writing. A central point.

From my website potential buyers go to Paystack where they can purchase images.

Goals & timeframe.

I would like to sell a photo a month for the first six months.

I might sell five photos a month. I might also sell zero photos a month. Does it mean I’m not a good sales man or my photos aren’t good? Who knows. My takeaway from whatever happens is going to be “what did I learn here“.

Do I have to improve my marketing? Go out and try to find different types of photos? These are questions only experience and time can answer.

In closing.

This is going to be a glimpse into my journey. I’ll do my best to update and share as much as I can. We all know how busy life can get but I’ve come to the understanding that this won’t be successful if I don’t put in more work.

It’s easy to sit and dream about what it would be like to sell photos. Actually selling photos, knocking on doors, finding printers, looking for the best shipping option – these things take time and effort.

At the very least I will have done something which I can look back on. Something which I can be proud of. And something which other people who are at a similar fork in the road can use for either inspiration or a what to do / not to do.

Thanks for reading ; )

I was on my way to work yesterday and I saw a man sitting on the side of the street. He frequents the area and from his clothes it looks like he might be destitute. He looks away and I take a photo of him.

This isn’t how I pictured street photography. When I started photography I wouldn’t have taken the photo above. Pointing a camera, even my phone camera, at someone was a no-no. I erected barriers in my mind and all the questions where focused on negative outcomes.

What if they saw me? What if they started arguing or shouting?

Then I started adjusting my approach. If you look at some of my earlier photos I used to do the “back of head” shots. For a while I enjoyed this type of photos. It was “safe”. None of the stuff I mentioned above. Felt a bit weird sometimes but I took good photos.

I’m not a big people person but people interest me. What they do, what they think. I’ve mentioned this before on my Substack: I can sit and watch people for hours. I just sit there and see things happening around me.

Many of my better photos are taken around coffee shops where people sit down and become unaware of their surroundings. They read, they browse their phones or they just don’t pay attention.

I’ve done a few shoots with people, two or three with models, a few inside a gym and although these photos turned out great they aren’t really about people.

They (to me) are about people pretending to be something. A model. A personal trainer. Someone who wants to show the world something they aren’t. And there’s nothing wrong with this idea. You portray in the photo what you want to. I’m just a messenger in this instance. I take what I see and I put it on sensor through a lens. My photograph tells you the story.

But photographing people who aren’t aware or who aren’t paying attention street is different. The people I see are real versions of themselves. It’s the person going to work or coming home after a tough day. The homeless guy walking the streets. Standing in front of a tuck shop looking after cars hoping someone gives him some money or food. This is one of many stories I’ve seen. One of many moments I’ve captured.

Is it like the street photography I see online? The mist / smoke filled streets of NY? Or the neon light filled streets of Tokyo?

Not at all.

For years I thought “I am so disappointed in my work because it doesn’t resemble what I see online“. Until I started looking at what I take photos of. I connected this with what I find interesting. That’s what photography is about to me.

I’m not a big people person. But I find people interesting and I’m glad I find interesting people in front of my camera at times.

Thanks for reading : )

As a creative, what is the hardest thing you can do?

Finding time to be creative is up there. Carving an hour or two out of our schedules. Trying not to compare ourselves is next. As you doom scroll and you start thinking “my work isn’t good enough because….“.

Letting go of metric is probably number 1.

For a time metrics and their “power” governed a lot of things we did around creative work. The death of social media means metrics are also losing their power.

I won’t lie to you – metrics are addictive.

I like to look at statistics on my Substack and website. Or my Instagram page. You can prove anything you want to with statistics and this makes it a double edged sword.

Let me elaborate.

Metrics have always been with us. From the first websites with hit counters. Then website statistics. Hits, visits & clicks. They just mutated a little bit into something more visible (like buttons, hearts) but they’ve always been there.

They have their uses. Is your about page getting any visits? Is the content strong enough to motivate people to subscribe or buy?

Metrics have turned many creatives into salesmen and women. Instead of enjoying our chosen art we think how many or how much. We create for others. We create for algorithms.

Trust yourself not the metrics.

Metrics are all bad. Surely.

Well not really. In my opinion at least. Metrics can be used as a vanity measure or they can show you what is working VS what isn’t. Metrics are not the definitive yardstick for things. Metrics are visual representations of opinions.

What advice can I give from my time as a hobby photographer?

Forget metrics and just do it.

Want to go out and shoot street photography? Just do it. Want to start writing about photography? Just do it. The people who enjoy your work will find you. The people who will support your work will find you. If you don’t put in the work, don’t put yourself out there no one is going to find you. The work you do in your chosen medium will find an audience. It will take time, all good things do.

Use metrics. Don’t let metrics use you. It sounds like one hand clapping right?

Putting in the time, creating, find what works, discard what doesn’t, learn new skills. All these should be done regardless of what metrics say.

Caveat – metrics play a role in building an audience, even if it is a small. People notice things which other people share & recommend. Word of mouth is a powerful form of advertisement.

tl;dr – Metrics have their place. Metrics are by no means an indication of quality. Your audience will recognize the quality of your work. Use metrics, don’t let them use you.

Thanks for reading : )

As another Sunday rolls closer to the end I’m thinking about the week ahead. Not too much though – just to Monday. This morning I went for a great walk. Had some lovely rain which turned into a real downpour.

To get myself ready for the week I do things which I don’t get time for otherwise. I write as much as I can. I read as much as possible to find ideas and things to write about. I take photos.

And I also watch movies. Lately it’s been movies from the 70’s.

I used to spend a lot of time on YouTube consistently watching new content. If one of the creators I subscribed to had a new video out I’d watch it. Sometimes I would watch it again. This consistent exposure to content dulls the edge for a creative person. I now try to spend some time away from tech and the internet.

I’m not the type of person you will hear saying how much they hate technology. I enjoy the functionality it brings to my life. From writing to editing or listening to music. Ever so often this tech and being connected becomes too much. It becomes a new habit. One which sucks time. One which drains energy.

I was born in the 80’s. I grew up without a cellphone. Without the internet. Facebook and other social media was something I discovered after I had left school and started working. I read books IRL, not the PDF kind. I played outside. Climbed trees.

Sometimes technology gets too much for me.

A few years ago I found the minimalist movement. Remember when Matt D’Avella made his now famous documentary on The Minimalists? Long story short I made plenty of headway into removing non-essential activities from my life (yes, I watched plenty of Matt’s videos over and over).

Being intentional with my time is my biggest take away from minimalism. If I can disconnect from the internet or technology I do so. I stop the binge watching and the constant scrolling.

tl;dr – Don’t wear yourself out. Use the time at your disposal wisely. I found an article which I will probably read tomorrow during my lunch break but I will leave it here if you’re interested.

Thanks for reading : )