Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something... Black & White?

I just found out earlier in the day that I was nominated by the awesome @ballinconscious to be a candidate for the "Seven Days of Black and White" challenge. This was unexpected but pretty cool at the same time. Though I must admit at first, I was a little hesitant. For no other reason other than feeling a little out of my depth. After all, my blog has been all writing and the only pictures been conjured up would be via the power of the mind.

However, it got me thinking. Why do humans like to box ourselves into a corner, having established who we are and refusing to break away from the norm. That's the impression I get from most people I've come into contact with throughout my life's journey. We find our "calling", let's say, and stick to it like flies to... Well, you catch my drift.

But life doesn't always have to contain these artificial mental barriers for us to be kept on the straight and narrow. When I first began posting on Steemit, it took me a good few posts (now unerasable due to the nature of the ever-reliable blockchain) before I'd discovered my "inner calling". I'd never blogged before and found the whole experience incredibly uplifting and intriguing, right up to this very day.

And in addition to this, always assumed I'd never stray from my chosen path. Though at the same time, I would constantly be awe-struck by the brilliance I'd find by perusing other people's content. Especially within the tags of "photography" and "travel". I had never considered taking snapshots of people, locations or objects as requiring any particular sort of skill or anything. However, I soon woke up from that narrow-minded way of thinking. My good buddy on here @velimir helped greatly in that awakening. He possesses a stylistic artistry to his posts that speaks volumes. The elegant way he fuses his narratives to those images is simply stunning to behold, coming across as "filmic" in every sense of the word.

@dreemit is another such person I admire for her keen eye and skills behind a camera lens. When viewing her "The Playground Series", it stands testament to her unique talents using the power of the written words as well as in the captured image. And these talented individuals are just a few of the incredible amounts of steemian's who continue to astound me with their mind-blowing photographic skills and the emotions they are able to conjure via the end results. It's something that amazes me and I stand in awe of.

These are some of the reflections I had when contemplating a Steemit challenge based solely of photography alone. Though all of the above passed over my mind within a few seconds, it must be said! So, from one extreme to another. A moment of snubbery and self-defeat to inspiration and excitement the next. Our blog is what "you" make it. As the great @exyle always use to tell me, "Don't overthink you content, just go with what feels right to you." Succinct advice and words best following in you don't want to be burdened with the same type content forever. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but if you want to delve into other avenues in Steemit, your essence of creativity should never be suppressed. Why not try your hand at photography... Or poetry, drawings or reviews? Diversify into any area you so wish.

This is not only a post I have written to myself as a reference for whenever I fear of treading into the unknown, but also a message to everyone in Steemit. Your blog is whatever you want it to be and should you ever wish to try out new things, just go for it and see how it turns out.

After all, you may never know what other hidden talents you may uncover...

So, I'll gladly accepted the task presented by @ballinconscious and see how well I do. First time for everything. Let's how how it goes... :)

Hope you enjoyed this post, please look out for more on the way... (author: @ezzy)