I hadn't been out in a while
since the snow left, I've been feeling a bit paralyzed
these landscapes feel strange to me
all of a sudden, the confidence in my photography is gone, as I have to face
new challenges, new conditions and new subjects
the little voice is back
I guess it never really left
it's just a little bit louder now
whispering... "there's nothing new out there", "it's been done before",
"the light is just not right", "I don't have the right lens", "you will fail",
"you're losing it", "you're not good anymore", "no, actually you were never any good"
why are you even doing this?
what if the voice is right?
I don't know what I'm doing
me, pretending to be some kind of artist?
let's face it, all I do is press a button on a device
maybe the voice is right
for the longest time, I thought it was just me
I thought I was the only one who had this little voice in his head
a real artist knows what they are doing
just just look at them!
and then, I looked at them
and most importantly, I listened to them
turns out that most, if not all, confess to have heard a similar voice at some point
some even admit that the voice is always there, even when they are creating
how how do they do it?
I realized that in every story with a villain, there's also a hero
the voice knows this, and tries as hard as it can to hide the spark inside us from being revealed
the voice knows that if that happens, a war will have to be fought
this voice is powerful, it feeds on your fears
the more you listen to it, the more powerful it gets
but it can be defeated
look at the spark, feel it
so small, yet so mighty
it burns
if you look close enough, you'll see the power it can unleash
even the biggest wildfires start from a little spark
this is the voice's greatest fear, and it is why it will trick us with
everything it's got to avoid the fight
it knows it doesn't stand a chance otherwise
many times, it will succeed
but other times, it won't have any other choice but to retreat and let the fire burn
the voice can't die
neither can the fire
it is a war that has been waged since we were born
one that will continue to be fought every single day of our lives
a battle we will win many times, making us feel alive
a battle we will lose many times, making us feel the pain
but there is no other way, this is the way
keep fighting keep
feeding the fire