Images © Alicja Zmyslowska 2019, Used with permission. See more at alicjazmyslowska.pl

Of course, having images go viral isn’t the only purpose of finding your own creative style. It directly contributes to success in whatever area you pursue, whether that’s shooting for private or commercial clients, being a social media influencer or just working on your own personal work for fun.

So why am I telling you this?

I’ve seen it a hundred times or more, photographers are inspired by an idea they have seen another photographer doing. That’s great right, to be inspired by our colleagues and peers? Not necessarily. All too often it is much easier to copy an idea rather than be inspired by it and use that inspiration to create your own unique work. There is a clear definition between inspiration, homage and plagiarism.

I see people copying the work of well known photographers on an almost daily basis, I’ve seen direct copies of images that have gone viral and I’ve been copied myself, many times. It sucks to have someone copy something you put your heart and soul into. I can no longer count on my fingers and toes the number of times I’ve heard other photographers say “it’s all been done before” or “no idea is original nowadays”.

Let me just say this in response: If no idea was original, explain to me why images go viral? It is for one reason and one reason only, they are images that capture our imagination because we haven’t seen them before. Whether that’s a chance encounter someone was lucky to witness and capture or a carefully curated set of images, that is the reason.

The truth is there are an infinite number of ideas floating around the universe waiting for someone to think of them and bring them to life. You are far more likely to be successful at finding these ideas if they come from within yourself.

I truly believe that as photographers and creatives, we should all be striving to create work that comes from within. Work that makes us feel something, that helps us and those viewing our work connect to our subject, to tell a story or have some emotional impact. Work that is unique, that has our own stamp and only we can produce.

It wasn’t until I stopped trying so hard to be a professional perfectionist and started being myself that my business really took off. At one point I was almost robot like trying to be grammatically correct, to never make a mistake, never show weakness and never say something or be someone that might offend someone else. I was afraid to reveal much about my personal life, especially my sexuality. Over the years I’ve worked on the reasons for this with family and friends, at workshops and with a business coach. Now I’m me, I’m comfortable in my own skin and I do things my way. People can love it or hate it, that’s OK with me. I just put my energy into the ones who love it.

Finally being able to be myself was so freeing, in many ways, across all aspects of my life. What it did for the success of Furtography from a business perspective, it also did for my creative process. I found myself able to put my ideas and feelings fully into my work. To find inspiration in many things, art, nature, books, movies, places, to use it to create images that have an emotional impact, that really capture a dog’s personality and place in the world. It drove the ideas behind the creation of 3 bestselling books, my work with private clients and the growing commercial client base I have. It fuelled ideas for several ongoing personal projects. It allowed me to develop a recognisable style that potential clients now seek.