Back To Basics

It's been over a month since I promised I'd be back soon with something to share, but unfortunately that didn't happen...until now!

I'd mentioned before that I pursue modeling as a hobby and my interest in the subject tends to ebb and flow, depending on what's going on in my life and also how I feel about myself physically.  Like everyone else, I have my own insecurities and, as you can imagine, when you're feeling down on yourself or don't think you're looking your best, the last thing you would want to do is pose for photos, let alone share them with the world.

There have been many times where I've shot self-portraits but was then disappointed with the results, for one reason or another.  When you're shooting photos of yourself, you kind of have to do the the best you can in setting up the equipment and posing, but have to leave the rest up to luck since you can't be in front of the camera and behind it simultaneously.  It's not usually until later on when I sit down at the computer to review the shots in more detail that I can really get a feel for the ones that work, and the ones that don't.

Why all of this backstory, you ask?  Well, the subject of being overly critical of yourself is the very reason I haven't been posting and sharing photos as much lately.  I'm very much a perfectionist and when I don't (or can't) have everything just the way I want it, I tend to procrastinate and/or completely drop the ball and lose my momentum, forgetting my original intent and goals.

As someone who only models as a hobby, I don't spend endless hours in the gym keeping myself in peak shape or following an insane diet at all times.  I'm very much just a regular guy who tries to keep somewhat active, exercise as regularly as possible, and eat sensibly.  My muscle tone and weight fluctuate from time to time like everyone else's; I just tend to be reminded of that fact maybe more often than most with the content I create and share.

The self-portraits I'm sharing in this post are actually a good example of my overly-critical nature.  Believe it or not, I shot these in March 2022 but archived them because, at the time, I didn't think they were good enough to share based on image quality and I felt I looked overweight.  It wasn't until I was going through some of my files tonight, after getting my spark of creativity and interest in modeling back, that I realized that they were actually pretty good and worth sharing.

All of this (hopefully insightful) narration is the reason I decided to title this post "Back To Basics" and pursue that idea as a theme in my writing.  Going forward, I want to remember that the reason I started creating and sharing content was because it was fun and exciting and get back to that.  I need to continue to remind myself that not everything has to be perfect to be worth sharing and I should never let fear of failure to limit me creatively.

I think we could all benefit from being a little more forgiving of ourselves and our perceived flaws.  I've found that this process has gotten a little easier as I've gotten older, but I'm definitely still a work-in-progress and have room to grow.  Many people would probably assume that a nude model would have countless amounts of confidence based on the nature of their work, but that's not always the case.  I may be a model, but I'm a human being first and foremost, and there are many unique qualities that make me who I am.  The key is learning to embrace them!

I hope this post finds you well,

- Michael