It is easy to underestimate how important it is to keep practising and flexing our creative muscle.

As photography/ creating is not a full time pursuit, it is easy to put it on the back burner when things shift in life. For many reasons, this year has been a completely chaotic which threw me off balance physically, emotionally and mentally. A complete chaos that even my safe haven was no longer enough to ground me.

Once things had calm down, I looked through my archive and found some images that I planned on editing. Over the years, I have developed and refined my way of doing things. Creating shortcuts that has reduce editing my editing while giving the results that I have in mind.

I was deluded enough to think that I could just waltz back after many many months and be able to create in four hours and get the exact results that I used to. I can easily say that I was quickly humbled. As soon as I started, I could feel that something was not right. Although the memories were present, the actions were no longer smooth or second nature. Everything I was doing felt forced an unnatural. I knew that I should have stopped there, but I kept trying.

After going back to the beginning what felt like twenty times which in reality was only four times, I gave up and went to bed. At this point, I remembered a quote that states that if we try and try at something and fail, it is good too put in some distance and get some perspective.

I realised that although I felt that I had failed, all the skills acquired along my journey are not native but all self taught. Skills acquired through many hours of practise and just like any skill, it can get rusty without practise.

No matter what happens, keep practising.