Should ---> Could Make art that's fun again

There are times in our creative lives that the voice inside us barrages our thoughts with that dreaded S word:

You should be writing more meaningful deep dives about your art.

You should be posting every day.

You should be planning content that drives engagement.

Should be doing this. Should be doing that.

Should. Should. Should. Should.

What a blasted word.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels like this.

Don't get me wrong. There's a right time and place for should, and I'll be real with you - I'm still trying to work when those times are.

But for a majority of us who pursue art as a means to decompress or a means for self expression, should should not lead to self destruction.

I find myself caught in that net more often than I'd like, and when I do, I feel like I'm not creating work that I'm proud of.

I'm creating work out of anxiety instead out of love.

I'm feeding an endless abyss that gives nothing back.

That's not fun. That's not art.

An antidote?

Turn your shoulds into coulds.

I should shoot in RAW? More like, I could shoot in JPEG monochrome and make all my contrast, highlight, and shadow adjustments in camera.

I should post 3x a day, engage with 15 other people in comments, and one long article every week? I could post whenever I want.

I should stick to photography? I could write a screenplay, a poem, or take a break from photography for now.

All I'm saying is, just ease off the gas pedal, and be kinder to yourself. Sometimes that's the only way to make art fun again.