Photography

Time Trappers

Storytelling, enhanced with trapped time, defines our civilization.

Voices were first translated into writings to stretch the impact. Humanity continued to bring the past to life with audio, photos, and then video. We’re now adding telepathic communication and other weird ingredients to the technology soup that’s made to trap time. Leaders who leverage these tools are time trappers who wield an ability to more actively appreciate life experiences.

To test your time trapping skills, grab a device and look through your own creative content. Whether it’s writings, audio, photos, video, or other types of art, go back to see what was captured this week. Now, rewind further. Revisit this day last year, two years ago, five years ago, and ten years ago. Embrace nostalgia, then consider the quantity, quality, and different types of content you’ve created.

Avoid distractions and stay in the moment, but if you’d like to enhance your time trapping capability, think of fun ways to create more organized content. This may be journalling, recording a podcast series, finding a day dedicated to taking an exorbitant amount of photos, or editing a video from individual clips. As content comes together, organize it and push past fear by shipping the art. Creation, organization, and sharing will avoid everything going numb within a device. The value in doing this can be seen as we write into physical notebooks or treasure a healthy bookshelf; when music lovers choose vinyl over endless streaming or that live theater performance compared to any TV show. Exertion from those generous enough to create, organize, and ship their art makes thoughtful time trapping more demanding, but more fulfilling as we extend time beyond the moment.

Extra Shot

What’s our first memory together?

We are already cyborgs and biotech will further augment the way we seamlessly capture, organize, and share our realities. Until we autonomously enhance our bandwidth, telling a story, writing, recording audio, taking photos, or shooting video will still take manual effort. Let’s mitigate the risk of AI and optimized efficiency, but might the elbow grease required to set each time trap make our personal creations more memorable? Yes, and even as future tools add ease, ingenuity and creativity will remain an essential currency that adds heartfelt context to trapped time.

Without a thesis, care enough to habitually go beyond what’s expected. When premium human time and ambitious initiative becomes a fundamental part of your creative practice, you’ll be an active time trapper who stays in-tune, organized, and inspired with timeless purpose.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Ship It

We are all artists. No matter what you create, there’s a distinction between creating art and shipping it.

Seth Godin teaches us to go beyond the status quo by creating remarkable art. As leaders cultivate a creative practice, Godin also suggests that if we don’t ship our art (i.e. send it into the world), the effort is self-limited. There’s value to creating more than we consume, but art creates connection. If what you construct is not shipped, there is no connection, and therefore, Seth Godin says it’s not art.

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Does (re)defining art change how you think about your own contributions?

What is your art? Entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, side hustlers, students, and community builders who are willing to ship, fuel positive change with their art.

Unfortunately, the ego fears external evaluation. This fear is compounded when progress feels slow, which is part of the dance. As apprehension calcifies over time, it’s hard to resist the temptation of hiding our thoughts, emotions, and activities within the safety of solitude.

Creating art to enjoy by yourself can build real skills and provide internal layers of sentimental value, but to go beyond the status quo, push past the fear of feedback. No need to waste time shouting just to make noise, but know that we need you to ship the art.

This encouragement is not an excuse to rush into bad ideas, ship something that hasn’t received proper attention, or not deliver on a promise. It is, however, a friendly reminder that pursuing perfection can devolve into an enemy of progress.

We’ve all heard inspiration like that before but listen to those you admire. Perfection is rarely required when all you need is enough success to continue creating art. Let such liberation fuel confidence. Translate expanding confidence into fresh curiosity. Augment this curiosity with creative action. Rinse and be isochronal in your creative practice.

As belief in oneself grows, one interesting hesitation is disguised by good intention. We tell ourselves it’s not wise to be too self-serving. This is virtuous, but sometimes endless humility makes silence feel safe. As we protect ourselves by staying quiet, a self-limiting restraint develops. For example, many find a journal to be therapeutic but are quick to dismiss sharing these beautifully raw writings with others. It’s good to internalize thought, but as you learn more about yourself through writing, even if it’s only for those you love, know your art can only connect when it ships.

Ready to ship your art? Double-click on your superpowers and the people you care about. Pouring a hint of discipline over what you’re best at and who you seek to serve will provide genuine value over time. Experiment with small actions, and as this develops into a practice, expand the connected nature of your creativity. As your art connects with those who care, find a cadence that allows you to be consistent. A daily blog? A weekly podcast? The monthly newsletter? An annual event? One size does not fit all, and the right tempo depends on the art you’re planning to ship. To find a signal, consider your personal bandwidth and the target audience. Talk with others and take action, then tweak timing to find the right rhythm.

If you’re shipping art, I’d love to hear what makes it stand out and how you remain consistent.

Perhaps there is a renewed desire to connect more of your intelligence? As you take action, know that your contributions matter. Even when the immediate impact is undetectable, thank you for being courageous enough to ship it.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Content Creation: Photography

Quick photos are easy, but capturing quality images takes the right equipment, complementary techniques, constant organization, and practice. With this combination activated, you’ll compile a diverse collection of organized content. Pictures say a thousand words, so you’ll be ready to bring any story to life.

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Photos are awkward, but everyone loves having them.

Let’s dive deeper by starting with an obvious fact. Smartphones allow anyone to be a photographer. These pocket-sized supercomputers deliver solid results with unmatched convenience. Taking photos with a phone is fast and easy, but it’s still worth taking time to frame your shot. Ideally, you’re able to leave extra room to make it easier to crop or straighten the image. Another simple trick is to avoid using zoom. Instead of zooming in or out, move physically closer or farther away from the subject. This will reduce the digitized blur in your photos. Also, no matter how good you get, you’ll never capture award-winning shots every time. Take more photos than you need, because something is better than nothing. Lastly, learn the tools of your phone to limit the amount of editing required after an image is captured. Think of filters and photo enhancement apps as secondary safety nets. They can be used to get creative, but the effects they add often damage the clarity of the original image. Like with writing, take a little extra time with your photos to support stronger storytelling.

When it’s time to add to your arsenal, a more advanced camera will serve you well. This camera should add many new angles, so consider how it pairs with your current equipment. Less expensive digital cameras have everything wrapped into one device. More expensive options have a body paired with the lens of your choice. For these cameras with multiple components, go with a body that support the type of photos and video you’ll be working with most. In addition to the features of a camera body, explore what lenses work with it. These attachments determine the photography you’re able to capture. They cost way more than they should, so leave plenty of room in the budget for a strategic lineup of lenses. If possible, start with two different lenses that offer very different capabilities. For instance, pair a wide-angle lens with a more concentrated lens to give yourself a full range of shots you can shoot. Fill in the gaps with more lenses, but having two very different lenses may be all you need. Renting a specific lens for a special occasion is also a fun way to shake things up. Quality equipment requires a chunk of change, but the investment pays off the more you use it.

Skill Shot

As you get comfortable with equipment, experiment with new settings, techniques, and software. I write about a few more advanced photography skills in YDNTB.

With moments memorialized in each photo, bring everything together with photo editing software. Photo editing software is easy(ish) to learn and will take your photography to the next level. In many cases, automatic tuning tools are all you need to perfect your images. As you learn basic editing techniques, let curiosity expand your photography and editing skills. This will push the boundaries of how your photography can be used to tell stories.

UP NEXT: Skill #3 – Videography

By Ben McDougal, ago