Did you know that the human brain is still developing until around the age of twenty five? Scientists and researchers used to believe that your brain was pretty much developed around your teens, but current research is revealing that the developmental period of adolescence goes on long after we leave our teen years. It’s true that our brain stops growing in size in adolescence, but the connections between neurons and the development of our different lobes continue well into our twenties.
While this may be new information for you, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Though our brains are more plastic in adolescence, you can still learn new things later in life. How else would we excel at our jobs, or build new, healthy relationships, or raise children, or do anything new in life? Our brains are more receptive to learning new things through adolescence and early adulthood, but it’s also important to continue that sense of wonder and learning throughout our whole lives.
Trying new and creative endeavors is one way to keep learning and growing. My current passion is photography. I started shooting digital images three years ago. I’d borrow a friend’s camera when I went on trips to Seattle or Portland (bless him for letting me borrow something I had no way of replacing if I lost or damaged it!). I eventually was able to purchase my own Canon Rebel, a wonderful crop sensor starter camera, and began working on the craft of portrait photography.
I reached out to other local photographers with questions and asked for advice. I started going to meet-ups and community events for creative people from a variety of fields. Not only was this a great way to grow my understanding of the craft, but it was a wonderful way to meet new people, to socialize, and to creative new friendships in my life. In fact, I met my best friend through Instagram just over a year ago. She’s a local illustrator, and an incredible person to have in my life.
I practiced with friends that I knew would be patient with me and supportive of my goals. My portrait photography skills have grown so much, along with my confidence. I still get anxious before each shoot. Will I make the client happy? Am I truly worth what I charge? What I’ve learned from my peers and mentors though, is that clients are hiring me because they like my work, they connect with my style, and they trust my abilities. I try to remind myself of this each time I work with a client, and to remove those thoughts of inadequacy as soon as they start to creep in.
I consider my work as a photographer as a side hustle. This, for me, keeps the endeavor sacred; I’m not dependent on it for my main income, so there is very little pressure to book jobs. I work full time at a local high school in the admissions department and love engaging with adolescent girls. I use my free time to shoot with other photographers, models, and friends, and appreciate the fact that booking clients allows me to pay for other passions, like film photography.
Old photographs, family heirlooms, long-standing traditions - I’ve always been interested in them. I love looking at photographs of my grandmother when she was a little girl, growing up in rural Oregon with her two brothers and mom and dad. I love all of the jewelry she’s passed down to me. It’s sweet to look through photographs of my parents when they were young and in love; when my own brothers and I were little and our family so young.
About eight months ago I decided to try my hand at film photography. I asked my dad if I could borrow his KS Super II. I remember being so nervous about that first roll and if it would even turn out. To be honest, I always have that sense of nervousness and eagerness with each roll, especially when I’m self-developing black and white film in a dark room.
