melancholics anonymous...

I was full framed... © Raffaella Loro

For the past several weeks I've been preoccupied with everything other than photography. Over these past weeks, it has become obvious that I was becoming a perpetual melancholic, always complaining about some thing or another and generally feeling sad for no particular reason. I stopped sleeping soundly through the night and spent my days feeling old and cantankerous. I have not quite shaken this bout of melancholia, but I am feeling a bit more inspired, having been forced to take photos last night after somehow finding a 5D in my possession for the evening. I desperately wished that I could have had a day off with this camera. However, instead I will be rushing to shoot with it for the few hours before the sun goes down tonight.

With all the hoopla about "The Secret" these days, I didn't think it would be too long before someone brought it up in conversation. Although there is really nothing new about doing something that makes you happy, it is always interesting to look at the type of work we are doing and evaluate whether or not it is making us happy. Does happiness mean just financial security, or does happiness include feeling like you are best utilizing your talents to both secure your financial security and contribute something meaningful to the world? Figuring out what type of work will make you happy is not all that difficult in theory but in practice it is... mostly because it is usually so much easier to just work in a job that meets all of our basic needs and maybe gives us that little bit extra to make us feel guilty for not appreciating the situation we have. Isn't it a little ridiculous that trying to figure out how to do the things that make me happy is making me melancholic?