Incomplete
There is one feeling that is more consistent for me than any other. It surpasses happiness, sadness, and most other emotions. It is a constant force in my life. It can be good. It can be bad. It is what pushes me to be more. It is what holds me back from being more. It is what we make it.
Incomplete.
Think about how much you do is spurred on by a feeling of being incomplete. For me, it is almost everything. I grow my business because I feel incomplete. This is a good thing. I want more, I reach for more, and eventually hope to achieve it. As an artist, feeling incomplete is a good thing. It means you aren’t complacent. It means you are reaching for something bigger.
The key is to see yourself as incomplete by your own standards. Don’t see it as a bad thing. Don’t see yourself as tragically flawed because you don’t have everything you’ve wished for yet. Think of yourself as a work in progress. We all are. It is what makes us human. It is how we know we’re alive.
Push yourself. Strive for more. Scare yourself. Acknowledge how many puzzle pieces are missing from your life. Issue yourself a challenge.
5 thoughts on “Incomplete”
the raw emotion that is delivered here is outstanding! I am glad you are felling better!
How I understand! I often felt incomplete and thought it was bad. But then I noticed that when I felt this emotion, I was more productive. I therefore agree that feel incomplete is good. It is an emotion that moves us in the search for more. As with everything in life, in photography is also important to feel incomplete. When I read this post, I remembered a well-known quote from Imogen Cunningham: Which of my photographs is my favorite? That I will do tomorrow. “
I am so glad that you are feeling better, Brooke! I remember a week or so ago, you posted a preview of this image on Twitter. I was very excited to see the whole image, and you did not disappoint (well, you never do!). This image is strikingly beautiful and powerful.
Also, happy late birthday!
Powerful image Brooke <3 Nude photography has always been a genre very close to my heart for its purity and truth… and this is what comes through to me now in this image.
I am also so glad to hear you are feeling better! I was starting to worry about you as you've been quiet. Take care dear friend xx
So familiar ~ and common! From what I understand, it’s how we are wired to think: constantly looking to complete ourselves. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I decided, just for personal reasons, to try to shift my perspective. It had become clear to me that with every achievement, every milestone, every learning experience, I would still look to complete myself with yet something else. For me, it felt more like responsibility, like what I “should” be doing, and this baseline is not where I wanted my motivation to come from. I didn’t want my completeness to be measured by “should”. So with much introspection, I let the idea sink in ~ really sink in ~ that I am already complete. It’s kind of a vulnerable, freeing feeling ~ like aerial yoga Lol. Anyway, deciding to spend the rest of my life feeling complete instead of incomplete has allowed the scary things to be joyful thrills. All of sudden, I could approach the work-in-progress part of my life from a space of curiosity. Some people say that “curiosity killed the cat”; but I’ve learned that curiosity opens doors. Now, striving to do better is just a super fun adventure. 😉