How do you keep up with it?

[36cm2]

I'm inundated. Between work, family and ever-increasing admininistrative BS, how do you cope, find the time, find the mind, and realize your goals in film photography. Just keeping up with the digipoop doculife photo cycle is so hard (and mind you i think it's important as a new parent). So how do i fill my walls with my soul without losing my mind? Someone here has certainly done this before. Please help.

Leo

[clayne]

I think this is generally on the rise for *everyone*. The higher ups are cranking the screws down on the working-class... work, work, work!

Best bet: chuck your television.

Go out on the weekends, turn off the phone, and shoot. Find a shooting partner. Force the time where you can.

[Vaughn]

"An artist gets to work when the pain of not working gets too great."

My three boys turn 15 at the end of the month, it has been a heck of a ride so far! I was a stay-at-home-dad and used up a bit of SX-70 until the little buggers learned to crawl and I could no longer pose them...it became like sweeping ants...you can get them in a pile, but they don't stay that way for long! I started to take them out into the redwoods with me as soon as they could walk (actually even before that in a triplet stroller.) I would take the 8x10 and some lunch for us and we'd hike until I saw something to photograph. I'd get out the lunch and take a photo before they finished eating. Otherwise they'd wander off, fall in the creek or something while I had my head under the darkcloth.

As they got older, I could make more images as they explored around the redwoods -- and I started to put them into my images (they had to hold still for 30 seconds to a couple minutes!)

I work halftime, but my job is taking care of the darkroom at a university and checking out equipment to the students. So even if I am not making photos, work is rewarding photographically.

You just have to do what you gotta do. Which might be one of the reasons my wife divorced me...

Vaughn

[Steve Smith]

Between work, family and ever-increasing admininistrative BS

I try to ignore the administrative stuff and only work the hours I was hired to work.

my job is taking care of the darkroom at a university and checking out equipment

Does that include 'testing' it?


Steve.

[Jerevan]

Set aside time. Even if you got the most crushing schedule, you can put aside 15 minutes for yourself for making photographs every day, do developing of some film in an hour when wife and kid(s) are doing something else. Printing you have to prepare in beforehand as much as possible, with only a few negatives, one sort of paper and wellknown chemicals. Limit the variables, start off - one half-assed print on the wall is better than nothing - go from there. Or consider alt process, do more things in daylight.

[Steve Smith]

I'm not suggesting anyone here is guilty of this, but generally, I get annoyed by the people who tell me they don't have time to do something when I know that they spend their evenings sitting in front of their televisions.


Steve.

[Jerevan]

I agree with you, Steve. You have to actively choose what to do with your life.

[munz6869]

I take a camera everywhere I can - and often don't use it, but I always have one where I might like to make a picture... Also, I try to take my annual leave in interesting places I'd like to photograph, and jump on any print exchange I can to self motivate. Every year I do a hand-printed calendar as my christmas present - and that alone keeps me in the darkroom for a fortnight of evenings - and the finished project forms a nice sort of annual self-review. Oh, and a blog is a great self motivator - it demands content...

Marc!

[jp498]

Family and work do take quiet a bit of time.

I'm mostly weaned from the TV. Not much good to watch has helped that, as did being without satellite/cable for a couple years in times past. I don't go out and party or get drunk.

I also keep a camera in my car and sometimes it's worth five minutes during/before/after work to use it. Keep a camera at home ready too. It's part of being prepared.

I have a dedicated darkroom and can keep things ready to go (almost) in there. I process film one night, chop and scan some negatives another night, make wet prints another night or rainy weekend day.

I've got plenty of nice prints, but don't fill the walls with prints. I put a few family or local scenes up on the walls. Lots of stuff I shoot doesn't have a good reason to go on the wall; it's a home not an art gallery.

[zsas]

Are you the only photog in the family? My wife loves to shoot so I bought her an outstanding digi and prime and that leaves time for me to only be analog. Any chance of buying her her own camera, so you can fill in with analog B roll and drift into your own artistic pursuits without worrying if you get the shot of "Billy's" first steps?

Work life balance is hard, do your best, be present, and get rid o that TV