I hope you're all having a great day so far.

Some of you may be wondering why I write about topics such as productivity or about the importance of focus while at the same time, I do articles on photography and art. “Aren’t they completely different?,” you may ask.

The simple answer is this: because I like to write about things I’m passionate about.

The more complex answer, however, is that at the end of the day it’s not just about art or just about photography or technicalities. It’s about us. It’s about you.

For me personally, I want to become a better version of myself. I’m obsessed with it. It doesn’t really make sense to improve oneself in the field of let’s say photography while not giving a fuck about anything else.

Here’s why I think so.

It’s the principle of input=output. I’ve already written about it, but I’ll do it again.

I’m positive that our input greatly affects our output. The best example is the food we eat. The food contains nutrients, and these nutrients are used by our body, including our brain. If the food is low quality, the nutrients are low quality or insufficient, and therefore the brain can’t work at its peak performance.

However, our thoughts and connections are formed in the brain, and the efficiency, speed, and quality are determined by the nutrients - the fuel.

I don’t think anyone would argue that if you only eat hamburgers and drink sugary drinks, you will thrive in art - on any other field in fact. Just as we can’t thrive in terms of athletic ability if we don’t eat properly, our mind is unable to perform properly with bad nutrients.

This same principle applies to not only the food we eat but the books we read, the movies we watch, how we spend our time in general.

In order to become a better artist at a certain art form e.g., photography, it’s necessary to improve ourselves in general. In other words, I think learning about e.g., psychology or being able to focus better helps us become a better artist just as much as learning about color theory or composition. It’s hitting the same target from different angles.

So I encourage you to read, watch, and listen about everything: marketing, history, politics, languages, self-help, psychology, art, composition ...

In the end, it’s all connected because all of that will shape you as a human being (input) which in turn has an impact on your output (art), even if we can’t see the connection at the time being.

KRISTJAN