I’ve struggled to find clear answers to this issue, as I’ve faced similar creative and personal setbacks myself. King shared how social media, with its artificial sense of achievement from likes and followers, prompted him to take a step back. He hasn’t shared anything on Facebook for nearly a year. As a photographer, this surprised me, but reflecting on my own photography page on Facebook, it’s mostly been Instagram posts and a few pictures of my kids over the past year as well. Like many artists, I have experienced burnout with my art, leading me to take various jobs, either part-time or full-time, just to rejuvenate my creative spirit.
Focus on being authentic, and everything else will follow.
— Jaleel King
Often, during these tough times, family and friends lift us out of our struggles. Yet, there are moments when someone’s kindness leads us to wonder about their motives; as humans, especially artists, we tend to be self-critical. We may doubt our worthiness of friendship and care, reflecting on our past achievements and feeling they are inadequate. King recalls entering a WPPI photo contest a few years ago where he secured second place in the Photojournalism/Non-Wedding category—notably, he also had four of the top ten final images in the contest. He confesses he seldom takes pride in that accomplishment; it seems we often focus on what we lack instead of celebrating our successes, which is a drive to motivate ourselves to improve and evolve as artists.
While some might label us as overly dramatic, consider any beloved A-list celebrity who, after winning an Oscar or Grammy, quickly feels the pressure to replicate that success. They wonder, “Will I ever achieve this greatness again?” or “Will I be seen as a one-hit wonder?” This constant quest for consistent achievement, to be viewed as reliable by clients and agencies, makes us overlook the small victories we achieve along the way. Writers, too, are particularly affected by this; society expects them to have a never-ending stream of ideas and stories ready to be shared.
So when is it appropriate to savor our achievements?
However, it’s not all negative for King. He has been working on accepting help and learning to say “why not?” instead of making excuses about why he shouldn’t act. This shift in mindset recently led him to Australia to speak at the Zero Regrets Conference, which was a transformative experience for him. Yet, the journey wasn’t always smooth; after an inspiring three weeks in Australia alongside creative minds like Jeremy Cowart, James Day, Oli Sansom, and the founders of Zero Regrets, Matt and Katie Ebenezer, returning home from such high energy left King feeling isolated and grounded.