Postsecret is one of my favourite reads. For those of you that might not have heard of it, it’s a weekly collection of secrets that people have anonymously posted (usually on postcards) to Frank, the website’s founder, through the mail.
Anyway, yesterday I saw this secret crop up…
It took me by surprise to see something I’m so closely associated with up there. Of course my immediate reaction was “OMG I wonder who it was and which blog they write for?”. But then I started to feel quite sad. Is that really what wedding journalism can do to you? Or to any wedding creative for that matter? Is it an uncreative, uninspirational and unfulfilling field to be in?
Now, clearly I couldn’t disagree more. I absolutely love my job and find new challenges and opportunities because of it every day. But I just wanted to lay this out there and ask you – as a creative (writer, photographer, designer – whatever) in the wedding industry, do you ever feel like you’re ‘dumbing down’ your art to satisfy your clients? Not because our clients or readers are dumb of course, but because they expect a certain thing from you… they’re paying for your services after all. Maybe this is not the time to be experimental, creative or to push ourselves artistically?
It’s true, I have read some pretty badly written wedding editorial in my time, just as I’ve seen some pretty shocking wedding photography, stationery or fashion designs. But I think the point of difference comes through passion and a love for the industry and the work that we do… as well as actual talent of course! I’m the first to admit that writing real wedding reports may not be the most intellectually stimulating part of my job, but I am adamant that doing other things, within the genre that I love (workshops, the Green Room, contributions to magazines) is the way to keep my brain ticking over and to avoid ever feeling like that.
Writing about weddings hardly warrants creating Shakespearean prose, but always striving to push yourself and to make the very best of what you do – regardless of what industry you work within – is paramount. Whether you have a job that’s just to tide you over or you’re working towards your dream career, it’s what you make of it that counts. Any job can be shitty if you don’t make the best of the opportunities you’re given.
Am I the best writer out there? Definitely not. But I hope I’ll always be able to say that I work hard, aspire to improve, and that I sure as hell still love what I do.
This post doesn’t really have any great and insightful conclusion I’m afraid. Instead I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
