I just got back from Hollywood Beach, Florida. Arguably some of the most beautiful beaches in the United States, and yet I did nothing but struggle with creativity the entire time I was there. I almost didn’t put this article out (it’s late as is), and I almost gave up on it entirely. But I was failing in all the wrong ways.

I’ve been writing these articles to help build a more consistent process, and really start showing up for myself a bit more. This week l chose to wait to take my photo walk that I base these blurbs on, until I was on this trip thinking I’ll be such a beautiful area. How can I miss?

But instead I found myself struggling entirely and I let myself fail in all the wrong ways.

I wasn’t struggle to WANT to create. I even finished up early the first day and went out for almost the entire night. A band was playing at the Hollywood Beach Theatre outside the Margaritaville hotel (“The Beach Bum” was filmed here!). There was arguably plenty to photograph, but I didn’t take a single shot.

I wasn’t seeing anything. I just wasn’t FEELING it, and I started trying to force it because I was afraid to fail at this goal I have set for myself. Or failing to put this article out. Or failing to produce images that I would even want to show the world, in this article or just in general.

So I headed to bed that night mildly upset, without having taken a single shot on my hours long walk, feeling a bit like a failure. But it was all for the wrong reason.

I took the shot above sitting on the balcony reflecting on why I couldn’t pull the trigger during my walk. I’m still sure I wouldn’t have liked any of them, but I didn’t even take my own advice of taking the shot and learning from the failure as I have stated in previous articles. That’s when it hit me.

I would have failed either way, but I failed the WRONG way. I failed by not failing more.

It makes sense. One of the things some of the most successful people in any genre have in common, is that they have failed more than most have ever tried… and the value of failure is immense.

Every failure teaches you something new. Whether it’s a mistake in technique or a misjudged decision, each one provides invaluable lessons that help you improve. I lost out on finding what DIDN’T work, so that I could focus next on what DID work.

We can relate this to the 10,000 hours rule as well. I spent a few hours out on a walk, but I spent pretty much zero of those hours on photography. Similar to Henri Cartier-Bresson famously saying “Your first 10,000 photos are your worst”. I didn’t take any of the trash photos to get them out of the way.

When I put this together I could only be frustrated that I didn’t allow myself to fail more, so that I could succeed more. So during my event the next day I told myself that while I was there I would go out and just allow myself to shoot anything I wanted, even if it was garbage and I wasn’t feeling it.

If I was going to fail, I would fail the right way.

I was still exhausted from the week prior, exacerbated by the hangover from mingling with clients that night I woke up just in time to catch the sunrise. I was still struggling to find anything I really loved, although allowing myself the permission to fail, I ended up coming back with hundreds of garbage photos that will never see the light of day, but at least a few that I liked enough to share with eyes other than my own.

I failed the right way this time.

So next time you find yourself struggling in whatever creative endeavor, remind yourself of the Edison quote “I found 1000 ways NOT to make a lightbulb” or his other quote “Negative results are just what I want. They're just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don't” and allow yourself to fail a little bit, so that you can succeed.

Fail the right way.

Until next week.