The Great Procrastinator

In business I was a bit of a procrastinator but most of the time figured that it was better to go ahead and make a decision and if it didn't work out, I'd fix it later. In personality profiles I was never the thinker, or the people person or whatever. I was the driver. I don't know what has happened to me in retirement but I'm not a driver anymore. I'm more like the Great Procrastinator.

Last year was the first year for The Solo Photography Book Month (SoFoBoMo). SoFoBoMo requires that you choose a 'fuzzy' 31 contiguous days out of a set two month period and you make a book of 35 photographs. All the work on the book needs to be done in that 31 day period, photography, text, design, whatever.....a whole book. I knew about it last year but procrastinated until it was too late to do it. I didn't even sign up but last year 170 people signed up and 60 of them ended up with finished books.

I think every photographer dreams about publishing a book and now with electronic publishing and print-on-demand, it is truly a possibility. Last year sixty people proved it could be done and done in a month.

I ask myself why didn't I sign up last year. Oh I have reasons like it wasn't a convenient time to do a book. I don't have design software and I'm not very fond of Blurbs Booksmart software. I wanted to use the Holga camera but it is hard to get 35 good images and scan and process them in 30 days. And so the list went. I think it can all be summed up as fear. I have a strong inner-critic who expects perfection in my photography and I was afraid I'd fail to produce a 'Masterpiece.'

Well, this year I'm sticking my neck out although the inner-critic is saying, "No, no, don't tell anybody. You will be embarrassed if you don't finish a photography book. Look how hard it is going to be during May and June. That is when you go back to Texas. What subject matter can you possibly choose where you can make 35 good images to put in a book when you aren't going to be in one place. Besides that, even if you finish, the book may be so bad you may want to hide it under the bed."

I know, I know, I heard all of this last year. But I'm announcing on Billieblog, I'm doing SoFoBoMo this year. Okay, I'm committed!

Readers, take a look at the SoFoBoMo website. Everything is there, the rules, why you should do it and you can take a look at the books that were produced in 2008. Want to join me? Or maybe you could tell your photographer friends. I think I'm the first one signing on from Mexico but I hope I'm not the only one.