striped crocus I try to shoot images without expectation because I know that every time I shoot something I am still learning. It took years to become comfortable with that notion. I fail a lot. In fact, I'm surprised every single time someone tells me they like a photo I took. Really. Surprised. I like posting new photos on my Facebook page, even when I think they're a failure, because I want to see how other people see them.

Lately I haven't had much opportunity to take photos. We've had so much rain that I find myself sneaking in five minutes here and there when there's a break in the clouds. I'm not particularly happy with anything I've gotten lately, but I try to just keep doing it because it makes me feel like I'm making some progress, even when the results are less than stellar.

A friend pointed me to this TED talk today, just as I was looking through the images I shot yesterday and debating whether or not to bother posting any. The timing could not have been better.

I had already seen her talk on vulnerability, which is a must-see for anyone who is trying to express their own creativity, but I rewatched it to remind myself of her message:

In the interest of allowing myself to be vulnerable, here are some images I shot yesterday. I think the clematis on the left is boring. The crocus in the middle is okay to me, but I see what I could have done better. The tiny daffodils on the right are just not good. I just couldn't find a way to capture their "springiness."  Where do you allow yourself to be vulnerable?

clematis White Crocus 1 tinydaf