Through my Lenses: An Inside Look at my INFJ Life

 

As an INFJ* - which accounts for only 1% of the population - being misunderstood happens lots.  Despite the challenges associated with sensitivity, having “thinner skin” enables me to soak up more information, including subtleties and nuances that are unseen by the other 99%.  My sensitivity is part my perceptiveness, and plays an integral role in all that I do and see. Everything is personal to me because I care so deeply.  

Paraphrasing the words of David duChemin, may help you to understand. Those who know me well, recognize the level of emotion in each of my pieces of Art.

I am a photographer. I make photographs. I do not take them, shoot them, capture them or snap them. I see the world differently and show others what I see and feel. And yes, it really did look like that when seen through my eyes, mind and heart. The tools of my craft are a camera and lens but the tools of my art are my passion and vision. It's not how we make our photographs that matters, but that we make them. The gear I have is good enough. My camera doesn't need to be made recently for me to photograph the present moment. The brand of my camera is irrelevant to the pursuit of beauty and authenticity in my work. Megapixels are no way to measure a photograph. I want deeper photographs, honest photographs that are alive, not just big or really sharp. I hope the legacy I create with my work will be judged not by how many photographs I made in this lifetime, but what those magic frames do in the hearts and minds of others. Comparing myself to others, or them to me, is a waste of my creative efforts and makes it harder to see the light, chase the wonder, and do my work. There is too much to see and create to waste these too-few moments. Art is not a competition, but a gift. I believe photographs can change the world because they have done so for me. I believe photography opens my eyes to a deeper life, one that recognizes moments and lives them exuberantly by being present in them.

 *INFJs - Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (The Counselor) - are creative nurturers with a strong sense of personal integrity and a drive to help others realize their potential. Creative and dedicated, they have a talent for helping others with original solutions to their personal challenges.
  The Counselor has a unique ability to intuit others' emotions and motivations, and will often know how someone else is feeling before that person knows it himself/herself. They trust their insights about others and have strong faith in their ability to read people. Although they are sensitive, they are also reserved; the INFJ is a private sort, and is selective about sharing intimate thoughts and feelings.