2026 is completely screwed up?! Realistically, it’s just like any other year with wars, pandemics, and financial instability, but we always think it’s worse than the year before. In How To Stop Feeling Depressed – Advice For Struggling Photographers I am going to shine a light towards the end of the tunnel for you. If you’re in a slump right now, trust me, it won’t last. There are things you can do to lift yourself out of depression. Let’s explore some ideas for struggling photographers.
How To Stop Feeling Depressed – Advice For Struggling Photographers
AI has changed the photography landscape. It continues to have a huge effect on photography businesses. Maybe your photography business has suffered a huge drop in revenue?
Not only is AI doing the photography jobs that used to employ so many people, but it’s also making our followers question every damn photo we take. “Is that AI?” “Oh, that photo’s FAKE! It’s AI” It’s definitely a changing landscape, but we have to change with it.
Hopefully, this post will help you to lift your mood and give you some hope.
What Would I Know About Feeling Depressed?
Unfortunately, I know a lot about it.
Only a year or so ago, I was extremely anxious and depressed a lot of the time. I think outwardly, to others, I appeared to be in control and quite chill, but on the inside, I was raging.
My photography business was not doing very well and had not been for quite some time. I had come out of a failed music career into another passion-driven business that was also seeming to fail.
I had been a stay-at-home dad to my daughter, which I loved and would not trade for anything, but coming out the other side of that was hard. You feel kind of lost….useless. You had all these tasks to do each day, both for and with your child, and now all of a sudden…………….there’s nothing. You suddenly have the freedom and the time to do what you want, but at the same time, you feel guilty for doing it. It was a strange feeling, and I guess I allowed it to break me.
An Old-Fashioned View
I grew up in a family where both of my parents worked, but my dad always seemed to be working and busting his gut to get food on the table. I developed a rather old-fashioned view that a man had to “provide for his family”. He had to be strong and resourceful. You had to push through and do whatever it takes to make sure your family is provided for. I felt worthless because, in my mind, I was failing dismally at this.
Fast-forward to now, and I am doing great. I still have anxiety from time to time, but I hardly ever feel sad or depressed. My photography business is starting to flourish, and I have a sense of self-worth again.
I have tried a lot of things to beat my depression and anxiety. I’ve seen Doctors, Psychiatrists, Naturopaths, and pranic healers. I have tried meditation, exercise, crystals, mantras, dieting, and so many other things. Please don’t freak out and click away from this blog right now. I’m not going to suggest you do all of those things?! But let me suggest just a few that might help.
Are You Doing The Things You Love?
You and I love photography, right? Well, are you actually taking photos at the moment?
The first tip I have to stop feeling depressed is to do more of what you love. If you are scared about the effect of AI on your photography business, that’s ok. I don’t blame you. Don’t lose your love for it, though. AI might be stealing work from you, but it can’t take the camera from your hands.
I know all too well how feeling depressed can rob you of the desire to do anything; even the things you used to love. You must push past this though. Trust me, on the other side of that push you will find that feeling of bliss that you remember from doing what you love.
Aim for 1 hour of photography at least every second day. You should make it a priority and let nothing get in the way of you doing it. If you can do this for a couple of weeks, you will find that you are craving it every day and overflowing your hard drives with awesome photos.
How To Stop Feeling Depressed About Money
If your business has taken a hit because of AI, then you may be more than a little anxious or depressed about where your next dollar is coming from. I’m going to offer two solutions to this problem.
Solution No. 1
If you have followed my advice above about getting back into taking photos, then you have a financial solution right there. All those photos you’ve taken can be uploaded to stock photography sites to get some money flowing. It might not be much, but trust me, despite AI’s influence, stock photography is still selling. I have written numerous blog posts about ways to earn money with your photography online. Here are a few for you to take a look at:
- How To Make Money As A Photographer
- How To Make Money Selling Stock Photos
- How To Sell Photos Online And Make Money
- Make Money With Photography
Solution No. 2
The thing that has always been there for me throughout my life is music. It has the power to change emotions quickly. If you are a music lover, use it as a powerful tool to lift you out of depression.
Create a Spotify playlist (or if you’re old school, a mix tape or CD) of songs that make you feel happy, excited, fired up, ANY good-feeling emotion, and listen to that playlist daily.
Like anything else when you’re depressed, it can be a struggle to expend the effort of pressing play on that playlist, but you must push yourself to do it and make a habit of it.
Stop Feeling Depressed By Getting Around People
Being around others when you feel depressed is the LAST thing you want to do. Chances are, you feel worthless, ugly, awkward, or maybe afraid that your depression shows on your face like a huge pimple in the middle of your forehead! Please try to get past those feelings and be around other people. As humans, we need that sense of connection.
If you are isolated, get online and join some kind of community. Get into a Facebook group, join a course that does live video calls, video call your friends and family as often as you can. Just find a way to feel connected to others.
I am part of an amazing community, and it is the one, single reason for how happy and connected I feel right now. Every day, I connect with amazing people from all over the world in this community via Facebook groups or Zoom calls. I’m not just getting conversational connection from this, but a feeling of self-worth, because this community is all about helping each other. When you genuinely feel like you are helping someone else, it gives you a sense of purpose and value that can lift you out of any sadness.
A Final Word Of Encouragement
I know that it’s tough right now. The world is constantly changing, and a lot of it seems as though it’s not good change. The question isn’t “when will it get back to normal?” but “what will I do now to adapt and thrive in this new world?“
If you have serious depression and you have had thoughts of harming yourself, please seek medical advice. In Australia, Beyond Blue is a fabulous, free resource that can help. You have the choice of phone support, web chat, an online community forum, or suicide and crisis support.
If you are reading from another country, please Google your local support provider.
Stay safe. I wish you happiness.