Lesson Learned #44 - Editing Mind vs. Shooting Mind
A Tennis Trick
Editing mind and shooting mind are two facets of every photographer’s creative life but they do not play well together. Just as you might use ammonia and bleach to clean a house, don’t get those two things mixed up or you’ll be very sorry. Developing the ability to separate your editing and shooting mind as needed will make your working life a lot easier.
Because editing mind often uses reason to function, it can give the impression of being the adult in the room. However, as Pascal says, “The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.” Without your ‘unreasonable’ shooting mind, the reasonable editor just won’t have much to work with. So it makes sense for you to prioritize separating your editing mind (inner critic) while you’re taking a picture.
Here’s a technique I learned while playing tennis - Whenever a point is finished, take a few seconds to analyze what happened (Editing Mind), then take a few seconds to forget about it… entirely, wipe-erase your mind. This requires a leap of faith, overcoming the belief that continuing to think about what you did wrong will help. It won’t. Then, as you get ready to serve or receive, amp yourself up again and have fun. (Shooting Mind). By the way, when you see players quickly stare at their strings between points, they’re erasing distracting thoughts by focusing on something else.
Analyze/Erase/Aggression - rinse and repeat. Enlisting this technique can be difficult at first and requires patience and practice, however, it’s a lot better than the alternative. Whenever you muddle up analyzing with aggression you’re going to start trouble.
It’s a balancing act. Shooting mind needs to feel totally engaged, almost trancelike. Editing mind is more critically attuned, looking for problems, figuring out what’s working or not working. My ground rule - cultivate a third dialectical mindset that oversees the whole operation, a mindset that recognizes the benefit of keeping these two sides of your creativity activated, but separate. Like a referee getting between two boxers, it keeps the match fair. You’re not completely silencing your inner critic, that editing mind is essential, merely putting some distance between it and picture taking. Ultimately it’s more productive - something your rational mind should appreciate.
Editing mind isn’t going to go away, you wouldn’t want it to. When people complain about a ‘critical voice in their head’ it’s really more about timing. Practice erasing your mind and you’ll be taking a big step towards putting some distance between the two mindsets. Ultimately, by giving each equal time to inform your work, just not at the same time, you’ll be a lot happier.