I am not worthy!

26 May I am not worthy!

Sometimes the path you’re travelling takes you right between a Walmart and a Porsche dealership.

If you spend much time riding the trails around Colorado Springs, you’ll probably recognize this spot.  I’ve always found it a bit ironic, so the other day while on a ride, I snapped a shot of it.  As I stood there trying to capture the scene on my iPhone, I thought how great it would be to have a nice digital camera.  I think I’d really enjoy being an amateur photographer, and it would compliment my web design and graphic art goals.

But I’ve always balked at getting a good camera because I feel like maybe I need to prove to myself that I deserve one before I spend that kind of money.  I guess that I think I need to show that I have the talent, commitment, and interest in order to justify owning higher-end equipment.

I’m like this in many areas of my life.  I played a crappy guitar until I felt I was “good enough” to own a Martin, rode a cheap mountain bike until I had put in enough miles to deserve a full-suspension ride, and recorded music on a trusty old cassette tape 4-track until I had enough success to merit a digital recorder.  The same has held true for everything from skis to to software to wood-working equipment.  Before I allow myself to go for the pro tools, I have to prove that I’m not a complete novice.

This is absolutely, not the best of strategies in all situations.  Sometimes, you have to have enough faith in yourself to invest up front.  But it’s just how I am I guess.  Sometimes, you do need a certain level of skill to appreciate the subtleties of higher quality gear though.

It seemed like this spot on the trail was a metaphor for this philosophy …use the Walmart brand until you are deserving of the Porsche.

So, I’ve decided to create a challenge for myself to prove that I’m worthy of a digital camera.  For the month of June, I’m going to take and post a photo each day using my iPhone.  This certainly isn’t a unique idea.  Plenty of people undertake photo-a-day challenges, and I’ve done song-a-day and a daily drawing challenge, but this one has a specific purpose …and a reward!

If you see me out on the trails with a shiny new camera, you’ll know the proof was in the pudding.

Steve