Finding Your Shot

When was the last time you actually went looking for inspiration?

Not scrolling for it.

Not waiting for it.

But actually going out to FIND it.

Yesterday I had a moment that took me right back to something I used to do all the time.

I used to be a wedding photographer.

A wonderful young couple that I knew was getting engaged.

I wanted to capture their special moment so they had nice photos of it.

Off I went with my DSLR in hand and a nice f2.8 zoom lens.

After the proposal, we were in this really beautiful park.

My wedding photographer took over.
As a photographer, you don’t just stand in one place and hope things work out.

You start moving around.
You look at the light, the background.
You’re trying to find a shot.

It’s a photography concept—you’re not waiting for a photo to happen, you’re actively finding where it could happen. It’s active, not passive.

And as I was doing that yesterday, it reminded me that we ALL need to do as innovators.

When I look back at times I’ve been stuck creatively,
I realized, it was because I was just sitting in the same place expecting something different to show up.

Same desk, same screen, same thinking.
And nothing changes.

I had a very real version of this when I was starting my business, Abound Innovation.

I needed a logo and I couldn’t get there. I was forcing it, sketching, deleting things, starting over. I was stuck.

I needed inspiration, so my wife and I drove up north to Lake Lanier.
I didn’t go there with a big plan—I just knew I needed to get out of my head and I needed inspiration.

While she sat by the water, I wandered into the forest.

I wasn’t looking for anything specific. I was just paying attention to what was around me—trees, light coming through the leaves, little patterns in the bark, things I normally would’ve ignored.

And then I saw this one leaf.

Nothing dramatic. Just the way the veins ran through it.

I ended up taking it home and putting it in my notebook.

It became the starting point for my first logo for Abound Innovation.

That’s what I think “finding the shot” really is.

Since those days, I teach this activity. I call it an Inspiration Excursion.

When I’m stuck, I don’t try to force ideas.
I just go somewhere else. Walk. Look around.

I go hunting for inspiration.

I want you to do the same.

Next time you’re stuck, don’t wait for inspiration.

Go find your shot.

Tell me, where do you like to go for inspiration?
How often are you looking to find your shot?

Your innovation coach,

Leo Chan

P.S. Here's some photos from their engagement (they gave me their permission to share with y'all!)