10/07/2026
Just returning from a month of travels and I’ve been thinking about the word transformation and what it means to us artists.
We’re told to niche down and make work that’s instantly recognizable. We’re told to create and share consistently. But where’s the room for growth with tight constraints like that?
For three days last week I shared a room with Nikon Ambassadors at the Nikon Ambassador Summit. A room with Pulitzer Prize winners, photographers whose images have graced the covers of National Geographic, and artists whose work has shaped the way we see the world. It was a remarkable space and I was completely in awe.
As I listened to their stories, what struck me was how differently each of them had arrived at this place in their careers. Every photographer in that room had forged their own path, no two alike. They’d spent years honing their craft, but also learning to pay attention to what interested them, what sparked joy for them, what they couldn’t stop thinking about.
It’s so easy to get comfortable making the work we know how to make. Especially when people respond to it. There’s a certain safety in knowing what you’re good at, and I think sometimes we mistake that comfort for having found our voice.
But I don’t think our artistic voice is something we find once and then spend the rest of our lives repeating. I think it can change as we change.
Niche or don’t niche. Follow rules or break the rules. Whatever you do, I think the world needs the art that’s calling to you. Art is a twisty path with ups and downs, confident peaks and imposter syndrome. Give yourself permission to wander, to try something new, to make something unexpected. And if you need a role model, just look to the butterflies.
Black swallowtail captured in one minute before she flew away with NikonUSA Z8 and NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S at iso 64, f/3.5, 1/640s
