You know you're an Artist when . . . .

It's challenging enough to pick up your first camera and JUMP from "auto" mode to the treacherous leap into manual, aperture or shutter modes. Terms aperture, ISO, metering, depth of field are absolutely overwhelming. But when that day comes, you change your exposure modes (I shoot manual only) and voila you see what those changes create, you are on that amazing photography journey. But it's never enough. Never. You're never satisfied. You see your earlier work and are humbled, almost embarrassed at what you thought was art. Then the day comes. It's remarkable. You look through the viewfinder and not only do you see your subject, your artist brain sees BEYOND what's in front of you. You're already creating fine art beyond the click of the shutter. Once this starts, you can't turn it off. You are now envisioning so much more. It takes over your brain. You now look at everything around you, once ignored, and think with the right camera, the right lens, the right exposure (maybe 35mm? wide angle? zoom?) oh what could you create! Your world is never the same. Ever again. To become a fine artist takes failure, mistakes, frustration, tenacity and absolute belief in your gift, no allowance for mediocrity. You know your gift. Now you must find a way to draw your viewer into your little secret world so they SEE what you already saw when you clicked the shutter. No turning back now!