A time whine...

kitschenalia

kitschenalia

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I think this is the first non technical thread I've posted, but feeling a bit down in the dumps folks. This is all soooo new to me but I LOVE it, I want to get better. Yet there is a problem.... I'm supposed to be finishing my PhD (I've been at it for years, and this is a resubmission following a not completely succesful viva). I AM committed but after 7 years (to be fair I got married, moved house and had 2 kids in this time - a lot of this was very part time) I am a little disillusioned... I'd now quite happily be shot of it completely and spend what spare time I have out taking pictures (but I'm stubborn enough to finish it so...)

So along with my 3 childcare days which I spend on the PhD, in theory I should be spending every spare moment (weekends and evenings, my poor husband) on the PhD too... I've been using my Mon-Tues (non childcare days) for photography but even on those days I've had to be cramming as much as I can in on the studying... poor kids would far rather a walk with me and my camera in the woods :shake:

I feel so fed up, I keep reading at bedtime about photography, and I'm not getting a chance to put it into action and therefore learn properly.

Anyone else find time a REAL struggle?

Christmas seems me with 2 weeks off with family, I'm going to have that as study-free time, so plan to do lots with my camera then :)
 
Oh absolutely! I have now given up the 60+ hours a week highly paid, heart attack inducing pig of a job I had and now work part time which leaves me a lot less stressed and able to express myself much better. I'd happily spend all my time taking pics but unfortunately doing any kind of professional photography actually involves taking pics a lot less than you might think.

get that PhD out of the way though because you have invested a lot in it and once you have it, it can't be taken away. Think of it as short term (from now to finish) pain for long term gain.

Keep your chin up too :)
 
I know exactly how you feel!

I want to move forward with my long term plan of starting my own photography business, but it's a slow slow process right now. I have a stressful but unrewarding job, when I get home I'm too tired to do anything constructive. I have a girlfriend and 8 month old daughter who I try to spend as much time with as possible, as well as this I have a classic car I'm trying to rebuild (that's my stress relief) Then there's always the other things that need doing like shopping, dog walking and so on.

All this means there isn't a lot of time left for photography - and when there is, well see my other rant!! I have decided, this weekend I will aim at having at least one hour for photography.

Keep going - remember it's not forever, one day you will finish your PhD and it will be worth it then.
 
Ali well done on giving up the 60 hours *meep* sounds completely draining, no wonder you were exhausted.

Ste, I hear you - good luck with moving from your unrewarding job over to photography... how is the light for you this weekend?

Daryl, it's environmental psychology, and about the ways that people interact with their dwelling to make it home (it's about identity and home so a lot about personalisation, the importance of possessions etc.). It's interview research mostly.

When I started it was me working towards a career as a researcher in this field, but since then, my Uni has taken focus off research, and we're rooted to this part of the country because my hubby has a gardening business which he is passionate about...

So in all honesty, there's no future for me I don't think in meaning of home research, but after 7 years I HAVE to finish it. So many time and financial sacrifices have gone into it....
 
kitschenalia, I find time for myself a massive struggle, what with a two-month-old to loom after on weekends and most of my photographic energies being used 5-day-a-week doing togging jobs for magazines. I'm doing 12 and 14-hour days and that really saps your mental strength.

Sitting there and reading up on things, coming up with ideas and all that is great but like you say, it doesn't match doing it for real. However, without all that thinking you'd probably be just snapping away aimlessly so you're back at square one.

In the past week or so I've shot some really exciting stuff using off-camera flash that looks totally different to anything we've used in the mags before and that's been a real buzz. To be honest, when i set out on Tuesday, with that massive frost on the ground, I wasn't anywhere near happy to pick up the camera but things came together and for the next three days of shooting I was chomping at the bit.

Confidence breeds success in a sense and when you get that one shot that triggers some excitement then you'll feel totally different and everything will be in perspective:)
 
Wow sounds interesting.... home for me is converting the garage into a full on home cinema. none of that all in one sound system stuff... Full on THX 9 speaker didital HD picture....

Only happy when lots of old/new movies to watch.......... home isnt home with out a cinema room. A room not used for anything else. Some blokes have their shed, I have a cinema.

Worth an interview?????
 
kitschenalia said:
Daryl, it's environmental psychology, and about the ways that people interact with their dwelling to make it home (it's about identity and home so a lot about personalisation, the importance of possessions etc.). It's interview research mostly.

When I started it was me working towards a career as a researcher in this field, but since then, my Uni has taken focus off research, and we're rooted to this part of the country because my hubby has a gardening business which he is passionate about...

So in all honesty, there's no future for me I don't think in meaning of home research, but after 7 years I HAVE to finish it. So many time and financial sacrifices have gone into it....
Click to expand...

finish it and then finish it...you need broader pastures and some light
forgive me for saying this..its just a feeling some of us arent meant to be buried so deep in life that it ceases to be liveable

my solution was i just retired...and glad to leave the petty and narrow minded..not the people..disciplines of engineering and accountancy

now i estimate grass growth and sharpen the lawn mower accordingly

as a matter of interest i read recently that man basically is a wanderer and the 'home' idea is frustrating
 
specialman, thank you - and glad you had a cool day in the ice :-)

Darly, sounds like you'd have been good to interview, but I'm all finished up now and racing against clock to rewrite thesis by Christmas *eek* Lucky you, I'd love that - but my hubby just falls asleep almost every time we put a film on so!

mrcrow, you're completely right. It's hard on me, my kids and my husband. But it would be like falling at the first hurdle to not complete it now.

I'm interested in this wanderer theory - can you remember where you read it? I'd argue that I agree that at ONE time, everybody was - but not everybody any more ... and it differs between cultures and individuals....
 
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