JUNE: BURNOUT, TURNSTILE, BOYLE, AND BREAKTHROUGHS
When Inspiration Fades, What’s Left?
Hello, everyone! June has been a busy month for me, and I’ve found myself feeling a bit uninspired lately. Despite this, I decided to put together some thoughts and share a few photos from my recent outings. This month, there isn’t a specific theme like in previous newsletters. Instead, I want to highlight two pieces of media released in June (an album and a film) that forced me to rethink everything about being a creative person. I hope they will help reignite my passion for photography and inspire you as well. So here's my June: A handful of unplanned frames, no grand theme, just me learning to look again.
The Burnout No One Warns You About
I’ve been in a strange creative slump. It’s not about money. It’s not about worrying that AI will take over (I’m really not afraid of that). It’s deeper than that, just a heavy, quiet sense of burnout. I’ve felt like I’m capturing the same photos over and over again. The same corners of Lisbon, the same light, the same gestures. Noticing the repetition can be depressing. It’s not that I don’t love photography anymore, but lately, I haven’t been sure what I’m looking for when I go out. And that uncertainty can be paralyzing.
How Turnstile’s Never Enough Got Me Out of My Head
And then I heard Turnstile’s new album, Never Enough. It hit me like a creative slap in the face. Their ability to take hardcore roots and blend them with pop, funk, and psychedelia. It’s bold, weird, and totally awesome. Listening to the album reminded me that you don’t have to box yourself in. You’re allowed to evolve. As a photographer, I’ve been clinging to what I know works, afraid to experiment too far beyond it. But Turnstile reminded me that chaos is part of the process. I’ve started going on walks with no plan, no project in mind, just trying to shoot what feels a little weird or out of place. Just letting the noise in.
28 Years Later - A Flawed But Beautifully Shot Film
I watched 28 Years Later expecting a decent sequel. The writing? Honestly, it’s kind of a mess. But visually? It’s a masterpiece. Danny Boyle and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle did something brave, they shot most of the film on iPhones. And it looks stunning. The shaky intimacy, the frantic energy, the way light behaves differently when you’re not shooting on expensive lenses, it felt raw and alive. Watching it made me rethink all the excuses I’ve been making about gear, timing, "waiting for the right light." Maybe all I need is to be more present. More responsive to what’s in front of me, not waiting around for the perfect setup.
Still Figuring It Out
I’m still in a weird place creatively. I don’t have a big revelation to wrap this up with. But Never Enough and 28 Years Later reminded me that inspiration often comes from the unexpected and that you don’t need the best gear or a perfect plan to create something meaningful. Maybe it’s time to explore parts of Lisbon I’ve never photographed before. Maybe I need to travel, or even move to a new city. Maybe I just need to shoot with whatever’s in my pocket and stop worrying if it’s "good enough." Because creativity, like anything alive, needs change to survive.
Thanks for sticking around.