What spark might you be hiding?

The value of going through your archives..

A few months ago,

Patrik L

reached out to me to take part in a “Behind the Lens” series, which features photographers.

I never think of myself as a photographer, even though I take photos for Soul Portraits. I don’t really know what I’m doing, so I tell myself that photography is just a means to an end. I’m capturing energy, the photo itself is a base canvas — it doesn’t technically matter if the raw images aren’t as captivating as I’d like them to be (though my inner perfectionist screams). So, it was an honour to be asked to take part in this series.

I wondered which angle to take; I could show examples from my Soul Portrait Sessions — promoting my work in the process — or I could dig through my hard drive to find my “best” images, and convince people that maybe I am a real photographer.

Or, I could tell a story — a raw and vulnerable story about myself. This wouldn’t include my best photos, nor my most professional ones, nor the ones that would promote my work or demonstrate much talent.

They would, however, strip away some of my desire to hide, and trace a line across a few years — sharing a piece of the puzzle of the artist in me, then, now, and the experimentation in-between, which all led me to where I am today.

“Our feature for this week is Tamzin Merivale, whose work embodies the self discovery and creativity that we strive to capture.”

I’m sharing this with you because there’s so much value in looking through your old work, even if it seem unrelated to what you do today (I guarantee, it’s not!)

• Do you cringe at some of your older creations? Would you feel confident in sharing them today, even if they’re not up to your standards?

• If you look back over the years, how has your self-expression evolved or changed? Was there something you were doing a long time ago that holds significant meaning with retrospect?

• Is there an aspect of your creativity that you don’t really value? Give yourself credit for every last experiment you’ve undertaken — even if you’re not a “real” photographer/artist/writer/etc…

The best way to let go of shame is to let it out into the world. Those shadows hold us back so much more than we realise.

My challenge to you is to look through old work that maybe you’re not so proud of, and hit publish/post/share!

Tell us about it, tell us about yourself at the moment of creating it.

You can restack this post or tag me on Instagram alongside it and I’ll be sure to see you, hear you, and hold space for how hard it is to show up in this way.

Cheering you on ❤

Meanwhile, thanks so much to

Patrik L

for so much kind encouragement and for creating a truly magical community here. You can see the full post HERE.

“Tamzin’s approach is personal, genuine, and full of self discovery. I stand in awe of this approach as I find it inspiring. Soul portraits are not new, but Tamzin does it in a way I’ve not seen before and I am loving everything about it. Truly stunning.

I am incredibly grateful to Tamzin for accepting my invitation and for continuing this series, her work is truly inspirational and beautiful.”

Patrik also runs monthly Photo Challenges on Substack. I highly recommend checking them out — they’re joyful, motivating and the entries can be incredibly moving.

Tamzin xx

P.S.

I have a few spots available for one-to-one mentoring. If you need some support on what can be a nightmare of a journey, just get in touch.

If you’re looking for more of a group situation, combining masterclasses and support, I’ll be running my Creative Outsiders container soon — kicking off in June! Get on the waiting list here.