Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how easily something that starts enjoyable can end up taking up more space than it needs.
I’m a superstar at making a big thing out of the smallest idea. If I have options, I’ll probably explore them all. I’ll compare, adjust, research and will keep on going until I have considered every option humanly possible. I end up spending so much time exploring the possibilities that I never actually do the thing or bring the idea to life. The analysis and optimisation may feel like progress, but keep me from actually living most of the time. And with so many options, whichever I choose, it often doesn’t make me happier in the long run.
There’s a name for part of this: the paradox of choice. Having more options doesn’t necessarily make decisions easier or make us happier. Sometimes it does the opposite. The more possibilities we have, the harder it becomes to settle on something and simply get on with it.
A good example is this website. I’ve spent so much time rebuilding, re-evaluating and optimising the website, always looking for something better. So I never got what I actually wanted out of it. The possibilities were endless, and none were ever good enough.
So I decided to try to simplify my life. Less thinking, more doing. Going bouldering is a good example of that. I’ve done this in many areas already, and it’s a work in progress. In my previous post, A Shift in Identity, I already wrote a bit about the changes in how I see myself, what I value and what I want to give my attention to. Photography is part of that too.
And so is this website. I decided to simplify this as well. No more quotes for every post, no more endless tweaking options with SEO plugins. Back to the basics. A minimalist design. Not because a minimalist design is the answer to everything, but because I wanted the website to feel more quiet and considered. Less competing for attention. More room for the photographs, but also for the occasional written thought about other areas in my life. I’m happy with where it has landed, and I’d rather leave it alone now and use it for what it is there for.
Photography still matters to me, and always will. I enjoy looking, noticing, making images and occasionally sharing them. But I don’t feel the same need to make it such a defining part of who I am. It can have a place in my life without having to take centre stage. I don’t need to turn every interest into an identity, a project or something that demands more time and attention.
And there’s a small paradox in that. Photography may be taking up a smaller space in my identity, while the photographs themselves are being given more room on this site. I’m less interested in building something around being a photographer and more interested in simply making and sharing photographs. The distinction feels important.
That is probably why simplifying the website felt right. It reflects something I’m trying to do in other areas of my life too: stop adding layers, stop chasing every possibility and become a little more comfortable with what is already there. Less choice doesn’t have to mean less freedom. Sometimes it gives you the freedom to pay attention.
A special thank you to Mikulas, the designer behind the Minimalist Photography Portfolio theme I’m now using. He’s been genuinely friendly and helpful throughout the process, responding quickly and thoughtfully whenever I’ve had questions or wanted to make a few tweaks. Good design is one thing, but that kind of support deserves a mention!
I’m not trying to turn simplicity into another project, either. That would rather miss the point. Sometimes the best thing you can do is make a choice, leave it alone and get on with living.