As Bob Ross once said, “We don’t make mistakes, we make happy accidents.” As a photographer, I’m fortunate enough to be able to have backups by shooting a bunch of frames and find that perfect shot. Conversely, there are times when I only take a couple because of timing, poor decisions, or just by accident. In these cases, there are times when the project either gets scrapped or the concept changes from the original idea. 

Another important thing to remember in these cases is to just give yourself grace for these happy accidents. In my 3 Dimensional and Design class with Prof. Stephen Garrison, he always emphasized the importance of accepting any “mistake” and that it could even improve the art piece by having that “imperfection”. Today I’ll be sharing my happy accidents with you all and one of the first one’s is my favorite from back at school.

Another photo I really came to enjoy was this accidental light painting from when I was shooting the Halema’uma’u eruption. I came to appreciate how abstract this photo was compared to a completed one and think it does well as a stand alone. 

This last photo was taken back this past winter and this photo is more storytelling than I would’ve thought in the past. This was taken during a snowstorm and caught this squirrel scavenging for food. While I thought this was too underexposed to post, it also shows the harsh cold the squirrel faces every season. The grainy and dull image enhances that gritty sense nature had to offer at the time.

---

I hope you all enjoyed this post and that it serves as a good reminder to show yourself some more grace when it comes to creating art. It’s always hard seeing amazing artists be so hard on themselves and while it’s good to have some self discipline, it’s also important to give yourself a mental break at times. Don’t forget to keep that sunblock on during this hot summer, a hui hou! 🌺

~Conchita (@conchita.creates on Instagram/Tiktok :))