A few months ago, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo premiered on Netflix. Aside from the usual space-saving tips and tricks, one of the wholesome messages of the show was to ask a really simple question. “Does this spark joy?” The main idea is that items in your house should have meaning to you or provide a special feeling whenever you use it. If it doesn’t, chances are it’ll be better if you let it go. After the initial hype of the show has died down, I would sometimes use “sparking joy” or “spark joy” ironically – mostly to describe how non-joyful my semester was going.
But now that I have some free time, I’ve thought about my photography and if I should keep pursuing it. What’s the point if taking pictures doesn’t make me any money? I’m not Instagram famous, a travel blogger, or a ‘foodie’. I just do this for fun. Most of my favorite photos don’t even garner that much attention. But that’s okay. Because the art of taking pictures still sparks joy for me.
Andy Chen Photography 