Jay z did an interview in GQ where he talked about editing your life. He said some people are for life, and some are for the moment, and these ideas of loyalty will hold you in places that you don’t belong. When I got to the ripe old age of 40, I started to think about this very thing. Editing my life and what that looks like for me. As a photographer, I edit photos all the time, sometimes thousands, and as I take away a hair, clean up some lint, and take away blemishes on faces, I realize that life itself needs to be edited and edited often. Here is what editing photos taught me about editing my life.
I don’t need all this shat!
I own a T-shirt company, and I realized the other day that I have 6 drawers full of T-shirts. I have gotten so comfortable wearing tshirts to bed that I own very little loungewear or sleeping clothes that match. As I sat in my closet folding all of these shirts, I realize that I don’t need 6 drawers of shirts anymore. I’m over 40, gotdammit, I need nice loungewear. I gotta get rid of some of these shirts. I counted and in total I had 48 shirts. I said I would only keep 20 for now and every time I buy a new T-shirt, I will throw away a shirt. That has been my motto for any new thing I buy for my home. If I buy a new mug, an old one has to go. If I buy a new shoe, an old, beat-up shoe must go. I can’t buy a new perfume until one bottle runs out.
As I clean out my closet I ask myself, does this belong anymore? I get upset because I feel that I’ve wasted money on a lot of things but I have to be real with myself. Do I need it anymore and does it serve a purpose. I was having a conversation with a friend the other day who was cleaning out her garage and she said I didn’t want to throw away the boxes of artwork and things from my kids childhood. She had 4 containers full of stuff for each of her kids and her baby is 13. I told her the rest of your kids are grown why are you holding on to the past. She didn’t want to let the past go and the only thing we should be holding on to from the past is the music because the music today sucks…I digress. I told her to keep 5 things from each container that means the most to her sort them out in piles and narrow it down. The kids don’t care if you keep it or not only you do so keep what matters. Keep what means the most and get rid of the clutter and make new memories for the stage of life they are in.
The art of editing your life begins with leaving some things behind.
We have to learn how to choose better. Not be so quick to call everyone a bestie. Not be so quick to buy all the shiny new things we see. Not follow everyone on social that doesn’t align with who we are and where we want to go. I am very intentional about who I follow on social media. Everyone can’t take up space. I want to learn and grow and I will unfollow and delete and mute those that aren’t growing in the direction that I am going in. I’m not being mean I’m just in a different space and that is ok. I will never forget those that stood by me but every season requires change…I’m not forgetting that the leaves fall or that the spring brings allergies. I just move differently as time moves. I want to create a space to know what truly belongs and what doesn’t.
So here are some things I’m editing or taking away from the picture of my life and how I’m doing it.
- go through my social media lists. Unfollow people who don’t serve you anymore. Unfollow newsletters that you don’t read so that you don’t take up space with things that are not serving you.
- all the saves you have on threads or tik tok….either do something with it or save it somewhere else. See what you need and what you don’t need so you can make space for new information.
- the friend who you haven’t heard from in a while…drop them down to an associate. Real friends no matter how busy they get can still send a text at least once a month. No love lost just make sure give them the spot they choose to be at in your life
- I’m trying to lose weight. Everything that has additional sugar gotta go. Not getting rid of sugar all at once but anything that has added sugar I can’t have
- you don’t need 5 pairs of the same jeans and don’t buy anymore. Pick the three best ones out of the jeans you have in that wash and donate the rest
Pay attention to the noise in your life. It can be stuff or things going on in the world. I deleted tik tok because that noise is a distraction. I still have the account; I just deleted it from my phone. Does tik tok belong in the life I’m building? No, I’m consuming more than I am doing. When life gets hectic and to much is going take a good long edit of your life and take away anything and anyone that doesn’t serve you.
As I get back to editing my photos I only want to give my clients the best. I may take 200 photos but only 40 come out good. I want my life to be a reflection of the best of the mistakes, best of the things I buy, best of the trips I take, and make good choices and be okay with getting rid of it when it no longer serves their purpose….
Like the 150 photos I’m deleting from one client or the files I need to delete off of my computer to create space.
