Sony Artisan and fine art self-portrait artist Brooke Shaden captivates viewers with her ability to weave fantastical narratives through her imagery. Her work often delves into surreal, otherworldly themes, drawing audiences into a realm where imagination reigns supreme. In this article, Shaden embarks on a personal journey inspired by the words of the iconic photographer Jerry Uelsmann, who once aspired to "surprise" himself. Motivated by this notion, Shaden committed to a bold experiment: creating a new piece of art every day for 30 days. Using her Sony Alpha 7R V paired with the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II, what unfolded was not only a month of relentless creativity but also profound revelations about the artistic process. Keep reading as she shares five important lessons she learned from the challenge.

Photo by Brooke Shaden. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II.

Sony Artisan of Imagery Brooke Shaden shares the five inspiring lessons she learned after creating a new piece of art everyday for 30 days.

What I Learned From A 30-Day Art Challenge

Once, the great photographer Jerry Uelsmann said, “If I have a goal, it is to surprise myself.”

When a new month first came around, those words tumbled through my mind. How long has it been, I thought, since I truly surprised myself?

On a whim, I announced I’d create a new piece of art everyday for thirty days. With that, and an open invitation for others to join, I jumped wholeheartedly into the month.

That evening I made my first piece. The next morning, I shared it online. To my surprise, hundreds of other artists began sharing their Day 1 work, too.

And on it went, for 30 days.

This is what I learned in a month of creating daily art:

1. Art is the practice of saying yes.

Every reason I could find to not begin the challenge was born from fear. I didn’t want to look silly if I made something bad. I didn’t want to look like a quitter if I didn’t meet my goal.

Decisions made in fear too often lead to regret.

When I began the challenge, I thought, if I have a single great reason not to do this that isn’t born out of my fear of what others think of me, I won’t do it.

I couldn’t think of a single reason.

I keep a small handwritten note on my desk that I look at everyday. It simply says, “Stop waiting.”

And so, I stopped waiting.

Photo by Brooke Shaden. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II.

2. Your art will be bad. Great.

I don’t care how far you are in your artistry—you will and should be creating bad art. I’m fifteen years in, and I still fail so regularly, I’m sometimes astounded. Everything from facepalm moments to problems that aren’t easily solved, I often find myself staring at the back of my camera, or my editing screen, saying this wasn’t it.

And why should it be? Often, people feel slighted if art isn’t easy. Was it ever meant to be? Art should challenge, provoke, and incite growth. It should show us who we really are, beyond the easy parts. If you aren’t regularly failing, you probably aren’t regularly growing.

I created 35 images in a single month. Seven didn’t work for sure. I released 28. Of those 28, I didn’t like 5 of them. That’s 12 images I didn’t care for out of 35.

Which leads us to point #3…

Photo by Brooke Shaden. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II.

3. Being an artist means learning to let go.

If your art is bad, you must learn from it and let it go to make good art.

If your art is good, you must learn from it and let it go to make great art.

If your art is great, you must realize you are but a humble beginner in all things.

I don’t care if you’ve been making work for fifty years. If you do not behave like a beginner, your journey effectively ends.

And this is why letting go is so important. If we cannot let go of the art we make, we cannot truly move on to create something new.

My goal is the same as Jerry’s…I want to surprise myself. I want to surprise you. I want my art to tug me along to places I couldn’t have imagined existed, where I can discover things I never knew needed discovering.

Photo by Brooke Shaden. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II.

4. Action inspires action.

By doing, you inspire others to do. By learning, you inspire others to learn. By failing, you inspire others to fail. And all of that is worthwhile.

Your actions set a bigger example than anything else. What you do will be remembered. On Day 1, when I made the decision to start an art challenge for 30 days, the decision was simple:

Do it, or do nothing.

If you’ve ever heard the phrase objects in motion stay in motion…I experienced that firsthand during my month of creativity. It started out daunting. I spent sometimes 10 hours a day working on a single image, only to have to move right on and do it again the next day.

As the month wore on, I didn’t spend much less time, but I didn’t notice the time as much. I found a rhythm that allowed me to enter a flow state more easily, and in that flow state, I flourished.

My actions inspired other people to take action.

Photo by Brooke Shaden. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II.

5. Use gear you can trust to see you through.

I’m a proud Sony user and have been since 2015. I believe you should choose gear based first on needs, and then by a gut instinct. For the entire month, I relied heavily on what my camera could do, coupled with how I like to use it.

Many times, I was up well before the sun, rushing about throwing costumes and gear in my car or on my back to head out into the pre-dawn light to shoot. Sometimes that meant I forgot a tripod, or my remote, or an extra battery and had only 6% to work with.

I was saved by knowing my equipment intimately, and by letting it do the job it was meant for. The flip screen on my Sony Alpha 7R V saved me when I set up self-portraits so I could frame and pose quickly. The high dynamic range allowed me to shoot well past sunset and into the darkness when I found myself laying in a cold lake trying to get the shot.

When I attempted an underwater photo shoot in 2.5 feet of water in a pool I set up in my backyard…as a self-portrait, I trusted autofocus to find me. It did.

We shall not talk about the glorified ziplock bag I put my camera in to get the shots.

(Note: Don't try this at home with your camera.)

If you feel a creative slump, or you’re not sure how to kickstart your creativity, try a 30-day challenge. Or, perhaps, a 52-week project (look out, I’m starting one for the community in January 2025). Better yet, set your own challenge and find a group of people to hold you accountable.

Photo by Brooke Shaden. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II.

You may fail, and if you do, I celebrate you.

You may succeed more than your wildest dreams, and I hope you do.

Either way, you will have said yes, and there is no better word to answer the call of creativity.

Follow Brooke Shaden's work on her Alpha Universe Profile and on Instagram @brookeshaden.