Magic Feather

Deep psychological stuff today, this is about confidence.

The shot was inspired by Disneys Dumbo, the baby elephant with enormous ears that enable him to fly. He attributes his incredible talent to a "magic feather". Only when he clings to it does he have the confidence to fly, until the pivotal moment when he loses hold of it while diving from a high platform during the circus act. Timothy, the mouse, confesses to Dumbo that the feather was a ploy to give him confidence, and suddenly Dumbo can fly without the need for his feather. All good stuff for those who love animations, but surprisingly accurate about the psychological props that people use in life to enable them to do things they would otherwise feel incapable of doing.

What's this got to do with my journey? My "magic feather" arrived in the form of a dream, a "big one" that arrived when I was having a hard time after spending 25 years building a career as a Chartered Surveyor. My hobby was photography, and I'd long nursed the idea of making a living from it somehow, and giving up the day job. Well, the "Dream" arrived and I interpreted it as a message from my subconscious that I could succeed. Suddenly I had the confidence from somewhere to have a go at it, and after a bit of forward planning and a year to get my act together I took the plunge as a photographer. Life has never been the same again.

The feather is for me a symbol of, amongst other things, the transformative effect of self-belief, and what better time to acknowledge it than at the beginning of another year.