Make your work.

The outside air and I haven’t been getting along too well since the start of this relentless cold snap, so today I treated myself to a trip to the local butterfly conservatory – a lush, indoor tropical garden where the air is mild and much kinder to my face.

I wasn’t the only one with this brilliant idea, though most other adults at the conservatory were accompanied by multiple small children who were either shrieking with delight or cringing in fear while butterflies flitted about their heads (the last time I went with my kids, they fell into the cringing category, so this time I opted for a solo visit).

This gave me an opportunity to make photos (and to take my time doing it). But again: I wasn’t the only one with this brilliant idea. There’s a lot of picture-taking going on in a butterfly garden.

I attempted the classic compositions, in which a pin-sharp specimen is large and beautiful and ideally perched on an equally large, beautiful flower – but my real challenge was to try to make the photos the others weren’t making. Or, more helpfully, not to make the photos I’ve made before.

This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge is Growth, and while I hope I’ll grow in many areas of my life this year, for my purpose here my goal is to grow as a photographer. One picture at a time. (“You learn how to make your work by making your work,” as artist Eileen Rafferty puts it).

I know I can’t expect any sudden transformations. But that’s okay. I’ll leave those to the caterpillars.