How does it feel to break a streak of 2150+ photos?
In short: Not as bad as it sounds.
A week ago I got sick and had high fever. I couldn’t move a muscle. Weeell… I could. I did take the photos during that time. Lying in bed, with my phone, but still. I kept taking pics.
So I guess, I could post them to Tookapic. So why haven’t I?
I’ve been looking for a reason to break my streak for a long time. I wanted to see if that growing number was the one thing that kept me motivated to take photos.
Fortunately after I broke the streak it turned out that I still want to take the photos. I just like doing it.
Losing the streak was also part of my „Fight Perfectionism” mission. I like big numbers, I like the feeling of progress and I like unlocking achievements. But you can take it too far. And I think I did.
In the end, streak is just a number. Nobody cares about it but you. Keep taking photos, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself just to keep the streak going.
Cheers!
Joanna I came back to the project recently, so it's hard to talk about large numbers, but some time ago I was trying to achieve the "perfect month". Every day I gave it a lot, until we met with friends and I really wanted to have a photo of them in the project. It was obvious that I would not be able to add the photo ontime, and I had reached similar conclusions. No one care - the most important thing is that I have photos of important moments for me :)
jazzie My broken streak (at 699 or so) reminds me of my Grandpa. He had left us forever some days before and on the day I lost that streak me and my friend walked up a beautiful hill on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, to wave him goodbye. We were not able to attend his burial because we had booked holidays. We wanted to cancel, but my mother and my uncle both told us to go to the holidays despite the burial, because Grandpa was fond of travelling and so they thought that this was the right way to honor him. It was very sad but felt right at the same time, but I still ask me if it was the right thing to do to my family then. Anyway, I had no fast enough internet connection to upload a pic these days, so my new streak is also my Grandpa's streak.
tigg Such a great story - thank you for sharing it.
vera I must say that I don't know what was my bigger streak in my project. I'm proud that I took photos every day during more than one or two years, and since then, I don't count it... Now I need a break of photography in my life. Other things appear to me more important. But I'm so happy I was motivated by this beautiful community to take photos every day for a so long time! Many thanks to you! This parenthesis could open again one day who knows? But I practice occasionally, again this weekend I was asked to take pictures for a party and the fun was complete! The daily practice is the best way to progress! I'm sure😉!
tigg
I have completely mixed feelings about the streak. From my personal perspective it is something I am in control of [God willing of course] and gives me a sense of achievement.
I don't take great photos; I don't spend a lot of time inter-acting with other contributors; whilst I live in the countryside I don't have spectacular views and landscapes; I very rarely go out with the sole purpose of taking photographs, they normally slot into my day; I 'have the gear' but that is because I love taking photos with my Olympus, but gear doesn't make a good photograph as we all know.
So I'm never going to get lots of likes or whatever else there is that some people strive for and that is OK by me.
But in the light of all the comments already posted, do we actually need the streak rules? Surely it is posting a photo every day that counts, not whether you managed to get adequate wi-fi before midnight on a certain day.
You no longer display likes [of other photographs] so maybe it is time to abandon streak rules. Everyone can set their own rules.
Marta Tomaszewska The streak was something that I didn't care about since very beginning. My life is often offline and I knew that there will be days (or even weeks) when I simply won't be in the civilisation.
For me it was always about taking photos, not having internet connection daily ;-)
120mr Yes! Tookapic is about taking pics everyday. :)
Robbie Colvin
I am on a no-upload streak at the moment 🙃
I’ll come back soon I think. Too much life happened and I needed a break from everything. I couldn’t even bring myself to pick up my camera.
Ewa Kudlaty
I don't keep streak. I don't like to be under pressure. Last 4 months are very busy and many photos wait for publishing. I'm taking photo every day and save them on drive. I believe one day (I hope soon) I will catch up the backlog.
You are right, the number of streak is not important. I go to your (and others) profiles to see your photos :-)
Margie
Cheers! I took a break after my first year of streak and then have been consistent ever since. I find some days it is nothing but a trial and chore to get a photo, especially if I am boring myself, or lazy, or busy, uninspired, or have bad weather etc.
But the biggest thing it does for me is keep me at it, so I don't put the camera down and just quit the passion. And the drive to photograph daily has been directly responsible for me getting out of my house and routine to search for new sites to photograph. That part has been enriching and the occasional time when I am unexpectedly thrilled with a photo (sometimes rare) is a joy, And that is good.
Thanks again, Pawel, for giving us this life changing opportunity. And I am very fond of the Tookapic community. Stay well.
Viola Kuniej you are lucky - finally you allowed yourself be human, not robot - congratulations!
Michał Taking photos and photography, in general, is important for most of us, the tookapicers. Until more important things in life happen.
My streak was broken after almost 3 years, and I just wasn't mentally able to take photos for some time. A year ago breaking it was the least of my concern. Months later I dug out my camera and tried to remind myself how I liked taking photos. I was ready to resume my tookapic after a full year passed, pretending it didn't happen at all. 365 - kind of a magic number, isn't it?
And now I have even less time or opportunities for taking pictures. But hey, this is mostly for me - pleasure, not pressure. And usually, taking and thinking of a daily pic is a fun way to drift away for a while. Even when I end up with a dull frame. But it wouldn't be like that without this place and community. Not sure why, though.
ponzu I am not crazy, there is no Like button under the post to give it a lazy seal of approval? We actually have to write something to indicate that we like, appreciate or simply have become aware of the post? The comments have the Like button. Not saying I don't agree with this feature design, just making sure I'm not missing out.
Good for you for feeling good about breaking the streak. Change is good. Weight of expectations -- whether by others or by self -- can be exhausting.
bizon You're right :D And I agree that like buttons make us lazy so I appreciate this lack of like button here - it makes us more involved :)
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Marta Tomaszewska I think this should sound like a relief :) You can do everything like before, but as a free man ;-)
I don't know how to name it.. but I think "funny" would be the best way to describe it. It is funny how we stick to the things that doesn't really matters forgetting about deep sense of what we're doing. This number is telling nothing about your photography or your skills, except the skill of fitting into the rules ;-) And yes, I'm telling it about myself also :D
And on the other way exactly the same numbers drive us through all this "pain" of achieving better results and finding our way... But I think it's good to "let them go" at some point :)