The Creative Compass You're Probably Ignoring

Why the shoots that fill you up are pointing you somewhere

On Tuesday night, I was sitting on a plane on the tarmac in Rome, ready to come home after a 4-day shoot, when I heard the pilot say:

“It’s going to be another 40 minutes before we get up in the air.”

Now I had to laugh at the idea of traffic in the air, however at 10 pm, I was just ready to be home.

I sat there thinking about the four days that had just passed. My first tourism campaign. Done.

Those 40 minutes were the first time I’d stopped in four days, and I guess it was all I needed to begin reflecting.

That’s when it started.

I realised I wasn’t actually “exhausted” (which is usually how I feel after a big shoot). Instead, I had a feeling I hadn’t felt in a while after a shoot:

Energy.

And that, I think, is something worth talking about.

Let’s dive in.

Energy Is a Compass

You probably already know this, but not every shoot feels the same.

Some projects are simply ordinary. You show up, you do the work, you get paid, you move on. Nothing wrong with that.

But now and then, there’s a shoot that does something different.

One that doesn’t drain you, and instead fills you up. One you’re still thinking about when you’re driving (or on the plane) home.

That feeling isn’t a coincidence.

I think it’s telling you something.

It’s pointing at the kind of work you’re supposed to be doing more of.

What Gave Me Energy on This Shoot

When I actually sat with it, it wasn’t complicated. Four things kept coming up:

• Creative freedom

• Travel

• A beautiful location

• Genuine people

That’s it. Those four things made this shoot feel energising and not exhausting.

Not a destination wedding. Not a brand collaboration. Not a product shoot in a studio.

This.

And I want to be clear: I’m not saying these other projects are wrong, or opportunities I don’t appreciate or welcome.

In fact, they might be the very things that bring you energy, which I completely support.

For me, though? These four elements are the direction my compass is pointing at this stage of my creative career.

What’s Yours?

Take a moment this weekend and genuinely think about the last shoot that gave you that feeling.

The one you drove home from still buzzing.

The one you’d do again tomorrow.

The one that you find yourself re-editing.

Was it a wedding? An editorial project? Street photography? A commercial job that just clicked?

Whatever it was, pay attention to why it felt that way, get specific about it and try to list out what elements made your cup so full.

Because that specificity is something I’m discovering is very useful. It’s not just a nice feeling… it’s information.

Beware of Using Money as a Compass

This is the part I think often gets misinterpreted, and something I’ve fumbled with before.

You can make good money doing all types of creative work, however if it’s not your creative work, it has the potential to slowly drain you.

Plenty of photographers and creators have a mentality tuned more for business than for what they actually want.

And for a while, it works.

Their businesses grow.

Their teams expand.

And they continue to do the projects that brought them that monetary success.

I was once the same.

Attracting clients for work I didn’t necessarily like and building outwardly for the sake of more money, at the cost of my creative career.

What I learned was that creative burnout is real.

And it’s a reality that tends to creep up quietly.

Shoot by shoot, project by project, until all of a sudden you find yourself not really wanting to pick up the camera anymore.

Here’s my perspective on following the wrong direction of your compass:

Money chases excellence. And the work that gives you energy is the work you’ll put the most into, get the best at, and ultimately build something meaningful from.

The business success follows; it just takes a little patience.

People Have a Compass Too

The same logic applies to the people you share your creative journey with.

Yesterday I caught up with a friend for a coffee.

He’d been working in Korea for the last six months on some really incredible projects.

We spent an hour just talking about our work: where things were, where they were heading, and I left that coffee feeling genuinely energised.

That’s not a small thing.

The perspectives, motivation and commitment of the people around you will impact your direction more than you might realise.

During the moment I suggested you take this weekend, ask yourself:

• Who motivates me?.

• Who inspires me?

• Who actually replies to my questions?

• Who leaves you feeling better about the work after a conversation, not worse?

Those are the people worth building towards.

Bringing it All Together

Not every project will give you energy, that’s a fact.

But every project will give you information on your compass.

Plenty of projects have drained me in the past, and some still do.

But the more you pay attention to what lights you up and the more you make small decisions to move towards it, the more momentum you build in the right direction.

This tourism campaign was just one shoot.

But it reminded me clearly what I’m about and what I enjoy doing. And it’s genuinely special to find that.

So the next time a project leaves you buzzing on the tarmac at 10 pm, exhausted and not wanting it to end.

Listen to it.

That’s your compass.

Happy shooting,

Matty.