Be Delusional: Why putting yourself out there works

There’s something powerful about staying up at 4 a.m. thinking about a creative idea before it’s fully formed—before you even know if anyone will care or if it’ll “work.” As a busy graduate student trying to make it in the business world, I knew my creative energy needed an outlet. So I made it happen.

Over the past few months, I launched seven editorial-style photography volumes (more coming soon—I’ve just been grinding on other things). Each one became a bold experiment straight from my brain. I didn’t wait for clients or permission. I reached out, found models who were down to collaborate, and just started shooting.

At first, I struggled with doubt. A lot of photographers I looked up to were watching ME. Would people like my work? Was I being too much? From the outside, it might seem like I move through life with ease—but the truth is, I do most things scared: scared of failing, scared of being judged, scared of not being enough.

But I kept going. Deep down, I believed that putting myself out there would lead to something good one day (even if my “loser self” didn’t get a lot of attention at first). And it did. I scratched that creative itch, met incredible people, and even landed a few jobs just from the exposure. The volumes became more than portfolio pieces—they were proof that action creates opportunity.

Like my boy Tyler, the Creator once said, “To make stuff you gotta be delusional. And to be delusional, you need people around you to trust you.” That quote stuck with me. Every time I pitched an idea to a model (ideas that sometimes sounded crazy) they still trusted me. And they SLAYED.

To my volume models: thank you. You helped me bring my wildest ideas to life, even when they sounded a bit weird.

If you’re reading this and afraid to start—just do it. Be delusional. Be bold. Be weird. Not everyone will understand you, and that’s okay. The right people will find you, even the ones you least expect.

The rest? They’ll catch up later. 🙂