Photography as Will to Power

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Today I’m going to be sharing with you why photography is my will to power.

Essentially, Friedrich Nietzsche has this concept — the will to power — which is this fundamental driving force in all human life. We have this innate quality as human beings to assert our values, to assert our strength, to assert ourselves in the world.

And I find that by treating photography as a way for me to express my will to power, it becomes all about affirming life. It’s about saying yes to life.

It’s a way for me to outwardly express my inner love for life and vitality — and let that overflow onto the street when I’m practicing.

A Harmless Assertion

Photography is such a beautiful way to assert one’s will to power upon the world because it’s harmless.

When you’re out there photographing, you’re simply looking at humanity.
You’re looking at the mundane, ordinary, everyday occurrences of life — and trying to lift them to an extraordinary height.

Photography is the purest outward reflection of my personal vitality.

It requires me to move my physical body.
It requires me to go out there — to walk, to see, to explore, to photograph.

It’s physical.
It’s creative.
And it provides meaning in my life.

When I look at a moment and press the shutter, I’m saying:

This matters.
I’m saying yes.
This is how I see the world.

Overcoming the Self

Will to power is about overcoming oneself.
It’s about orienting yourself in this chaotic life.

And when I have the camera with me, it becomes a superpower.

For me, photography has nothing to do with photography — but it has everything to do with how I engage with everyday life and humanity.

When I make photographs, I’m expressing curiosity. I’m expressing that outward feeling within me.

Photography is a creative act.
It’s a way to give birth to new worlds.

And when you’re making these new worlds throughout the day, you enter that flow state.

When you’re fully present — making photographs — you start to articulate life. You start to put order to chaos. You start to gain a little bit of control through the camera.

It orients you.

When I’m out there photographing, I’m simply wondering why.

And through wondering why, asking questions, clicking the shutter — I’m affirming my life. I’m giving my life meaning.

A Selfish Act — And That’s Okay

Photography can be a selfish act. And that’s okay.

You don’t need to photograph for an agenda.
You don’t need to photograph for someone else.

When you treat photography as a way to overcome yourself internally — through the infinite ways you can creatively express yourself — isn’t that beautiful?

Beauty lies everywhere.

I can look at a flower and consider it beautiful.
I can look at a person and consider them beautiful.
I can look at light interacting with space and decide that it’s meaningful.

But beauty also lies in our imperfect nature.

We’re flesh that cuts and bleeds.
We will die.
We’re finite.
We make mistakes.

And despite that — we can strive to become the greatest versions of ourselves.

Photography helps me orient myself that way.

Play, Vitality, and Meaning

Through photography, I give myself permission to embrace play.

To return to life with enthusiasm.
With joy.
With vitality.

It cultivates clarity in how I feel internally about life — despite flaws, despite suffering, despite our finite existence.

When you really think about it:

What is the goal?
What is the meaning?
What is the purpose of life?

Why not just stay in bed and watch Netflix all day?

Will to power is why we get up.

But we all need something that orients us.

I don’t want an external force pushing me in a direction outside of my control.

So I orient myself daily with the camera.

I provide meaning for myself personally through photography.

That’s a life worth living.

A life full of vitality.
A life full of clarity.
A life where how you see and how you feel becomes expressed outwardly.

Conquering the World — Differently

All the roads have been paved.
The world has been conquered.

But why not conquer the world of photography?

Why not impose your personal interpretation of what is beautiful?
What is worth preserving?
What is worth photographing?

You’re not dominating others.
You’re not imposing yourself physically.

You’re simply witnessing.
You’re simply saying yes.
You’re recognizing something beautiful — and photographing.

And that’s why I treat photography as my personal will to power.

It may sound like domination when you first hear it.

But it’s not about dominating others.

It’s about dominating yourself.

It’s about giving your life deeper meaning.

Photography helps me get there.

Those are my thoughts.

Thanks for watching.

I’ll see you in the next one.

Peace.