Flux Archive 003 — Detach From the Outcome
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante, currently walking around Center City Philadelphia.
Today I’ve been thinking about goals—and why the goal of your creative practice, whether you’re making photographs, videos, drawings, paintings, or sculptures, should be fulfilled within the process itself.
I think this is one of the most important mindset shifts any creative person can make.
Too often we chase the outcome.
A great photograph.
An impactful moment.
Perfect light.
Perfect composition.
Perfect timing.
But those moments are rare.
That’s not to say you can’t create meaningful work. It’s simply recognizing that the only way to arrive at those moments is to remain fully engaged in whatever it is you’re doing.
The photograph is never the goal. Presence is.
The Goal Is Movement
As a photographer, I think the ultimate goal is surprisingly simple:
Move your body.
The more you walk, the more you see.
The more you see, the more you photograph.
The more you photograph, the more curious you become.
And so I think curiosity should be our true orientation as photographers.
The goal isn’t making a masterpiece.
The goal is fulfilled through walking, exploring, noticing, and making new work.
Sometimes the greatest success isn’t the photograph you bring home.
Sometimes it’s simply that you went outside.
Curiosity Creates Longevity
I believe it takes a lot of time spent in the world before something genuinely interesting reveals itself.
That’s why curiosity matters.
Curiosity allows you to keep returning.
It gives your practice longevity.
That’s what I’ve tried to cultivate with my own work—a rhythm that’s sustainable enough to repeat every day.
Not because every day produces a great photograph.
But because every day offers another opportunity to see.
Reduce Decisions
One practical thing I’d recommend is creating a routine.
Know where you’re going.
Know where you’re walking.
Give yourself a destination or a street to follow.
When you remove unnecessary decisions, something interesting happens.
You stop hesitating.
When you stop hesitating, you stop thinking.
When you stop thinking, you start doing.
Photography is instinct.
Photography Is Physical
I also think it’s important to recognize just how physical photography really is.
Every photograph is simply the result of your position relative to the subject and the exact moment you press the shutter.
That’s it.
Photography isn’t only about seeing.
It’s about moving.
It’s about positioning yourself.
It’s about responding.
Recognizing the physicality of photography is incredibly important.
Play Instead of Performance
If you’re walking…
If you’re observing…
If you’re responding with your camera…
If you’re doing it every day with a spirit of play…
Then I genuinely believe it’s inevitable that you’ll eventually create something meaningful.
Whether that meaning is visual or emotional doesn’t really matter.
It reveals itself with time.
As artists, I think movement itself is the practice.
Whether that’s physically walking or slowly chipping away at a drawing, what matters is that you’re engaged in the act.
Even if today’s work isn’t your best.
Remove Good and Bad
The work I find most fulfilling isn’t necessarily the work that performs the best.
It’s simply the work that I genuinely enjoy looking at.
And that’s completely subjective.
When you stop labeling your work as good or bad, you create space for something authentic to emerge.
That’s where your own visual language begins.
Return to the Childlike State
Photography should feel like play.
Every morning is another opportunity to transform.
To evolve.
To change.
To remain in flux.
I genuinely believe that joy is found through movement.
Not through arriving.
You never want to feel like you’ve reached the peak.
Return to day one every day.
Remain an amateur forever.
Interestingly enough, the word amateur simply means to love.
If you continue making work because you love it—not because of money, recognition, or validation—you’ll eventually create something that’s authentically yours.
And I think that’s what we all seek as artists.
Show Up Every Day
If you’re trying to cultivate your own way of seeing…
Detach from the outcome.
Find meaning in showing up.
Walk.
Observe.
Respond.
Produce.
The act itself is enough.
The Greatest Gift
Personally, I think the greatest gift isn’t even the photographs.
It’s simply being outside.
Fresh air.
The sun on your skin.
Meeting strangers.
Looking at beautiful people.
Looking at beautiful light.
Remaining present.
From that state of presence, life occasionally delivers you something extraordinary.
Your only responsibility is to be there when it happens.
Camera in hand.
Ready to respond.
Photography Is an Excuse to Look Closely
Photography has become one of my favorite ways to experience life.
Not because of the images.
Because it gives me permission to look closely.
To notice.
To feel deeply.
The camera becomes a vessel.
Life delivers.
You respond.
That’s all there is.
The Autotelic Approach
Ultimately, I think the goal is presence.
Being aware.
Being ready.
Responding without hesitation.
Detach from the outcome.
Embrace an autotelic approach to photography, where the reward is found within the act itself.
Within the art of walking.
Within noticing.
Within photographing.
When you remove the outcome as the goal, you’ll start to feel whole.
That feeling of wholeness comes through acting.
Through moving.
Through shooting.
Through producing.
And I genuinely believe there’s no better way to spend a day than walking under the sun, playing with a camera, curious about what life might offer next.
That’s the thought of the day.
Thank you for reading.
Peace.