My Journey Back to Creating for Love, Not Likes
and what polyamory taught me about art
Dear Artist,
I know it might sound crazy, but I’ve created a new Instagram account. It all started with a simple meetup on Saturday last week.
I had plans to hang out with my dear friend Ben Dussault, and as usual, I brought my Community Camera (a camera anyone can pick up and use to capture whatever inspires them). Watching someone dive into their creative flow with the Community Camera always fills me with an overwhelming sense of joy.
When we met at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto, Ben immediately grabbed the camera and started taking photos of me and everything that caught his eye. There was something so magical about seeing Ben tap into his creative spark. As I watched Ben explore, it reminded me of a concept I learned from studying polyamory: compersion, the joy of seeing your partner connect deeply with someone else. That’s exactly how it felt. Ben was falling in love with photography in front of my eyes, and I felt ecstatic.
About an hour into our photo walk, Ben and I found ourselves on Ossington St, one of my favourite streets in Toronto. We bumped into a friend and started chatting. Then, just behind us, I noticed a group of photographers, the kind I’d seen around this area before. They had the classic “street photographer” vibe—young, creative, and carrying cameras quite different from my professional portrait setup.
Instantly, I felt out of place. My mind started racing:
They probably don’t like me. They’re the real artists, and I’m just the capitalist photographer who’s sold out.
It’s wild to admit, but that was actually the story running through my head.
My first instinct was to avoid them, but instead, I walked over and introduced myself. We talked about our work, our styles, and photography in general for a solid 10 minutes. Before leaving, I got the main photographer’s Instagram handle, and when I dove into his feed later, something inside me lit up.
Looking at his photos, I felt reconnected with the part of myself that first fell in love with photography. The part that was obsessed with black-and-white portraits, driven purely by passion and creativity, not business or revenue.
Over the past eight years, I’ve built a photography business that’s generated over a million dollars in revenue, which I’m proud of. But there’s also a part of me that feels like it got left behind.
It hit me all at once. In that moment, I remembered why I started creating: to create art purely for the love of it, without thinking about the numbers or anything else. It had been right in front of me all day, as Ben was finding joy and creativity with the Community Camera.
So, after saying goodbye to Ben, I parked my car, opened Instagram, and created a new account. This one isn’t about growing a business or building viral content. There’s no focus on the algorithm or what’s trending. It’s just for sharing the kind of photos that made me fall in love with photography in the first place.
Maybe it’s a little wild to start a second Instagram account after publicly distancing myself from the platform. Maybe it’s even hypocritical.
But this feels different.
This feels like a chance to rebuild a healthier relationship with Instagram—one that’s not tied to outcomes or success, but purely to the joy of making art.
I hope this step helps me reconnect with the artist in me, and I’d love to share a bit of that inspiration with you: a journal prompt on the topic of finding your joy, following the flow of energy and letting go of outcome. The prompt was originally part of a paid post on Substack, but I feel like these questions hold so much value for our larger community. So, I’ve unlocked this particular prompt from the paywall and I’m sharing it below.
Thank you for listening, artists.
ONE MORE THING…
Here’s a fun behind the scenes video of Ben taking photos with the Community Camera and if you are interested here are a few of the photos we both took.
This Week’s New Journaling Playlist
Journal Prompt:
Here are the 4 questions I shared in the paid post last week on the topic of finding your Soul’s mission.
Where in your life do you feel the most joy?
What moments make you feel most alive?
Where is energy naturally flowing in your life right now?
If “success” and “failure” didn’t exist, where would you allow yourself to PLAY?
Be gentle with yourself, and take your time.
Don’t forget to have fun exploring these questions.
If you are interested in the paid post on this topic, just message me and I will give you a free 7 day trial so you can dive into the full class.
As we continue on this creative path together, remember that the journey is just as important as the outcome. I know… I know… That’s super cliche, Darius—but there’s a reason why this sentence has lasted for centuries. It’s freaking true!
So embrace the moments of curiosity, exploration, and joy that remind you why you started creating in the first place. There’s magic in returning to what lights you up.
Big Love,
D
Darius Bashar
HEARTshots™ Photographer + Founder
Artist, Creator, Meditator | ArtistMorning.com™
PS: Did you know I teach 4 classes a month where I share my very best lessons and strategies on building creativity, confidence and community?
The classes are a part of my Deep Divers paid membership —> Click here to learn more.