We recently connected with Daira Austin and have shared our conversation below.

Daira, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

This is such a difficult question to answer because by industry standards we need to be extremely successful to be able to leave some sort of legacy. It could be money, lots of possessions, properties or sometimes simply having a very important last name could come with a very large legacy attached. But in my case, I am just a simple mom that one day thought to herself, I want to do something different and hopefully inspire others to do the same. So if I was to say what I would want my legacy to be or what I would like to be remembered by? I would say I want people to remember me for someone that loved life, that loved nature, that loved the little details and saw how healing nature can be. My legacy would be the inspiration that hopefully I gave someone to do something different, to try new things and to be happy even with the little things.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Well, my name is Daira and I got interested in photography a few years ago and because of that my husband gifted me my first camera. I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I loved nature and wildlife and I wanted to be able to capture that and share what I was feeling through my photos. Whether it was capturing a beautiful butterfly or a tiny flower, a golden sunset or just a simple insect, I really wanted everyone that saw my photography to feel inspired, to stop and look around them, and take in all the beautiful things no matter how small or simple they appear. That eventually evolved into my love for birds and birding. It was just fascinating, and my wish was to get every one around me excited about birds, to see their details and how beautiful they really are. As someone that has anxiety and suffers bouts of depression, I found that wildlife and nature photography including birding, were an outlet for my creativity and for my thoughts. It helped me to slow down and therefore it had a calming effect in me. This was something I wanted others to feel as well.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me the most rewarding thing is getting that capture, that bird, that photo, that you have been wanting for so long. It’s like a rush of adrenaline, and you want more and more. I’ve also learned to edit using different editing methods and tools and that has definitely helped with my creative side. I love how you can take a very simple picture but through a very simple editing process you can turn it into a work of art. Just remember, you are doing this for you. Yes, sharing your photography is exciting, but at the end of the day, it’s your vision, your thoughts, your art. And while we are on this subject another rewarding aspect has been seeing my 7 year old get excited about birds. He loves to go birding and he can already ID so many birds. That’s something that makes me extremely happy and proud.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think since the love of nature and birds in general can become a bit of an obsession, (lol) some people will find it annoying. For example, that you stopped to take a picture of a butterfly, so be ready for that. Others wont understand that going to new places for a birder means finding new birds. Having a creative mind in photography means you are constantly looking for that perfect shot. So be patient with those around you because they might not understand that right away. But who knows, maybe your excitement and happiness will be contagious and eventually they will join your creative journey as well. I also think that most people feel that you need expensive equipment or the latest camera to take pictures and enjoy nature. But the truth is, you don’t. A cellphone camera these days can take amazing pictures. The point is to get out there and find peace and healing in nature.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @austinclicks
• Facebook: Daira Austin

Image Credits

These are all my images.