We recently connected with Doug Sweet and have shared our conversation below.

Doug , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

When I’m done, I hope that I left a legacy of hard work, great work and most of all, being remembered for helping people. I enjoy it when someone whom I taught grows and creates their own legacy. I’ve always been a student of history and how the masters had students sitting at their feet and learning. Those teachers and philosophers passed on knowledge and it continues to passed along . Not saying I’m a master, just saying that I’m glad that I’ve passed along something to someone .

Doug , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a photographer, but I always was drawn to Renaissance Men who were a jack of all trades. I don’t like fitting into one box so I do anything that interests me. So , photographer, writer, instructor, and I’ve recently added podcaster to the mix . I don’t think one can have too many creative outlets .

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

In my opinion, from my side of the street, people who aren’t in the creative field don’t truly understand how mental creatives are. We wear our heart on our sleeves in the form of the works we produce. The mental aspect of creating can put you in low places and even cause creative blocks. I’ve had times where I jus couldn’t produce work because I literally couldn’t pull myself out of a mental sludge. Check on your creative from, they aren’t as well as they are saying they are. Encourage them , because it’s a lonely job creating..

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There’s a plethora of books out there, so I’ll mention Letters to a Young Poet. A book about life’s journeys from conversations between two poets. Anything by Marcus Aurelius, the man was a philosophical genius . The last thing that I will mention is not a book, it’s music. The album “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis. In my opinion , it’s a creator’s soundtrack. “Blue in Green” is the most perfect song every produced and the whole project can stir creative juices.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.opticaljournalist.com
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• Twitter: @opticjournalist
• Other: You can also check out my podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Just look up “The Optical Journalist Podcast” .