Looking for casual magic - Creative challenge 2025

I think it is not a surprise for a lot of you when I say that making a hobby into a business changes your relationship with it. I started feeling a more complicated relationship towards photography after I started my BA in the subject. I still enjoy it and love it, but learning so much about the 'do's', and 'don'ts', I feel like I started taking my photography too seriously and now I can't do it without pressure at all. I'm too afraid to do things which are cliche, and pointless, or I simply have a 'what's the point' attitude? Why take another photo of my cafe or the light casting shadows on my wall? So many pictures like that exist already. I feel like my photos need to be for a certain purpose, extraordinary and I'm not really taking photos just for fun.  

When I got my first camera, a mentor told me to carry it with me every day and practice as much as I can. I took his advice, and I ended up taking photos almost every single day for months. I put some of my favourite photos together with some of my journal entries and it was one of my first-ever photography projects. Not all photos were good or worthy for the final selection for the project, but I learnt so much and I was so in tune with my camera. I started looking at the world with a photographer's eyes. I was looking at the world mindfully, searching for moments of magic, observing the present. 

When I was younger I was one of those kids making Twilight fan sites and writing a blog for 8-10 years that barely anyone was reading. Writing stories on Word on my computer that no one ever read. Lately, I've been longing for this passion, creating without the need to share the work, despite no one seeing it.

In the last couple of days, I somehow ended up taking a few photographs like in the old days: just to practice, just for fun, without planning or without any purpose. It felt so freeing.

I want to keep this feeling, I want this habit of taking photos just for my own enjoyment, without expectations, worries and pressure.

I invite you to join me on this journey, and that's why I created the " Looking for casual magic" challenge or make along. It's not specifically for photographers, it's for anyone who feels like they'd want something to ground them in the present and help them either find, get back to a creative hobby or heal their difficult relationship with creating.

I also need to say, I'm using the phrase 'casual magic' inspired by Jade Bowler, also known as Unjaded Jade on the internet. Jade is very inspiring with her quest to look for casual magic in her life and share that joy online.

The challenge is running for 4 weeks, starting on the 1st week of March. 

What do you need to sign up, and participate?

I will be sending out the prompts via email, so you need to subscribe to my mailing list. You can do this at the bottom of the page. 

(Don't worry, it's very unlikely that at the time of the challenge, I will send out any non-related other email marketing, your mailbox won't be full of my emails, I promise).

You can share photos via the hashtag "lookingforcasualmagicmkal".

You can also email me your creations in a reply to my weekly email, or you can also just choose to share your feelings and thoughts as the aim of this whole make-along is to create for the process and for ourselves.

All other details and weekly prompts are going to be in your inbox!

There is also a prize for people who are participating every week. I know a little treat can be a good motivation to keep up with habits!