On Valuing What I Create

So, a while ago, an acquaintance of mine asked me to send her some photos I took for her social media content. While the request itself might seem harmless to most people, I felt a surge of… overprotectiveness toward my work. I told her I couldn’t, since I planned on uploading them on my own profile. But what I truly felt was heartbreak at the thought of someone taking credit for something I’m genuinely proud of.

If that makes me seem stingy, I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, it’s simply part of my idealism. A photo, to me, is more than just a photo. It’s a memory—a small piece of myself gathered from lived experiences.

It honestly saddens me that people sometimes undermine the effort it takes to shoot and edit each picture. “You only click a button on your phone! What’s so hard about that?” It might seem like a mere click now, but what they don’t understand is that every single picture comes from years of learning how to take a better one. I’ve spent almost a decade taking, deleting, and editing photos. And to have all of that reduced to “just a click”…

Well, that’s harsh.

I know, I know—not everyone will understand this. Or maybe it really is just part of my idealism. Looking back, I realize that I’m the kind of person who deeply values intellectual property. If someone shares an idea with me and I’m the one passing it on to the person in charge, I make sure to mention their name and present it as theirs. I wouldn’t take credit for something I didn’t create.

That’s also why, in this age of AI, I still write every post on both my blogs on my own (hence the lack of updates—sorry!). At the office, I also refuse to use AI to draft official letters and instead take the time to study the required regulations. It’s part of my craving for equality and integrity, I guess. I want to build something meaningful even if no one is watching. And I think that’s also why I sleep soundly at night. I know myself, and I’m proud of holding onto my principles.

I don’t really know what the original point of this post was. What started as a small vent turned into a gentle realization—and I’m thankful I didn’t let the disappointment linger for too long. Even if what I’m nurturing right now might just be a small tendency in character, I believe it’s enough to take me places one day.

Stay principled, guys. Never betray yourself, even when no one is watching.

If you like this post, you might also enjoy January Thought: On Protecting the Joy of Writing and How I Learned to Enjoy My Tentacle Acres.