On more than one occasion I have heard a photographer say "just do photography for yourself, it is so therapeutic", or something along those lines. And, while using art as therapy for oneself is useful, it is not a good goal for any person. The idea of doing art purely for oneself all the time for its "therapeutic" benefits seems to me to be no different than an athlete who did hours of physical therapy everyday, but had no intention of running a race. The act of therapy is not an end in itself.
A proper motivation for one's work may then be doing photography for others. Unfortunately, I find myself often caught up in the confines of social networking and aiming to get the most "likes" or views on a photograph as possible, kidding myself that the more people that "like" it, the better photograph that it is. What kind of end is that? It is a worse let down than 1984 (it is a good book, really). Course, then you find out that some pre-pubescent child just owned you in social media department. Humble pie has just been served straight to your face.
In any case, what is the point in this? It isn't that there is no proper way to do photography. My point is that whatever is your passion, whether it is photography, farming, working with kids or whatever, you have that passion for a specific reason and it is not so that you can have a pick-me-up a bad day and it is not so that you can gain popularity. If you are at a loss for reasons, check out Col 3:17 for starters.
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