Ok you’ve mastered the basics…now what?

You’ve got a good gear set-up, you know how to work those studio lights, you have a good grasp of depth of field and your photos more often than not, turn out great. Congratulations you are now a photographer!! Welcome to the club. 
Now the fun begins.
What are you going to do with this new found photo knowledge? What is the story you are trying to tell with your images?  What emotion you are trying to convey? How are you connecting with your audience? How are you changing the world around you? How is what you are doing different from everything that has come before?
I didn’t say this was going to be easy. 
It doesn’t matter if you are creating photos to feed the Instagram beast or creating a body of work that will be shown in a professional setting, you need to be asking your self these questions. In a world that generates thousands of photos per minute you need to make an emotional connection with your audience in some fashion. Your work needs to move beyond the technical. What exactly that will look like is each persons unique journey. 
Please don’t think that +Me2 and I do not struggle with these questions on a daily basis. We do, trust me. You are in good company. This is not an easy task, but it will elevate your work to the next level. 
~ xxsjc

“Everything you can imagine is real.” Pablo Picasso