...especially when it comes to documentary photography? I know this myself very well and I know that many other creatives feel this way. The underlying thought is that what's in front of us is not worth recording or creating because it's too close to home, it feels too familiar, and we forget that whom we are serving (the audience) aren't walking in our shoes. Or, at least most of them aren't.
When we are looking to create a piece of work, we have to ask whom is it for and why we are willing to put our creative energy and experience into it. If what's in front of us and around us doesn't feel good enough or worthy of being documented, then you have to ask yourself if you are trying to serve yourself or the audience. Are you trying to merely excite yourself or are you trying to change, educate, or impact the lives of others, as silly as it may seem. You may think that your project of photographing what's around you is of no worth to anyone but just take a step back and ask yourself why do you think that is the case.
You see, when we look at vibrant artists like Martin Parr, we are fascinated with his outlook on life around him and the things and moments he sees in the most ordinary of places. Why couldn't this be you? Why couldn't your project have a big significance, too? Don't be tempted to just go for what YOU think will increase your status, such as, travel to cosmopolitan or exotic places. What you do at home and locally, matters also. Don't disregard what may seem ordinary to you because it isn't so to everyone else. This is why we are fascinated by old photographs of people, streets, cities, and towns. This is why we are fascinated with how people used to live, what they wore, what they liked to do.
All of this can be found within your reach without you giving up monetary and time resources to travel far. There are situations when you may need to travel, sure. But, don't just fall for the excitement and glamour of what you think travelling gives you.
Don't forget, when it comes to most projects, they need time to age, to settle in, to reach the right audience. It's not an overnight thing. A documentary project about your local street will only gain a brief momentum today but it will matter in years to come. As kids grow up, as more street works take place, as more people move in and move out, as more the landscape changes, the more important your project will become. Even if it's just of your local street.
A friend of mine told me about his friend whose wife passed away a few years ago. Her things were still scattered around the house as if she'd only left for a moment. He suggested that his friend, who is also a photographer, could document his late wive's belongings. A beautiful documentary book about a woman who is missed by many. This could become a family heirloom as her grandchildren, and children after that, get to experience and almost feel the presence of this woman.
Unfortunately, he didn't feel like it's a project worth doing because he didn't see it. There was no subject as such, because the subject was memories, feelings, smells. A project like this right in your own home could become so important when put in front of the right audience (the family), but sadly many still can't accept the importance of such work. Sadly, projects like these can be quickly disregarded yet they carry and hold such value.
My advice is: don't underestimate what you have and where you are. It's definitely more than you think.