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What’s the win state?

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Mr. Chimero posted some brief, but insightful, thoughts about the unofficial slogan of the year, winning. I recommend you take a few minutes and go read his thoughts before continuing on with mine. We all having different opinions based on our background, beliefs and biases but I’m of the opinion that winning only means one thing to all of us. What sets us apart though is how we react to winning, or not winning for that matter.

A lot of us probably feel like we aren’t really winning at anything. We go through the motions more than we make motions of our own. But from where I’m sitting there seems to be a change on the horizon. A new generation is about to wake up to the fact that there is more to winning than a 9 to 5 and a 401k. I’m not talking about the dreamers of pop-stardum, but those who have been working late nights and weekends with a burning passion.

But even when we start to make motions of our own, is that really winning? I think winning is overrated. I just want to play the game and have a ton of fun doing it. Maybe that’s just my state of win though.

A Big Grey Area

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After writing my rant on photography I realized I needed to clarify some things. My intention was not to say you shouldn’t consider yourself a photographer unless that’s how you make a living. My hope was to express the importance of patience and practice. I am frustrated by the sense of entitlement surrounding our generation. I love the fact that people everywhere now have the ability to capture their everyday lives on camera. The technology today makes it possible for friends and families to stay connected whether they’re across town or across the world. Websites like flickr and vimeo and tumblr have made it really easy to stay connected with people. This is the upside to all our technology.

Which brings me to my point. What is the difference between the enthusiasts and the professionals? An enthusiasts is someone who does it for fun but without any real knowledge of what they’re doing. They may be learning, which is good, but they haven’t reached that level of professionalism yet. A professional is someone who does it for fun but has the knowledge and experience to know when to break the rules.

It’s really hard to be so black and white with an issue that has so many grey areas. I believe we are all learning day-to-day about how to be better at what we love to do. At least I can speak for myself. For someone just starting out the feeling will be totally different than someone who’s been in the game for 10-20 years.

Wherever you on your professional journey please know that there will always be those ahead of you and those behind you. Just be humble and gracious to accept any amount of recognition you get in this life. No one likes a douche.

Just one person

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Zoning out in a meeting today it struck me how amazing it is that even just one person likes what I do. Our consumer culture is always telling us we need more. More money, more food, more memory, more everything. But that’s just not true. We need to stop. We need to slow down and be thankful for what we have.

The fact that you have at least one person who cares about you and listens to what you have to say is amazing. Please don’t take it for granted.

In the end nobody will remember how many followers you have or how many likes you get. All people will remember is the way you made them feel.

Everyone is not a photographer

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The age of the internet and the iPhone has brought photography to the masses in a way not even George Eastman or Edwin H. Land could imagine. And that’s the problem. Now everyone thinks they’re a photographer. But what if the internet and the iPhone came with a hammer and nails, would that make everyone a carpenter? No, of course not, that’s a silly thing to imagine. It takes time and practice to become a carpenter. You spend many years training under the hand of an older/wiser teacher or wrestling your way through it on your own. But it’s never instant.

All the overnight sensationalism and instant gratification of the internet are nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

I’m speaking to myself here too. Even though I’ve been shooting photos for over 10 years now, I still wouldn’t consider myself a photographer. I like to dabble, sure, but I don’t pay my mortgage and feed my family on the pictures I take. I’m just a guy with an iPhone and instagram.