I have been motivated and challenged recently by this interview with Freeman Patterson and the quotes below taken from aphotoeditor.com and the book “Ignore Everybody” by Hugh Macleod. Take some time, listen, read and reflect.
Quotes:
-”The Sex & Cash Theory: The creative person basically has two kinds of jobs: One is the sexy, creative kind. Second is the kind that pays the bills. Sometimes the task in hand covers both bases, but not often. This tense duality will always play center stage. It will never be transcended. As soon as you accept this, I mean really accept this, for some reason your career starts moving ahead faster. I don’t know why this happens. It’s the people who refuse to cleave their lives this way- who just want to start Day One by quitting their current crappy day job and moving straight on over to best-selling author… Well, they never make it.” by Hugh Macleod from the book Ignore Everybody
-“Yeah, But I Have To Make Money….”(And other ways to ignore the reason you became a professional photographer)
When you are in the business of selling something subjective like photography, there is no standard formula which will tell you who is going to connect with what you do, any more than it is possible to predict who is likely to fall in love with you. Following what’s hot right now; doing what you have been seeing out there already – imitating the same content, styles, or processes as everybody else is going to be futile in the end. If you make and show images with the intention of speaking the language of potential clients (and that is what most people do)…you will just end up looking like most people. You will wind up moving away from yourself.
“Yeah but I have to make money”.
And you may, for a while. However, your career will ultimately suffer.
And so will your heart.
The answer: Make work that is made entirely of… You.
Your life, and your passions.
The things that no one else can appropriate.
If you do that, (and get past your fears about whether it will work), you will have less, or even no competition. And that is always safer and more profitable than being part of the crowd.
The strongest part of you, is the honest you, and that remains true regardless of the economy, technology, or the weather report.
The connection between a photographer and a person who is in a position to hire them and collaborate with them, begins with chemistry. And chemistry begins with honesty.”
Allegra Wilde -Portfolio Reviews, Marketing Consultation + Visual Strategies for Photographers, Agents, and the rest of the Professional Photography Community
Seems like people also might get into photography as a profession if they have another activity (climbing, skiing, animal watching) which doesn’t pay the bills, but lends itself to great photos.
Definitely, that is how I got into it. I would go into the hills and the things I would see or partake in needed to be photographed. So I still think that I picked up a camera out of a inherent desire more than anything else.