If you wait around to read the email when it pours into your inbox, will you ever have time to take pictures?
How many ideas will you miss by chasing the next best thing rather than finishing the project you’ve already started?
If you continue taking those crappy gigs that generate dogpoop looking photos or films, will you ever have time to create the ones you want?
What is the cost of doing things that your industry says are “normal”?
How many pictures will you let pass you by if you wait till you get a better camera, better lights, or better vision?
If you do what your teacher tells you to do without pushing the boundaries of photo school, will your work look just like everybody’s in your class?
How old will you be when you finally quit your day job because it sucks?
When was the last time you …created an uninterrupted day for yourself to do the things that you wanted to do, rather than attended to “obligations” that weren’t really obligations at all?
It’s great to please the world. To be a citizen, to answer the phone, to go out of your way, to… to…. to… But every once in a while, it’s healthy to do things on your own terms. Take a break from reacting and choose your own adventure this weekend.
interesting reference to the books. ironically, for years the choose your own adventure books have been a model for me … only the end hasn’t yet been written.
Very inspiring questions. I can relate to a lot of them, they really touch the point. Basically, if you want to be a photographer, you have to shoot. The goal is to be a photographer, not a person who understands better photography or gear or software, you have to shoot shoot shoot.
Very inspiring, as usual!
Thanks for turning my daylife better!
Choosing my own adventure and taking a day trip to NYC this weekend from DC. Me and another photographer are doing a “One Lens Challenge.”
NYC: ONE DAY: ONE CAMERA; ONE LENS.
Hey Chase:
Thanks for this great post. I really love the way you are always emphasizing the need to do personal projects. I think you cannot be highly creative in photography if you lose the passion. Without photographing what really moves you, how can you work commerecially and be successful. Somebody once said balance is essential in life, and I think balancing personal projects with commercial work or financially needed photography jobs, achieves balance.