You have all the talent in the world. You’ve landed some great gigs. You are the hardest working photographer you know. But you can’t figure out why you haven’t “arrived”.
Well, first thing’s first. Have we ever really “arrived”? I have been at it for more than a decade. I can make a case for some measure of success, but I can say for sure that I haven’t “arrived” at anything but a little more freedom, a better work ethic, and better vision. And that’s keeping me going.
Second thing. This stuff of course all matters deeply–the talent, the gigs, the hard work – I’ve talked about those before as “get in the door” sorts of qualities. But you know what else matters that’s rarely discussed? You’ve gotta be in the game–not just AT the game, but IN the game. For years.
It’s my personal experience and the experience of many “successful” artists I know that nothing of real substance ever happens fast enough. We’re impatient bastards, all of us. A career is not made from one picture or one campaign, or even three or five. It’s not your first exhibition that gets you the bump you want to get, it’s your 10th or your 100th.
I can’t say for sure what “having arrived” is, but I know that part of it is staying on the long-ass curvy road for a good long while. Better love what you’re doing.
My wife was a director on the fringe theatre circuit in London for a while and she worked with some very talented actors. For most, success couldn’t come fast enough and it ate away at them. For them, life was full of frustration and disappointment.
One actor, though, took a different tack. His whole career plan was to hang in there. Eventually, he would reach a point at which most of his colleagues would have given up, creating a shortage of actors in that age bracket.
We now see him crop up on TV from time-to-time. I wish I could say he was famous, wealthy and happy. I can’t. Nonetheless, as far as we know, he is still IN the game, while many of his contemporaries have fallen by the wayside.
He hasn’t arrived, but he is at least still on the road.
Great post Chase and you make a good point about the ‘long ass curvy road’ – although I’d probably add the word ‘bumpy’ too.
I’ve been on that road for about 4 years and looking back it’s been full of delight, surprises, sighs of relief and sighs of despair.
One thing I have noticed is that the more you give back to clients in terms of enthusiasm, or being fired-up for the job in hand, they come back to you for more; that and work usually leads to more work – which is why I’ve never really had the whole business plan or projections because they’re usually just guesses.
Almost 4 years on I’m starting to get some good steady work from a wide range of clients, some of which I would have never dreamed of. At the same time, I’ve never really resisted the niche that I have eventually found myself in – (I started on doing landscape/architecture photography but now do a lot of retail/corporate work) – ultimately you might think you’re cut out for a certain area of work, but sometimes, much to our benefit our clients see differently… and sometimes maybe they’re right because they are the ones who pay for the work.
Success is elusive. I have been at it for 13 years now, having experienced “Success” (my definition at the time: Full time freelance, and getting published-multiple times) with in my first 6 months.
I rode this for 4 years until 9/11, my first recession. I had to get a part time job for a short while to keep things going, as work slowed down in my market. But with in 2 years it was all back! And I had another measure of success: I bought my first house.
Then 2009 hit. I lost one of my biggest clients (after shooting for them for 10 years). They kept me so busy that I did not have time to do much marketing. Not that I had to*, all the other work I needed came from long time customers and word of mouth.
*HUGE lessoned learned: No matter how busy you are, ALWAYS market. It has been a year now since loosing that client. I started marketing again right away, but as anybody who does any kind of marketing knows, it can take months to reap the rewards.
At the same time I decided to take my career in a new(ish)direction. So these variables all add to the effect of appearing almost “new” again. I am re-branding myself, creating new contacts, and showing my “book” to new art directors, etc. It is a long road, that I took once already. But this game is about perseverance, and I am all in this for the 2nd leg of the race.
Hey Chase,
Well said. I have been at it almost 3 decades now, and from what I can tell, it is all about staying in the game as you put it. Success is Darwinian. Those who persevere win. Many many are the name photographers whom I have seen disappear over the years. The truth is, that even though this is a great gig, and someone may love it to death, one has to keep at it for life, you have to stay relevant, which is hard. Its not like Avedon retired, or Penn or Newton or any of those guys.
Best wishes,
David Harry Stewart
Chase,
Over your career, only you can truly know the kind of concentration, experimentation, highs/lows, try this/try that, win some/lose some, hit/miss, success and dissappointments your path has led you to today. When you look behind you, open your eyes, and you might also see a blazing trail….YOURS! I am sure that there are big giants in the industry that you measure your success against. But for me, I look at you as a trail blazer. I found your blog sight and thought that you were so innovative, & courageous. The inspiration that you provide and your ability to share your ideas freely is what keeps me checking for new Chase posts everday. Your willingness to share is huge. It is part of a bigger scheme of things to come for you. You give, you get, you give more, you get more. I think you are soooo on that gravy train. Be encouraged as you encourage others & Keep steam rolling ahead.