The one thing I hear more than any other statement is something along the lines of, "I wish I could do that," or, "You are so lucky; I hate you," or just some other statement of envy aimed at what I do for a living. Those words would never be spoken if they could see the struggle and hard choices which lay the foundation for every shutter click.
While I don't take it too seriously, it does bring my attention to a fact that is affecting 99% of all adults, one simple thing that has not been realized often enough in our world: WE ARE ALL IN CONTROL OF OUR LIVES. Yes, I am extremely blessed that I get to do what I love for a living, because when you love what you do you are never really working. But it hasn't always been like that, and it is very difficult to make it work. The fact that my job is to produce images of amazing places masks the fact that getting to those places and living life outside "the system" is much more difficult than anyone realizes.
I was stuck doing something other than following my dreams, just like everyone else seems to be. Fortunately for me, I was let go by an incompetent person who I threatened, I assume, with my ambition. One of my favorite fictional characters (Frank Underwood - House of Cards) once said, "The road to power is paved with hypocrisy and casualties," and I was a casualty. That's how life works a lot of the time. Most people would see that as a setback, which it was at the time. But after job searching and realizing that I felt called for something besides sitting behind a desk or answering to incompetence day after day, I decided to follow my dreams.
Whether we like it or not, we are all in control of our lives. Though the society we live in implants the fear of nonconformity into us all at an early age, making us think if we don't finish college, get a steady job, work for the weekend, then we will die young, poor, and alone. Now, maybe your dreams and ambition lead you down that road, then the system is working for you and there is nothing better than that. But when you sarcastically say, "I hate you" to someone because you wish you were following your dreams instead of watching them follow theirs, that's no one's fault but your own.
Stop wishing and get out there and follow your dreams. If the current paradigm was one which empowered children from a young age to grow up and do something they love and have passion for, most of the world's problems would be solved. Yeah, yeah, it sounds all peace, love, and hippie-ish, but I promise you there are people out there who were put on this earth to cure cancer or solve world hunger that are working in a field they felt forced into by society.
All the great minds have been telling you this since the beginning of time. The problem is that we live in a place where money overpowers knowledge and murders ambition. So I will leave you with some great quotes, a great video, and a picture I took a couple days ago in hopes that you can find some inspiration and go do what you were put on this earth to do.
Thanks, and sorry for the rant.
Hope you enjoy :)
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"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do."
Pope John XXIII
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"It is not necessary to accept the choices handed down to you by life as you know it. There is more to it than that— no one HAS to do something he doesn’t want to do for the rest of his life. But then again, if that’s what you wind up doing, by all means convince yourself that you HAD to do it. You’ll have lots of company."
- H. Thompson
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“If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you'll spend your life completely wasting your time. You'll be doing things you don't like doing in order to go on living, that is to go on doing thing you don't like doing, which is stupid.”
Alan Watts
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The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt
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The difference between a job and art is passion, and neither define who you are.
Logan Goethe
(One of my best friends :))
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Bait your hook with patience and persistence, cast away your fears, and you will soon catch the life you were meant to be living.
-Andrew Newlun
(Sorry, I just had to make up some cliche quote to tie into this picture.)
Love you bye :)
This shot is dedicated to my amazing wife who, without her support, I wouldn't be able to follow my dreams. All the stress and time away from each other that comes from me following my dreams takes someone very special to put up with it all. I am insanely lucky to have found her and locked her down for life. ;P I love you Madeline. Thank you for everything you do and put up with.
