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As you already know, you are more than capable of learning the ins and outs of a camera, a lens and post-production and color-grading. What’s more, there is now somewhat of a formula for marketing yourself as a photographer or content creator. And the great news is that there’s a lot of need for your skills in this field. Startups, brands, corporations and individuals all want/need content more than ever before. But hold on one second — is this where you want your career to go?
The Big Reevaluation had begun before Covid-19, but was certainly put into serious motion as we discovered a slower, more-considered lifestyle at home and within our smaller communities. We content creators seemed to have gotten through relatively unscathed, with the ability to continue to create from the confines of our home computers and adapt our creative skills to new entrepreneurial needs. But as the world returns to whatever it’s returning to, it’s on us to think about whether what got us through is the same thing that will pull us forward.
And that begs the question: what do you want to do?
I come from a very specific type of background, having studied and gotten my degree in fine art. At the time, this was the path less traveled. Far more common for those inclined toward the arts were the more commercial endeavors of graphic design, architecture, commercial photography, illustration and the like. While my mother sat at home worrying about how I might turn this education into anything remotely monetary, I sat in a studio in northern California thinking up themes and ideas. Luckily, the world changed and the idea of leadership-intertwined-with-creativity became more of a thing. I suppose a nod to Steve Jobs is in order.
In the fine art training, the personal theme, or narrative, drives everything. There is no what do you want to do that is separate from what do you want to say. Those are the same thing. And this inherent knowledge of one’s path frees the mind to explore things deeper and more inside the human condition. From in this dark and quiet place personal narratives pop up like bubbles from tar pits. There is no shortage of ideas in the quietude of contemplation, the problem lies more in deciding…
