Through a few recent conversations, and even speaking at the Lara Casey’s MTH 2010 seminar, I’ve come to a harder realization that in any passion driven career, you’ve got to want it, and you’ve got to want it for the absolute right reasons. If you don’t, you won’t want to put in the ridiculous amount of work it takes to make it. The fact of the matter is, any art/passion driven career is WORK, and an extreme amount of it. On the flip side, if you absolutely LOVE your craft and doing it, then it actually isn’t work. I’ve seen a handful of people get into photography not necessarily because they love it, but because they like the acclaim that goes with it whatever that may be. It appears to be a highly glamorous job(as it is), but it is also a hell of a lot of work, and if you don’t love actually “making pictures” and creating art, then it in fact becomes work and to endure the longevity of getting to a sustainable point in a career, your passion has to drive you.
The lovely thing is, that if you actually do love it then you’ll never work a day in your life. (well, the dirty office work like accounting always seems like work, but you can keep working to the point that you can hire other people to do that stuff). I feel blessed to wake up every day and think “What can I create today?” My TO DO list is filled with things I love and want to be doing. That my friends is a personal choice, but along with putting in the hard work in the earlier years, things become easier as you grow.
I know realize that when I was a graphic designer, I never loved the actual craft as much as I do with photography. When I started doing photography, I knew exactly what I wanted to be doing in the end. That gave me the passion, and motivation to get there.
The artistic evolution and journey is a long one. If you truly love it, you will ride it and do what it takes to get there. Transitions, sacrifices, successes and all.
I agree with what you’re saying here 100%. You have to absolutely want it to make it happen. I am currently in “the early years” of my photography career, transitioning from graphic design, and am “working” my ass off to make the transition a successful one. I say “working” because I love what I’m doing and find it to be more fun than actual work. Great post Nick!
Oh totally. I was a designer at first too and had the same realization you did.
So what happens when you are faced with responsibilities outside of yourself, that others rely on you for financial support and/or you didn’t get the breaks you did when it finally took you to the big brand names? Do you still try to go after your passion and your dreams, taking as long as ‘possible’ selfishly or do you brush those aside and go for what needs to be done first?
I think it’s great you have a passion, using it to fuel the requirement to complete your work, but picking and choosing what you want to do is completely different than what you have to do and that’s the thing I see coinciding photography as a career. If you do it as a hobby, great, no worries, no stress there, but if you take it professionally, you’re bound to have days and nights where even your passion becomes work. That’s reality. Even if you love what you do, passion can only go so far in the face of responsibilities. Of course, a natural ability is a huge bonus.
I hear what you’re saying, and really it’s about knowing what you want and putting the puzzle pieces together to get there. It’s different for everyone, and I can only speak to the path that I’ve chosen and been given. Everyone has a different situation and variables. You have to decide what is priority to you, and what things you can sacrifice to get to where you want. I can’t tell you what that is for you, only you can tell you that. You are the only one that knows what want and what you can give up to get you there. For me, it was choosing to not have stable income, and other things. For other people it’s other things. It’s all about creating more time while making more money. You have to take your current reality, and piece it together to achieve your dream.
I agree with Leeman that passion will only take you so far. There’s so much more that is needed to push it to the edge – motivation, drive, encouragement, confidence, hustle. Nick, you’ve said it many times before about putting in a crapload of hours and working your butt off and I guess it comes down whether you want it bad enough. Yes, we all have different priorities and responsibilities but I’d like to think there are always 2 sides to a coin. This may sound trite but if there’s a will, there’s a way… if you want it bad enough =P
nicely stated. great post.
p.s. i like the comment box layout.
I am absolutely loving not only your work but your heart and passion for what you do.
Thanx Nick for this invaluable advice. Fortunately for me I can relate to your path and journey. I have worked as a graphic/web designer for many years now but I’ve been fascinated by photography for just as long. I have done a few non-profit shoots here and there but at the beginning of the year I decided to put everything into it and start a separate business and am just about to buy my 1st semi/pro camera and I know through your blog and portfolio I will find guidance and most of all inspiration. Thanx again
Levi Wanyoike
http://www.equestnewmedia.com
Nairobi, Kenya
Great post. I can absolutely relate to it. I am an IT officer, making a living out of this field. But my passion has always been photography which i realized half way doing my IT degree. So now i am both working and following my passion and what i always wanted to do and hopefully there will come a time when i will be giving all my time to photography
It is so much fun 
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