The best part of +Elia Locardi 's post is that it doesn't just apply to photography,… |

The best part of +Elia Locardi 's post is that it doesn't just apply to photography, but any work you do (though admittedly leaning more towards the creative arts than, say, accounting or something like that).

I'm definitely still working on all the points he lists 🙂

Reshared post from +Elia Locardi

Approaching Life, Photography, And Business With A Positive Outlook.

Last night I watched a very good episode of The Grid with +RC Concepcion and +Scott Kelby. The topic of the show was: “Is just "working harder" enough to make it as a photographer today?”

One of the talking points was the question of “access.” Do people at the top of the field have more access to opportunities than people just starting out? Well certainly, It’s largely in part to the ratio of work they put in. Most successful photographers have spent years building up a solid body of work and a strong name for themselves. But is that really all it takes, a desire to succeed, hard work to make it happen, and a drive to continuously follow though? Starting from the beginning, are we all equal in our ability to carve out our own path?

*Disclaimer: About 8 cups of coffee were sacrificed in the process of writing this. You may want to grab one yourself. 😉 It’s a long one.

Self Confidence

First, in order for the “work hard” approach to be effective, you must believe in yourself and trust in your abilities. Without this core confidence, everything will be much more difficult and frustrating. Don’t go all nuts and register *www.ImTotallyFreakingAwsomeAtArt(dot)com or anything like that. Just try to blend some personal confidence into everything you do. I promise people will notice.

Even if you don’t have the strongest body of work, you must believe in it. Continue to refine and improve it but stay confident about it too, and above all, trust in your abilities. In a way it’s not the art that you’re selling, it’s yourself. Most clients and employers can pick up on this right away.

In my opinion, a “can do” mentality is worth more than a stronger portfolio or a fancy art degree. It shows drive and determination. If I hire that person, he or she may not have the strongest portfolio but faced with a problem, I’d feel confident they would solve it. Part of what I’d look for is an eagerness for opportunity and a confidence about doing the job. What it all boils down to is clients want to know they can trust you.

Since I began my professional career in 1999, I started most of my best jobs solely with blind optimism and youthful confidence. I literally had no freaking clue what I was doing. Seriously, looking back on it I must have been nuts but beneath that slight insanity was a confidence that I could learn enough to get the job done. I was also fortunate to find some employers that trusted not only in what I had done, but rather in my capability. I was truly lucky in this.

Action and Optimism

Secondly, you must balance a sense of optimism and to a certain extent, “Go with the flow.” Apologies for the silly use the force Star Wars reference but remember when Luke took down the Death Star? Of course you do, lol. Anyway, yes he trusted in The Force but he also knew how to fly the shit out of that X-Wing. He seamlessly blended skill, action, and optimism (the force ;).

For a long time, one of my favorite quotes came from Yvon Chouinard, one of the pioneers of the climbing industry. To this day, it aids me in carving out my own path. He said:

"There's no difference between a pessimist who says, "Oh it's hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything." and an optimist who says, "Don't bother doing anything, it's going to turn out fine anyways. Either way, nothing happens."

In order to truly harness the “Go with the flow” mentality, you must also know when to act. Optimism can open many doors but If you never walk through them, nothing ever happens. Sometimes you have to make things happen. Unfortunately, this is something that people often forget.

In simple terms, you can’t just sit on your ass feeling good and doing nothing. At some point you’re going to have to put yourself (and your work) out there. Do something because it’s always better than nothing. When you see an opportunity, go for it. Don’t just wait around for things to come to you. If you mess up, who cares? There will always be more opportunities and in the end, at least you tried.

Colin Powell once said: ”Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” ?—– (Another Star Wars reference? Probably not…;)

Being Passionate

Third, I’m of the mindset that you should approach everything you care about in life with passion and positivity. I feel like those elements show through in everything you do, whether it’s artistic, technical, or a blend of the two. People can even detect it in the things you talk about. It can literally be heard in your voice.

Then what’s the secret ingredient? Love! AWWWWEE, that’s so warm and fuzzy I want to puke. 😉 Even if this phrase is lame to the nth degree, there’s some merit in it.

All of the people that I continue to admire today have had a way of pulling me in. Authors have mesmerized me with the written word. Speakers have held me transfixed with the spoken word. In the same way, artists have had me on the brink of tears and photographers have brought me to the edge of reason. The constant element in all of these cases has been passion. I can literally feel their intention. Whether or not it’s solely my interpretation or just my own philosophical mumbo-jumbo, It’s still there in some way. And I believe it’s relevant to success.

So essentially, take that emotional response that you feel, that transference of passion and put it back into your own work. It’s often said that when you create something artistic you embed a piece of yourself. So why not make it the best part? If you do, people will notice.

Conclusion

*”Compare where you are to where you want to be and you’ll get nowhere.” ~Sara Bareilles.

I can assure you that all the people at the top have put in an incredible amount of effort to get there. Try not to be envious because ultimately it’s not about them. It’s about you. It’s about carving out your own path and putting in your own effort. I’m not saying there can’t be little boosts along the way but ultimately, we’re responsible for ourselves. And it’s a combination of our successes and failures that makes us what we are today.

”I’m a collection of short stories” ~Elia Locardi

In album A selection of my work from BlameTheMonkey.com (48 photos)

"Going Home" (Part of the ongoing Space Dolphins Saga. :|–|: Check out the original blog post here: http://blamethemonkey.com/london-history-museum-hdr-going-home