Practice, practice, practice.
Yeah we’ve all heard this joke before. Sure it helps to have some kind of natural affinity but I’ll bet that even if you’ve got tons of natural affinity for something you still need to exercise that ability if you want it to grow and develop and increase in value (even if the only value is your personal satisfaction).
You might be reading this right now and saying, “well, DUH.” Hey, don’t pick, it’s my revelation and I’m enjoying it. Where did this come from on this fine Sunday morning? Did it fall out of the sky? Yeah, it kinda did fall out of the sky. It snowed yesterday. I took more than 300 pictures of the dogs in the snow and I never even left my backyard. I sent a few of them out and about via e-mail, and was excited to get comments about what a great photo one of them was (it was my favorite as well). Now I’ve always complained about my lack of photographic skills. My husband takes GREAT photos, my best friend; she’s got that artist’s eye as well. But here’s the thing, I never PRACTICED taking photos. I wanted to pick up a camera and somehow the subject would be framed perfectly, the picture would be focused beautifully and the emotion of the shot would shimmer and shine. It just doesn’t happen that way. Digital photography has provided me (and probably millions of others) with a luxury we didn’t previously have; the ability to take THOUSANDS of pictures to find the one or two that are just right.
I never liked film photography because it didn’t satisfy my need for instant gratification. I could shoot roll after roll of film but then forget to get it developed or not have enough money to get it developed. By the time I’d actually see the pictures I would have forgotten what the point was of even taking the damn things as well as not remembering what I did right or wrong to get a certain shot. There was just too much distance of time between the experience and the outcome. Digital photography provides that instant gratification I crave. I can see them immediately on my camera or run inside and download them to my computer. I can edit them and crop them in the moment without going through extensive technical processes. It’s brilliant.
Despite how much I love music, and I do. Music is the foundation of who I am. My world is only noisy when there’s no music playing. I never learned to play an instrument, never learned to carry a tune. I’m pretty sure I’d never be riffing on the piano like Dr. John or ripping through a guitar solo like Clapton but I’m willing to bet that if I’d just tried I would be able to pick my way through a few tunes beyond “Mary Had a Little Lamb” (and I don’t even remember that one anymore). I have more than a few friends who can play guitar just well enough not to embarrass themselves and the way they got that way was sitting alone in their bedroom picking their way through a few chords every day of their angst filled adolescence. I never did that. I picked up a guitar late into adulthood and after a few lessons was frustrated that I wasn’t suddenly a prodigy. I wanted a magical moment to happen where I would just “get it”. Look I’ve been WATCHING people play guitar for YEARS, I knew what I should LOOK like when I played I just didn’t take the time to get there.
I’m not a patient person. I’m that annoying American that wants to have what I want when I want it…and I want it NOW. I sound like Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka, don’t I? I didn’t know this about me, honest, I didn’t. I controlled it well by not pursuing things that I wanted if it would take more than a quick blink of the eye to get it. In my career I’ve been praised for being innovative and I’ve humbly shrugged it off by saying, “oh, I’m just lazy, I look for the fastest, most efficient way to get it done and move on.” Now that might sound like an “aww shucks” attitude and that’s how it always came off, and I basically built a career (or two) on that attitude but the reality is that it prevented me from taking the time and having the patience to chart a course and stay the distance. This may seem contradictory to an earlier post about the ever annoying “5 year plan” but this is different, this isn’t a 5 year corporate plan of “in 5 years I want YOUR job”. This is different, it’s personal.
Plain and simple.
Technology has given me more than an outlet for my photographic urges, it’s allowed me to build a niche career as an innovator in some more traditional fields. It relieves some people from the pressures of interacting in an area where they aren’t comfortable and has allowed me to rise up the corporate ladder. The problem is that I’m not really happy. I want to be surrounded by other innovators, I want to have “ah-ha” moments with my colleagues.
Damn, so now I find out that patience really IS a virtue. Is it too late to yell “DO OVER”?
Yeah we’ve all heard this joke before. Sure it helps to have some kind of natural affinity but I’ll bet that even if you’ve got tons of natural affinity for something you still need to exercise that ability if you want it to grow and develop and increase in value (even if the only value is your personal satisfaction).
You might be reading this right now and saying, “well, DUH.” Hey, don’t pick, it’s my revelation and I’m enjoying it. Where did this come from on this fine Sunday morning? Did it fall out of the sky? Yeah, it kinda did fall out of the sky. It snowed yesterday. I took more than 300 pictures of the dogs in the snow and I never even left my backyard. I sent a few of them out and about via e-mail, and was excited to get comments about what a great photo one of them was (it was my favorite as well). Now I’ve always complained about my lack of photographic skills. My husband takes GREAT photos, my best friend; she’s got that artist’s eye as well. But here’s the thing, I never PRACTICED taking photos. I wanted to pick up a camera and somehow the subject would be framed perfectly, the picture would be focused beautifully and the emotion of the shot would shimmer and shine. It just doesn’t happen that way. Digital photography has provided me (and probably millions of others) with a luxury we didn’t previously have; the ability to take THOUSANDS of pictures to find the one or two that are just right.
I never liked film photography because it didn’t satisfy my need for instant gratification. I could shoot roll after roll of film but then forget to get it developed or not have enough money to get it developed. By the time I’d actually see the pictures I would have forgotten what the point was of even taking the damn things as well as not remembering what I did right or wrong to get a certain shot. There was just too much distance of time between the experience and the outcome. Digital photography provides that instant gratification I crave. I can see them immediately on my camera or run inside and download them to my computer. I can edit them and crop them in the moment without going through extensive technical processes. It’s brilliant.
Despite how much I love music, and I do. Music is the foundation of who I am. My world is only noisy when there’s no music playing. I never learned to play an instrument, never learned to carry a tune. I’m pretty sure I’d never be riffing on the piano like Dr. John or ripping through a guitar solo like Clapton but I’m willing to bet that if I’d just tried I would be able to pick my way through a few tunes beyond “Mary Had a Little Lamb” (and I don’t even remember that one anymore). I have more than a few friends who can play guitar just well enough not to embarrass themselves and the way they got that way was sitting alone in their bedroom picking their way through a few chords every day of their angst filled adolescence. I never did that. I picked up a guitar late into adulthood and after a few lessons was frustrated that I wasn’t suddenly a prodigy. I wanted a magical moment to happen where I would just “get it”. Look I’ve been WATCHING people play guitar for YEARS, I knew what I should LOOK like when I played I just didn’t take the time to get there.
I’m not a patient person. I’m that annoying American that wants to have what I want when I want it…and I want it NOW. I sound like Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka, don’t I? I didn’t know this about me, honest, I didn’t. I controlled it well by not pursuing things that I wanted if it would take more than a quick blink of the eye to get it. In my career I’ve been praised for being innovative and I’ve humbly shrugged it off by saying, “oh, I’m just lazy, I look for the fastest, most efficient way to get it done and move on.” Now that might sound like an “aww shucks” attitude and that’s how it always came off, and I basically built a career (or two) on that attitude but the reality is that it prevented me from taking the time and having the patience to chart a course and stay the distance. This may seem contradictory to an earlier post about the ever annoying “5 year plan” but this is different, this isn’t a 5 year corporate plan of “in 5 years I want YOUR job”. This is different, it’s personal.
Plain and simple.
Technology has given me more than an outlet for my photographic urges, it’s allowed me to build a niche career as an innovator in some more traditional fields. It relieves some people from the pressures of interacting in an area where they aren’t comfortable and has allowed me to rise up the corporate ladder. The problem is that I’m not really happy. I want to be surrounded by other innovators, I want to have “ah-ha” moments with my colleagues.
Damn, so now I find out that patience really IS a virtue. Is it too late to yell “DO OVER”?
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ReplyDeleteInstead of "Do over," what you're really saying is -- "Starting right now." And you don't stop. "Forward" is a terrific direction to go.
ReplyDelete