status quo – Journeys of a Hybrid

June 14, 2013June 17, 2013

Embrace Unpopularity

There have been more than a few times in my life when I have said something or spoken my mind that made me “unpopular”. You would think that I would learn. Learn to keep my mouth shut. Learn to be more diplomatic. Learn to say the things that people want to hear, rather than say the things that I feel need to be said. But, yet I seem to have a knack of saying and doing things that make me “unpopular”.

I just can’t seem to help myself from being true to who I am. And each time, I’ve done or said something that seems to polarize the status quo; I beat myself up for it. You would think I would learn. After listening to this TED talk this morning, I have learned. And what I have learned is that maybe I’ve been trying to appeal to the wrong demographic.

In the talk, speaker Erika Napoletano, states: “We spend our lives trying to build ourselves into something that other people think that we should be, when in fact we should be spending our time trying to actively polarize our audience. Give them tools to help them know whether or not they should love us and give it early and give it often. Because that’s when we stop wasting time, both ours and every one else’s”. Erika went on to say some things that really resonated with me because she was being perfectly honest.

I am a creative being – a photographer, a filmmaker, a writer and an explorer of what the world has in store. After listening to Erika’s talk, I realized that I have wasted an awful lot of time and effort trying to appeal to the wrong demographic – the “popular” and the “majority”. When I think about the things that I have created that I am most proud of, and that have been the most gratifying, I realize that every one of those triumphs have come when I’ve been honest and true to myself. In other words – I’m at my best, when I stop apologizing for who I am and instead, I embrace it.

So, when I wake up on those mornings after I’ve beaten myself black and blue for being who I am, I try to remember that “being myself” is better than the alternative – trying to politely appeal to the “popular” crowd. While, it may be easier to fall in step with the “status quo”, it is not only counter-productive to being true to oneself, it stifles creativity.

It’s tough to stay true to oneself in a society that often teaches us to favor politeness over honesty but at the end of the day, it’s far more rewarding.

“Here’s to the Crazy Ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently”. Steve Jobs

May 23, 2013May 23, 2013

Fear and Innovation

One Fear illustration from Book of Fears (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We are taught from an early age to conform. Think about it. Schools emphasize conformity with rules, regulations and a system built on recitation and memorization. We are told there are two types of answers – “right” and “wrong” ones. I suppose when speaking about math and science, it could be stated that there are only two types of answers or conclusions – it’s either right or wrong. But is that true? Are there really only two types of answers? Or is that merely a mechanism that makes it easier to grade tests and papers?

Is it any wonder that we are programmed from an early age NOT to be innovative or creative with our thinking? Is it any wonder that we are afraid or fearful to take a leap and question something? But what are we afraid of? Essentially, we are afraid to be wrong. We are afraid to fail. So what do we do? We let our fear stop us and in doing so we stifle creativity and innovation.

We have been trained to obey rules, comply, sit and stand in an orderly fashion, “don’t rock the boat”, “be a good soldier”, and in the process we stifle innovation and growth. The problem is that “system” left over from the industrial age doesn’t work anymore. The world has changed. These days, people are entering a “workforce” that is no longer contained within geographic boundaries with an established set of rules and controls. It’s out of our control. Wow, that’s enough to make anyone afraid.

So, what do most people do when their world is changing and they are scared to death? Sadly, they tend to desperately hold onto a system that is broken and no longer serves them well. They spend enormous amounts of energy defending this broken system from the past because it’s all they know.

We can either succumb to change, and merely react to it little by little over time, until there isn’t much left of a life we once knew, or we can face our fears and take responsibility for our lives. In order to do that, we need to change our outlook and identify what it is we are really afraid of. Ironically, what most of us fear is failing, so in an effort to protect ourselves from this fear – we ultimately fail because we end up with a life that brings few rewards.

Listen to what Sue Bryce and Seth Godin have to say on this topic.

September 14, 2011September 14, 2011

Status Quo, Fear and Other Stupid Human Tricks

I went to my town meeting last night. It was a typical “town meeting” where everyone needed to be “right”, and no one was winning. A citizen came up to the mic during the public hearing session and made a statement that really resonated with me. He said “ No one ever wants to change the status quo It’s human nature not to want change. Everyone has their little power centers that they want to hold onto”.

I had a flashback that brought me back to a smoke filled room of dirty dishes with leftover remnants of brown rice and a whole lot of people having the same old discussion of how we all needed to stop “ the War” and change the world. That was almost 40 years ago but I’ll remember like it was yesterday when a “freak” came in and said “Why doesn’t somebody f……. do something? You’re all just sitting around and talking – like the status quo”

Photo Source Mr. Snodgrass

To be honest, I don’t think there is a status quo. Nothing ever stays the same. You either move forward or drop back, but there is no stepping in place. It’s not sustainable. And that’s nothing new – it’s always been true – but never more than today due to the exponential rise in technology. And it has never been more true in regards to the state of the photographic industry. I see so many photographers paralyzed by their own fears of taking a risk and thinking outside their own boxes.

Few people overcome their fear of change and rise to the occasion of “doing something” as opposed to reacting to something. Most plod along, feeling no control over their destiny – letting fate take its course. A lot of photographers are just hoping to “ride it out” until there is nothing left of their businesses.

Every once in a while, somebody makes a bold move and looks at “change” as an opportunity. History proves me right. If you look back through time, you will see a pattern. At the most pivotal times of change – the cream always rises to the top – and the sludge gets left behind – on the bottom.

As far as the photography industry – I think it’s time to decide if we are ready to “embrace” change and rise to the top or die a slow death. But we have to start seeing the opportunities that always come with change.