March 2, 2026
For many years I liked to imagine that I would one day find something of complete joy. I fantasized about the day that I would stumble upon the thing that seemed nothing like work. Something I could drive my energy and soul into and get a full cup and a full wallet in return. I think everyone has this notion during one point or another in their life, and recently it's been proven incorrect to me.
I'm a hard worker with anything I put my mind to, and usually that's enough. I think it's why this creative journey has taught me so much, especially about the above paragraph. I don't get the instant results I want right away. I could wait for hours and fail to get a subject to shoot images of. I can stare at a photo and tweak sliders in my editing software without finding "the one" that makes it a professional grade image.
In short, I've come to realize that being persistent in a craft, whether that's a job, a hobby, or sport, is truly what is going to propel someone from decent to good to great.
I've attended college, I've started a business, I have a child. All of this has such a straightforward roadmap to success that when I stumble upon a journey of creativity instead of one of sweat, it throws me for a loop. I think every creative would agree that they are never quite satisfied. There is one more box to tick, one more tweak to make, and a whole new way to make the next time better.
It seems to be why so many people venture down this path and are consistent for a time, but fall to the wayside when they don't get immediate results. I've put some serious work into not worrying about likes, comments, shares, followers, and all of the other metrics social media tries to use to place value on a person's work.
There are a million things about photography and videography work that I find annoying. Shuffling data onto different storage devices, working for hours to get a small effect on a 1 second video clip, always wanting that next piece of gear. So much of this, to my old self, would seem to cater to reasons why I haven't actually found the thing I love to do. That if I truly loved it, i'd love every part of it the same. But that's untrue. Just like anything else, there are parts of something that make you feel free, that make you feel alive, and make you feel like your innermost self is being shown to the world all at once.
However, there are little moments of time during this creative journey that feel a lot like watching your kid take her first steps. Watching your business gain traction and have jobs on the schedule. And in those moments, if you're paying attention, you realize that nothing is perfect. There's highs and there's lows, but the moments that trump all are the ones where you can sit there and watch something you've invested countless hours of time, energy and work into take on a life of their own.
I love being a business owner, I absolutely love having a wife and kids, and through those things I've learned that I also love the creative pursuits I'm after. A lot of it feels like failing forward, trying to make less mistakes than the day before, and one day, hopefully, you can begin to create the work that you're envisioning in your head.
