In my lifetime of photography, I have come across so many people, from so many walks of life. They share with me their stories and experiences. I see a common mention in most of the conversations I have with my subjects. They always tend to compare themselves with other people being photographed. Whenever they see someone dressed better, looking prettier, their conversation leads to self-devaluation and insecurity.
Let's take a case in point - there's a model I know who was always downplaying herself by saying she wasn't pretty (when she really is) because she's comparing herself to this other model which is by most guy standards, prettier. I wanted to tell her that she should model and do just that, and not care about what other people's opinions are, because she's modelling at her own pace. More importantly, because the model she was comparing herself to was a really seasoned one.
I read it somewhere (I think from a manifesto from the author of gapingvoid), that everything good is not a product of overnight success. It takes hours put into it. What am I saying? Well, a lot of young people are smart, but fall into the trap of wanting overnight success because of their youth. Believe me, they'll be at that same spot thinking 4 to 5 years from now, because they thought it was easy. That model, who was looking down on herself, must really think that she can be a supermodel after 2-3 shoots? It doesn't work that way.. it takes patience, connections, and a lot of hard work.
For you however, who is serious about your craft, congratulations. I guarantee you if you stay steadfast on your goal, you will reach it one day. If you fall, take a break for a while, but stand up again. Every successful person has experienced that same thing you have; the only difference is that they took it as a challenge instead of letting it get them down.
Let's take a case in point - there's a model I know who was always downplaying herself by saying she wasn't pretty (when she really is) because she's comparing herself to this other model which is by most guy standards, prettier. I wanted to tell her that she should model and do just that, and not care about what other people's opinions are, because she's modelling at her own pace. More importantly, because the model she was comparing herself to was a really seasoned one.
I read it somewhere (I think from a manifesto from the author of gapingvoid), that everything good is not a product of overnight success. It takes hours put into it. What am I saying? Well, a lot of young people are smart, but fall into the trap of wanting overnight success because of their youth. Believe me, they'll be at that same spot thinking 4 to 5 years from now, because they thought it was easy. That model, who was looking down on herself, must really think that she can be a supermodel after 2-3 shoots? It doesn't work that way.. it takes patience, connections, and a lot of hard work.
For you however, who is serious about your craft, congratulations. I guarantee you if you stay steadfast on your goal, you will reach it one day. If you fall, take a break for a while, but stand up again. Every successful person has experienced that same thing you have; the only difference is that they took it as a challenge instead of letting it get them down.
No comments:
Post a Comment