I’m not trying to sound like an altruist here. Regardless of whether you call it service or karma, the effect is the same: the more you give in those cases, the more everyone is effected for the good. For those of you who don’t know Beckett’s, here’s the recap:

Beckett has Cystic Fibrosis.

It’s a terrible disease. In a nutshell, it’s like ultra-athesma and it takes kids lives needlessly. No cure right now. But, it’s also a disease with strong reason to believe will be cured very soon. So, Beckett is literally in a race for his life while we move one step closer each day.

I met Beckett when the Williams family hired me to take their family portraits. That led to an epic day at Angel’s stadium (Beckett’s grandpa is a former major leaguer) and a deeper bond with their family. Over time, I began looking for ways to help and last year, Amy (aka superhero and Beckett’s mom) asked if I’d be willing to help photograph kids with CF for a fundraiser. A bunch of amazing photographers joined me at Huntington Beach Pier. Not only did we have a great time, but the event itself raised close to $500,000. Again, credit the hero’s like Amy.

What’s hilarious is last fall I got word that the national office for CF liked the shoot so much that they chose my image for a billboard moment in Times Square (see picture). How crazy is that? Getting one of my images on one of the most iconic spaces on the planet all started with caring just a little bit more than I had to for one kid on a family photo shoot (karma?). But forget that for a second… imagine having the chance to participate in the saving of a real kid’s life en route to saving millions more. I for one can’t believe my good fortune that I get to play a part.

 And so do you…

If you live in Southern California and would like to participate, I’m looking for 5 photographers who can help me this Thursday at Huntington Beach. We’ll be photographing about 12-15 kids (all ages) with the express goal of highlighting them being fully alive with our commitment to keep it that way. Please only apply if you’re up for falling in love with these kids and making a difference. This one is about them, not us.

If you’re interested please EMAIL ME (connect [at] danesanders [dot] com) asap with why you want to be a part… you’ll need to count on being available all morning Thursday, February 9th.

Thanks!

- Dane

“Imitation is Suicide. Insist on yourself; never imitate.” – Emerson

Be you at any cost.

It’s a mantra I hold pretty close. I pretend it’s a voice from above or within reminding me that my best hope at flourishing is to embrace the lot that is me.

But what do I do on days when I don’t like me very much?

If I’m smart, I lean in to the parts I don’t like.

Wait! But what if I’m in the midst of external criticism while others are producing stuff that blows me away – or worse… I think their stuff is lame and everyone else is celebrating it – what then? What if this is all happening and deep down, I’m just tired and disappointed with what is showing up in my life?

If I’m committed to being a creative, I go again.

Better yet, I double down on me. Any alternative is a sucker bet. In fact, I’m not even sure there’s an alternative. It may be the most sure wager I know. Of course if there’s truth here, I suspect I’m not the only game in town. It might be time to reclaim your chips too and put ‘em back to work on you.

“Our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born.” – Emerson

A lot of life is preloaded.

My family, my socio-economic start, my race, my geography… I had no control over any of them and yet I live under them. When circumstances are favorable, I feel like I’ve won the lottery. When my back hurts or my internet goes out, I curse the gods.

The question I’m interested in is where do I take a stand regardless of my circumstances?

What do I care so much about that no thing will stop my commitment to it?

In the chatter about the “problems in our industry”, I’m believing that there are none. If there are problems, they are with me, they are with you or they are with us. “The industry” doesn’t exist apart from those three realities.

Problems live in that cowardly place where I expect all return and no investment.

Where must I go all-in? Where must you?

“Our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born.” – Emerson

Most every successful professional photographer I know is a part-timer.

… and if they aren’t, I say they might want to rethink their strategy.

Let me go one step further:
I don’t think the “part-timer” category is a meaningful distinction anymore. It feels more like the residue from a bygone era meant to cajole people into responsibilities they no longer need to keep.

We need a new way to understand the people (part-time or not) who are flourishing so more can find their way.

Mapping a path to success by logging more time doing the same old thing, however, is no longer helpful. To create something new requires at least as much attention as emulating what everyone else is doing. We need to either dump the pejorative label or embrace those who are doing it well.

Of course, the part-timer can come in many forms. Some of you have day jobs in other industries and care so much about your craft of choice that you wake up early and stay up late doing it. Others are committed to the industry but do multiple tasks within it. Regardless, very few are doing nothing but shooting.

It’s time we call part-timing what it is. Anything otherwise is out-of-line with our times and the nature of what we do as creative professionals. How often we click one particular tool (our camera) is no longer sufficient to define one’s commitment.

I wonder if a better category for pro’s would be to note who are creatively committed and who are not.

One thing we can all agree on, even if you disagree with my claim, is that committing to do “it” more creatively is required of all of us (regardless of what “it” is). If more of us did, I’m confident we’d get a more satisfying result relative to our efforts.

Let me explain…

The new-school creatives who do photography part-time aren’t lazy. Far from it! They also don’t get to give up their commitment to the craft of photography. If you want to join them, you will have a LOT of work to do. But, taking pictures turns out to take a relatively small percentage of their time.

Case in point: I did a little informal survey of some of the most successful studios in the US and discovered that the principal photographer was only behind the lens between 10-12 hours per week. The resourceful question then has to be what are these success stories doing with the rest of their week?

Consider the heroes in the field we admire: We know who they are because of their body of work, right? But that’s not all they do. So, what else are they up to? With rare exception, most diversify their offerings.

Witness the sea of successful photographers creating overtly outside their photo genre (commercial shooters doing fine art), creating with tools unrelated to the camera (i.e., writing, illustration, inventions, start-ups), not to mention those expanding into the educational field.

On close inspection, these contributions are just the beginning of how these stand outs spend their time.

Because the act of creating doesn’t scale, entrepreneurial creatives find ways to embed their creativity in products that scale on their behalf. It’s why biz partners like our labs (manufacturing facilities really) are so important to us. It’s also why writers, musicians and film makers leverage Amazon and iTunes and Netflix.

Photographers aren’t alone.

Notice any actors planning weddings? Any athletes you know become coaches? How about musicians selling Harajuku perfume or making surf movies?

Even if you don’t like their hybrid-creations, you at least have to acknowledge that what they’re coming up with helps each to stand out from their usual crowd.

When people feel threatened by the idea that the part-timer now rules the world, I interpret that they’ve unfortunately bought into the belief that their identity is been placed in the wrong spot. Identity was never meant to be centered what we do: no one gets to “be” a professional photographer. Those who claim it exclusively are selling themselves short.

We aren’t what we do.

A functional view of identity breaks down pretty quick. What we do is meant to be an expression of who we are, not the source of who we are. Identity is bigger than that.

That said, I do understand why the suggestion that we take part-time photography seriously will seem offensive to some. How can someone be a pro and only do it part-time? Plus, if I’m spending 60 hours a week on my photo business right now, how is that not a full-time gig?

What I’m noticing is too many in our industry are adopting full time responsibilities that are decided for them… in what Emerson would call their parlour. The rugged battle – where your true and unique strength can be discovered – needs some time to be developed too.

Wouldn’t it be more resourceful then to reallocate our investment of time to include creating outside of the norm? I dare you to give it at least a part-time effort.

“That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? . . . Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much.” – Emerson

Who do you listen to?

I was in a conversation with Tim Sanders recently who was warning me (and those listening in) to be very thoughtful about the socialstream I choose.

Like kids in the junior high school yard, I’m tempted to think I’m un-effected by those I let in my consciousness. But those voices – good and bad – do effect me & I’d be wise to be intentional with who I grant access.

That said, when it comes to creativity, there’s a deeper voice I can neglect even more that has even greater ramifications. It’s my genie.

That voice in my soul that I need a lot of quiet to hear from. The greeks actually called her genius. We all have one. Very few of us, however, are brave enough to do what’s required to woo her out into the light.

I get it. It’s scary.

One thing I’m clear on though is those who do dare, accomplish the remarkable.

Emerson was right, Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Same thing with Jeremy & Altf & Parker & Marcus. These crazy people are listening to something internal even while they’re inspired by a world external. I’m tempted to call them geniuses. But they’re not. They’re just regular joes courageous enough to listen their genie inside and do something about it.

I caught a lot of flack for putting the phrase “Fast Track” in the titles of my last two books mainly because critics were concerned that I was suggesting I had some short cut solution to becoming a competent professional creative. There isn’t and I wasn’t.

If you want results – to hear from your genie – you need to work harder at listening than you knew was possible. It’s a daily engagement… a habit, a discipline. The fruit of which can take you on a crazy road & make you feel crazy. But if you really want to find the fastest track to your authentic creative self, I’m convinced that making some dates with your genie is where it begins.

PS… For more insight on nurturing your genius, check out Elizabeth Gilbert’s legendary TED Talk.

It seems to be in vogue these days to suggest that the photo industry has a problem that needs fixing. It doesn’t.

“If only we could limit access…”
“If only we could slow down talent acquisition…”
“If only we could go back to the good ol’ days…”

I don’t hear many people say things this overtly, but I do hear it underneath industry complaints. What I hear even more is that, somehow, it’s the new photographers fault that things have shifted. It isn’t.

Although it might feel good to try and find a scapegoat for challenging circumstances, I don’t think it’s very constructive… or creative.

In a recent conversation, Seth Godin noted that all you used to need to succeed as a pro photographer were (a) access to tools and (b) access to talent. He believed this was so because of his belief that where there is scarcity, there is value. Since neither tools nor talent are scarce any longer, success can feel elusive.

Let’s back up for a second and get some perspective…

Not too long ago, if you aspired to be a pro photographer, you’d have to invest a chunk of money on inconvenient and heavy camera gear (tools), not to mention a lifetime of commitment to the craft to become something special (talent).

Like the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker before him, the photographer had the chance to create value because he could do things with his camera that others couldn’t. That is, what he had to offer (tools and talent) was in short supply and high demand.

Over time, a sort of ecosystem evolved around photography. You and I call that ecosystem “the photo industry” and it is part of a larger ecosystem called “commerce”.

What’s interesting about this ecosystem is how it evolves, with or without anyone’s participation. In that way, the changes we are all experiencing aren’t in any way personal. The tectonic shifts happen in every industry once in a while regardless of how any of us feel about it.

Notice how the evolutionary pattern of successful iterations is always the same:
• from film to digital
• from negatives to JPG to RAW
• from dark rooms to labs to manufacturing facilities
• from Paint to Photoshop to CS5.5
• from large format to medium format to 35mm to DSLR
• from self-taught to art school to worldwide online broadcasts offered for free

Why wouldn’t this also be true for the photographers themselves?

Ecosystems need to grow to live. Participants in that ecosystem need to iterate to survive.

Yet, so many photographers take the evolutionary process of the ecosystem personally. Like there’s a conspiracy “out there” trying to steal what “should” be ours. We think too highly of ourselves if we believe (unconscious or not) that we deserve to get paid for what we do with a camera. We don’t.

Evolutionary forces are always at work. Those who creatively adapt, win. Those who don’t, disappear.

As a business person within any trade (e.g., cake-baking, candle-making, photo-taking), I take it as my job to respond to the system resourcefully and not the other way around.

The most recent and obvious shift in the photo industry hit about a decade ago when everything went digital. The naysayers fought it for a bit but besides a small band of endangered analog enthusiasts, it has become clear that if one didn’t adapt to digital on a professional level, you ran the risk of extinction.

Where professional photographers have felt the implications of this reset the most has been with the influx of photographers. From the perspective of the ecosystem, this is of course great news: more people are being infected with the desire to take pictures!

From the perspective of the participant in the eco-system though, it could feel personal if it affects my ability to feed my kids. But, getting mad at evolution or trying to hold back the tide or hating on the new wave misses the mark. Why not try something new? Why not leverage our times and the direction of the ecosystem instead? I wonder if that might be even more resourceful.

The photo industry isn’t a problem that needs fixing. It’s an evolving resource that needs leveraging.

“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide” – Emerson

I’ve been pretty quiet lately. Spending more and more time in secret places considering how I’m investing my life personally and professionally… asking if I’m satisfied with the result.

Turns out I’m not.

As someone who has been hanging out a lot around photographers and other creatives committed to making a living from our various crafts, I’ve become really concerned about some of what I’ve witnessed… in myself and the world we’re making. And yet, I’ve been hesitant to share my take.

If that is true, the obvious question is why the silence? What am I afraid of? If I’m honest, I often feel mired by friction and obstacles, most of which flow from the internal conversation I have with myself about what’s possible. It’s as though I’m working very hard yet finding mud spattered all about and little distance traveled. Beyond metaphor though, what is this friction?

What is in the way of me aligning with my more true self?

The more I reflect on this, the more apparent it is that I have spent too many hours scared and lost in comparison, wondering not what I’m up to but how what I’ve done compares to those I admire or dislike. Up against the former, I usually don’t fair too well. The latter leave me feeling superficially pleased. Fools gold.

Enter Emerson. Turns out the old guy had something to say to me and was kind enough to write it down. After spending this past weekend illuminating my life by his humble but fierce sermon on the foolishness of playing it safe, I am left indicted.

Like all good convictions though, the hope of redemption – of grace – is always left in its wake.

My level of discontent with this life of worship to the idol of pleasing others has risen to a near unbearable level. An ironic discovery on a weekend where we celebrate freedom here in America. Freedom to what?

Enough.

Today, in this moment, I have a new resolve to get to work… and it begins by coming clean on a couple things.

It turns out these months of quiet and secret have not been in vain. They have been revealing. Humbling. And, oddly enough, hopeful. I’ve been surprised to realize the now obvious truth that if indeed my private conversations, creations, opinions, judgments and takes are worth anything, why not test them in the furnace of reality… with the external world?

I have become more clear as to what I believe I need to say, regardless of my critics thoughts on the matter… my own included. It’s time to let the ideas stand. To risk looking the fool. To let my internal conversations come out to play.

I also started to imagine the impact for all of us if this were more universal than just my existential waking up. Well beyond little me, what if ideas shared (your ideas, our ideas…), served our industry, our world like those of the court jester of old?

What if we took ourselves a little less seriously?

What if in fearlessly saying and standing behind the things we believe need to be said, we release others to do the same? If even to disagree and to hear something more important in response?

Would I be willing to be the instrumental fool to help move our collaborative conversation forward?

The relief in de-signifying my own contribution in light of the whole is a new kind of freedom for me. In that light, it seems my only possible failure would be to say nothing out loud. To keep it to myself in my private, safe and tiny existence.

So, when Amber over at Domino Project double-dogg-dared me (I know, it’s tough not to click), I found the timing too providential to pass up. Of course, the timing is inconvenient. It always is. But, if I don’t interrupt my life with important inconveniences, what’s the point?

For the next 30 days, I’ll be declaring a new manifesto that has been a long time coming. Regardless of whether you join me or not, you are invited to tune in for the conversation. My intent to give personal commentary to what I think is actually going on in the photo industry (and the creative professions beyond it) and offer some suggestions to find our way to a new day.

Feel free to hate on it, love on it or disregard it entirely. It’s just one guy’s take.

The only rule I have for myself is this: conformity is banished. Since he inspired it, my aim is to make Emerson proud. But I’m not doing it for him. He’s dead and wouldn’t appreciate it anyway. I’m doing this one for an audience of one guy’s soul: my own.

Dan Pink‘s invitation for all creative professionals to have a bias toward design has been ubiquitously answered.

From typeface to homes to furniture to websites to hospital rooms to bathtubs, both form and function are being considered at every turn. It seems like we’re in the golden age of design. Interface designers like the folks at Readability is one of my current favorites – for a quick primer, check out this video (and the post script at the very bottom)…

The ability to remove distraction to yield maximum focus is brilliant. It’s the same reason why I often use Omm when I’m writing. Since anything that’s scarce has more value, and since the ability to focus is so rare (mainly because of distraction), these kinds of well designed solutions are pure gifts.

All this got me thinking about design’s implications on mediums like photography.

When I think about the function of photography for example, I’ve always believed that the purpose of great images (especially of people) is to expedite the process of telling great stories. It’s why the cliché “a picture’s worth a thousand words” has such resonance. But what else? What if the image itself was more of a starting point – like a prop or a cue – to help get to an even bigger and better story… like great wine with a meal or a score to a movie… how might photography be designed to take a moment and make it even more functional and thus more powerful?

Annie Leibovitz‘s famous and iconic 1980 Rolling Stone cover of John Lennon with Yoko Ono, photographed five hours before his tragic murder is an example of what I’m describing. Of course, the image is impressive in and of itself. What makes it a launch pad for so much more though is the story that gets told from it. It’s as though the image itself was designed with form and function in mind… and as the drama unfolded, the value of the creation increased dramatically.

In a way, my example could be dismissed as unfair because a story told in retrospect is always easier to attribute meaning to it. But, I’m no less intrigued by the possibility of taking photographs with a designer’s bias… to imagine and compose and capture a work that expands what’s possible with a photograph (function) in a form that causes the audience to pause (aesthetic).

To me, it’s a compelling argument that validates Pink’s suggestion that a core ingredient to raising the bar for all industries (including photography) is to reframe our work not just as image makers but also as designers.

- Dane

PS… If you want to see Readability in action, click the red chair on a couple of these articles – it really makes reading a treat…

When I discovered I was included in The Domino Project’s most recent publication, I felt honored. The fleeting feeling passed quickly however when I began to consider the bigger issue at hand: Namely that there’s an urgency for all Professional Creatives to keep Poking the Box. The need is undeniable and entirely not optional!

This is an idea that simply must spread. Want to make your mark in the sand? Turns out there’s nothing stopping you. Make your own ruckus and see what shows up.

The publication itself (link below) is a collection of bite size snapshots from some remarkable people (this author notwithstanding), organized into a free eBook called SXSW Pokes.

From advertising entrepreneur Cindy Gallop to tech founder Loic Le Meur, from best-selling author Gretchen Rubin to professional storyteller C.C. Chapman, from eFlirt expert Laurie Davis to professional wingman Thomas Edwards. The eBook also includes Jenny Blake, Laura Fitton, Nick Reese, Sean Ogle, Becky Johns, Andy Drish, Steve Garfield, Rob Wu, Clay Hebert, Melissa Pierce, Amber Naslund, AJ Leon, David Spinks, Carla Blumenthal, Ari Greenberg, Jay Goldman, Nick Seguin, and others.

When you’re done, you’ll hopefully be left with 50 inspiring stories about taking initiative that are meant to provoke. It’s not enough to read ‘em though. It’ll then be on you to add your own. We need you.

*CLICK HERE* to download it for free!

C’mon… go ahead and poke.

- Dane

PS… Thanks especially to Amber Rae, the chief evangelist over at The Domino Project for including me. Amber’s a catalyst of rare proportion. I’d encourage you to follow her on Twitter. I have a hunch you’ll be glad you did.

New Year’s URL

Stuck already just a few days after your WPPI resolutions (and only two months since New Year’s)? Me too. Which is both silly and inevitable; I earn part of my living helping people get unstuck. This suggests that I should be unstuck myself. Not so.

Some people feel stuck in bad jobs or without jobs. Some feel stuck in unhealthy relationships or bodies. Some feel stuck in a general, all-encompassing rut. That’s my kind. A friend recently pointed out that knowing me is like knowing someone who’s constantly facing off with January 1, making resolutions all year long.  As proof, she pointed to my promiscuous habit of buying urls.  It’s true that whenever I’m feeling stuck, I brainstorm until I have an idea/grand vision that I think will change everything, then I buy a url to match it. I call these Zuckerberg moments.

In the last two years, I’ve had about 40 Zuckerbergs. At around $10 a pop (the average price for a url these days) this little habit could cost me upwards of five hundred bucks soon. And what has it bought me so far? A mixed bag of total duds, unrealized potential, and a handful of remarkable surprises.

To wit, recently, I found myself seated in the back row of my church in Costa Mesa, California, chastising myself for business myopia, when I started to think about how to make money off of our Airstream trailer, parked (and under-utilized) in a storage lot ten miles away. Despite caring a good bit about charity and hope – the stuff of our family’s church – the unrepentant serial entrepreneur in me won out. Hotelairstream.com was born right there, a site where my silver bullet trailer can be rented to locals looking for a retro good-time. Without any promotion whatsoever it’s been featured on AOL Travel and The Today Show. God loves resolve…Most important, I am no longer stuck feeling like an entrepreneur with one sail.

Of course, the duds are more plentiful.  Last year I bought PhotoMadeSimple.com, a website to help soccer moms use and understand their fancy-pants cameras and “smart” gadgets; then Illumizoom.com, a web application that cross-references aggregate social media feeds and shows commonalities between seemingly unrelated people (think six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon, only without the need for a celebrity); and then MakeYourDayYou.com, an Internet TV show targeting brides who want to make their wedding days unique.

Don’t bother checking those urls out. I’ll sit and wait for a second spark. But I love them no less for sitting. That’s the beauty of this exercise, which I offer to you with relish. Unlike most resolutions, this one requires no guilt if it goes nowhere. Buy the URL, then walk away when a better idea comes along. The Internet won’t hold it against you!

After co-producing eight episodes of the aforementioned MakeYourDayYou, I jumped ship for something I called AskDane.com. Ask Dane began as a series of comedy shorts in which I made fun of myself while educating photographers about some aspect of the photo business. After 24 episodes back in early 2009, I transitioned the site into a free weekly talk show at Fast Track Coaching with me and photo industry leaders (and beyond). It’s now sponsored and I’ve published over 100 episodes. [In fact, Seth Godin is my guest this week. Don't miss it!]

But again, the duds usually do win out. TenacityTV.com, a reality Internet TV show pitting 10 contestants in every major city (ten-a-city… get it?) to see which role in the fabric of society has the most stick-with-it-ness (are fire fighters really more tenacious than plumbers, secretaries and CEO’s…?). WorldIQChamp.com, a site that invites individuals and groups of individuals (think Fantasy Football) to take legitimate IQ tests to see how intelligence correlates to success (global rankings would yield an annual and all-time “smartest person in the world” champion). Photopedia.tv, a wikipedia for visual learners.

Failing has never been so fun!

By laying claim, like a virtual land grab, each Zuckerberg has a chance to take root and grow. This is, if it isn’t obvious, my antidote to the collective empty gesture toward change (a.k.a. new years’ resolutions). Instead of a shopping list of wishes (…lose weight…kiss wife more…get job), what is really needed on January 1 (and on every day following it) is an investment to go with our grandiose and humble visions. Intentions are cheap if they don’t cost us something.

By next week, I will feel stuck about something else; you likely will, too. That is our human, or perhaps, American lot. But, now, for just a few bucks, there is relief from the unbearable need to change.

*Viva Las Vegas Special*

Beyond your genius brainstorms, I thought it might be helpful to share a few more resources your way. My best efforts to help people make a jump with their business are the products below. I thought it might help to extend the WPPI Show Specials for an extra day too. The following deals are good for the next 24 hours…. dot com.

*CLICK HERE* to get to the store… add the codes below on checkout to get the deals listed on the menu.

Use these codes (in brackets) to get the deals…

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• Forums & get B School for free… click *HERE* and use (FTPBSCHOOL2)

• Roadshow 2.0 (wppi11_roadshow)

• The Works (email us & we’ll set you up!)

**To qualify for all the awesome prizes from the amazing folks at Triple Scoop Music, Pickpic and WHCC simply tweet this post with #askdane in the body of your message! The drawing will happen next week.