If you ever hear a photographer tell you that they are in competition with another photographer, then run. Run far away.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when photographers, or any small business for that matter, look at other business’s that sell the same product, as competition.
Going to school majoring in my field I think is one thing that really helped me to focus on building relationships, collaborations, and community, rather than looking at my peers as competition.
We live in a competitive world. Everyone wants to be the best, everyone wants to be more successful, and everyone wants to be wanted and to be the top choice. However, having that mindset will lead those individuals down quite the opposite path of success.
I majored in two very “competitive” fields: Photography and Graphic Design. Creating projects and constantly coming up with new and creative pieces was a lot of pressure, and hard to do when twenty others in my class were also creating excellent and creative work.
I quickly realized that being better than the person next to me isn’t nearly even what those professions are about. I knew that if I even tried to have that goal I would fail. My work would never look like the work of the person who sat next to me in class, not because I didn’t have talent, but because we’re two very different individuals with our own unique talents, different brains, and our own creative minds.
When you truly focus on your work, your style, who you want to be, your talents, your creativity, and what you’re capable of, is when you will truly succeed and truly shine. At that point it’s not about the competition or who is better. It’s about being you and being who you were created to be.
Life is more fun when you get to collaborate with others in your field. It’s more fun being friends with those who share the same interests. So let’s put an end to competing and a start to forever building up those who share the same interests and talents. Let’s collaborate more, and just be who we were meant to be, instead of who the person you follow on social media is.
Oh, and message me and let’s get coffee. I want to meet you and collaborate with you, and cheer you on! xoxo
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