At a time when the phrase “everyone’s a photographer now” was doing the rounds, I decided to be a rebel and bought myself a professional camera. A Canon Ti Rebel to be precise. Something about going against the grain, makes me feel alive so I self-taught while juggling a girlfriend, family and a full-time job as creative in an ad agency. I’ve been a copywriter and creative director for the last 10 years coming up with big ideas for all kinds of brands. I knew 10 years was as much time as I could handle being in advertising but I never for a moment thought it would end the way it did. In the middle of a crisis and without warning but that’s a story for another day. My friend Jason Bruckner said, “That sucks mate. It’s the anger and resentment that will take time”.
It took me a few days to light the torch and find the entrance leading out of Plato’s cave. Camera in hand, I was in the middle of an apocalyptic nowhere, a pandemic everywhere, and it suddenly hit me, “this is what I’ve been preparing for all along.” The moment of reckoning is here. To shoot or not to shoot. To get another job or to make my future as a free, rebel photographer a reality. To jump back in the seemingly secure 9-5 with benefits or to explore the 24 -7 bliss of investing in myself and securing my own freedom? With the lure of freedom, a support system of incredible people, and so many stories to tell, the choice was made. To Shoot!
So here I stand, camera in hand and asking myself. When did I stop dreaming? No. I didn’t stop dreaming. I just forgot what the dream was. I got up and got on with the day, because that was the easy way to go and no one mulls over last night’s dreams. I played it safe and relished life as a citizen of the comfort zone. With this realization, I kicked up out of bed with renewed vigor and a grabbed pen. It was like writing for the first time. All the things I yearned to do, now glaring at me from the blank whiteness as thought to say “good to have you back man. we’ve been waiting for you.”
It’s at that point that the anger and resentment began to dissipate, giving way for the excitement of things to come.
As the ozone layer heals itself thanks to this pandemic, so do we. You might be reading this with trepidation and uncertainty about your own situation and wondering ‘what next?’ Well, you’re not alone, but you alone can answer the question, “Did you stop dreaming?”
Time is a good thing. Time to think. Time to ask the hard questions. Time to realign yourself with your truth. This time, bet on yourself, write down your dreams because you know what happens when you don’t. They fizzle within seconds like a mirage. The closer you get to remembering, the more they get away from you. Never stop dreaming, but most importantly write them down because one day, you’ll need them.
So here I stand again, camera in hand. Let’s shoot.