One book I sent for finally arrived today. Proud to share that I am the new owner of:
Creative Color Photography of Robin Perry
It's a good book, with more to take away than much of what I've read on photography in the past 9 years. Take the following, for example:
Wasn't it Picasso who said that at 17 he could draw like the masters and it had taken him the rest of his life to learn like a child? He meant, of course, that the free, uninhibited drawings of the child are the only truly creative drawings.
So far, within the first chapter, Robin Perry draws us into this thesis:
Good equipment is very helpful to any artist, but the point remains that fine lines must be drawn between craft, technique and creativity.
And as I review his materials, I come to realize that I myself, might have creativity in spades, but lack a craft, enabled by my lack of technique.
Hence, my constant quest for knowledge! I'm excited to say, my creative projects are coming along nicely. Another area I want to build my expertise in is community building. Known by many names, that knowledge translates well into audience building or brand management, important aspects of business for any budding entrepreneur or photographer.
Robin Perry agrees.
Without business sense, you will never be successful. If photography is just your hobby, then for heaven's sake stop deluding yourself and earn your living doing something else. If photography is your way of earning the bread on the table, then recognize that being a business person is part of the total professional photographer.
So, when I lack business intelligence, I hunt it down like the perfect shot. I came across some fine leads in a Harvard Business Review article by Ana Andjelic from February 2021.
In addition to identity and belonging, Ana held that membership in strong communities involves the following:
- Membership is micro.
- Membership is myth-making.
- Membership is meet-ups.
- Membership is maintenance.
As my homework, I translated these into aspects that $TURBO is/isn't delivering but has the potential to do so.
- Many are enamored with the beautiful vision of serving a community that numbers in the thousands. As with many things, reality involves small steps before giant leaps. According to Ana, anyone building a community ought to start small, with those present, before going big, with those yet to be here.
- The aspect of storytelling is ingrained within people. Strong communities tell their own stories. That's an easy lay-up for creative communities like $TURBO.
- I am not surprised to say that communities need places to commune, or meet. It's a given. Surprisingly enough, even digital meetups suffice. Perhaps I was quick to dismiss the metaverse, but until Zuckerberg makes it cool, hanging out in voice chats will suffice.
- Communities do not galvanize from Christ-like miracles or great feats. No one is looking for Heracles to perform a dozen labors. Here is where success lies; underpromising, overdelivering. Some within $TURBO still delude themselves with grandeur.
Something new I learned from the article, I copy here for lack of a better retelling.
Häagen-Dazs was launched in the 1960s by two Polish-Jewish immigrants living in the Bronx borough of New York City. The words don’t mean anything, in any language, but the European-sounding name gave cultural biography to a brand trying to stand out in the saturated ice-cream market...
Creativity, imagination and technique really sounds like more than just the photographer's secret recipe. It's beginning to sound like the keys to good business. The next point I share from Perry reminds us all why rather than buying into gimmicks and gadgets, we may want a book.
"The secret is knowledge. Isn't it always, in any field of endeavor?""