Hurray out of the office and the city, well at least my city. Currently I'm in a coffee shop in the arts district of Calgary reading up on the business of photography. The world of photography seems very at odds with the teachings of Kung Fu. Egos can run wild with photographers due to the fact that no one else will think your any good if you don't. Interesting side note and speaking of egos, while on vacation I had my ego explained to complete strangers as viewed by Jon. My ego is pretty big but causes mento work harder to prove that I can do the things I claim I can do, something that in retrospect I do all the time.
Being humble and in photography are two things that don't go together. You have to be business savvy and persistent in getting your name out there 'cause no one will hire you if they don't know who you are.
This is something I was really struggling with until I realized that the best thing to do is learn where to be humble and where to let my ego run. My ego pushes my career forward but being cocky all the time and in everything I do is not healthy and runs the risk of alienating me from friends, peers and potential jobs. Instead it is important to maintain a healthy ego. I'm good at what I can do but I can always improve and always learn. It never a bad idea to look at everything with an eye for detail. Even a kid who just picks up a camera can teach me or inspire me but if I don't pay attention or give myself the chance to look at their images with an open mind I'm wasting my time.
The same is true with my Kung Fu just cause I'm a brown belt doesn't mean I can't learn from a white belt. Telling myself I'm better then they are and that there is nothing to learn is limiting to my training. It may just be something I've forgotten or new perspective to a technique or a million other things. What matters is that you keep your mind open.
And now for a shameless plug to myself. Completed another goal my website is now complete and updates are happening daily. Check it out at www.craigjanzen.com
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Cool web site, thanks for posting it, I enjoyed your pictures. It sounds like Kung Fu brings balance to yourself as well as your lifestyle, you are blessed.
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