THE BEAUTY OF A DETOUR

Something We Hate

Nobody likes detours. They suck. Detours keep us from getting to our destination when we want to get there. So that means it must be always be a bad thing right? At first, I thought so, but then I looked back at where I’ve been and realized that without detours I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.

An Unprofessional With a Crappy Camera

About two years ago I was sitting in a high school classroom looking at an old iMac that should’ve been replaced years ago. It “walked” photoshop. I mean literally, to say the computer “ran” photoshop would be an overstatement. With its’ constant crashing, lag, and spinning beach ball of death you would’ve thought the thing was a rectangle lamp. While working in that classroom a classmate of mine told me that I should charge money for a photoshoot for the first time in my life. The concept was foreign to me, but regardless of my doubt I did some $20 shoots with a crappy Nikon from my mother’s closet. 

Break Down The Detour

Why am I telling you this? Well, some would look at this story and claim that I was undercharging myself and using crappy equipment, and therefore I had pushed myself further away from the goal of being a full-time professional photographer. The beauty is that those shoots were doing the opposite. They were getting me there faster. Was the gear and price crappy? Yes, but on the other hand, it was what was necessary for me to begin my journey. In order to become a professional, I had to take a step, and sometimes that step looks to be counter intuitive to what the goal is.

Viewing The Detour with a New Lens (Pun Intended) 

The real question we should be asking ourselves is “how can I see the detour in a way that pushes me closer to my goals?”. The solution is simple. See the detour as a chance at a shortcut. Saying yes and embracing the “backroad” route occasionally pays off and lends itself to being a shortcut, getting us closer to our goals faster and not slower. The dirt road moments in your career are ones that you should be looking for and not avoiding. The best movers and shakers know when to get on and when to get off “the road traveled” because their career depends on it. Your career depends on it.