Photographers and Their Point of Focus

7/11/2014

Every vacation doesn't have to be exotic, just do something you love that gets you out of the office!

Okay, I'll give everybody a heads up - this is definitely rant material. I'm kind of blown away lately by how many photographers have their point of focus totally screwed up. I'm not talking about your cameras, but your lives. Here's what got me going...

I subscribe to a great little news magazine called The Week. In a section called "The Bottom Line" they wrote:

Forty percent of Americans who earn vacation time fail to take all the days they've allotted, leaving an average of 8.1 vacation days unused - for a cumulative total of 429 million unused vacation days each year!

So, this is a little like playing the Kevin Bacon game and it got me thinking about my own focus and rarely taking time off. That took me to somebody who I heard recently proclaim with pride they've pretty much worked non-stop for three years and *poof* - here I am asking the question of a whole bunch of you, "What the hell are you doing?"

Vacation, especially as an artist and business owner, isn't just about relaxing, but giving yourself time to appreciate why you're working so hard in the first place. It's about your family, friends and things you're passionate about beyond the business. It's about putting yourself in an environment where you're removed from the challenges that stress you the most.

When I worked for Hasselblad I used to get so aggravated when the Swedes would close the factory for the entire month of July. I used to think they had the worst work ethic - how could somebody care about the business and just walk away for an entire month? Then it hit me that as Americans most of us don't know what to do with a two week vacation, let alone a month off. Well, I started thinking...who's really the country with messed up priorities?

It's a short post today and perfect for a Friday...learn to stop thinking you're indispensable. Time is the one thing we can never get back. It's time everybody started to prioritize their bucket list and started checking some things off. Most of the time I can't walk the talk myself, so I know how hard it is to do.

I know each of you take a huge amount of pride in your work, but somewhere in life the world started telling us that a good work ethic meant you only focus on work. No, a good work ethic is loving what you're doing and having a goal to be the very best you can be...that means recharging your batteries before you crash and burn!

Photo Credit: © lucato - Fotolia.com

3 Comments

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ed cicenas link

7/11/2014 01:47:13 am

This is so, so accurate! Vacations for photographers seem like crazy times. I am taking one with my son later this month, he is seven, and we will be gone for just a week. But we're taking a train ride to and from Austin! And we're going to visit one of my old college roommates from more years ago than I care to think about. So many people around me have been surprised that I would do this. That should not be the case! He is seven, mom is deployed to Afghanistan. I want him to have memories that aren't like any others from this year. I've spent more time with him than I have ever before and, honestly, really love it. And so has he. Family is important. Time away is important. I really wish Americans adopted some of those same ideas as those Swedes. It seems crazy on the first look but what's crazy is not doing it. Yes, I love what I do. But there has too be more.

Heather Roper link

7/11/2014 05:31:22 am

In my past life as a civilian Audiologist I took my vacations and gladly. When I went active duty Army I actually ended up in the loose or use category by my 3rd year in. With the number of soldiers we were pushing through each week the only time to take off was around Christmas but wasn't going to waste days during that time. I did ensure that my staff always took their vacation or days off because they were all important to me. Later when I became Chief of the section even if I did take leave my 2nd in command was constantly calling with BS questions he could have dealt with BUT the really important stuff he tried to hide from me, even after I returned to work.

Now, as a photographer, I've set up a weekly schedule that is less stressful, not 5-6 days a week. I can't say I have a set vacation schedule, however, I do NOT feel the least bit guilty when something comes up that interest me and I decide to block my schedule and go and enjoy. As creatives we need time for your brain to unload and recharge.

Chris Cummins link

7/12/2014 09:53:28 am

I hired out some really dreary website work a few years ago through oDesk. The guy I hired was from Mombasa, Kenya (yes, I'm cheap) and the contracts all took place in December, crossing into January.

Obviously that is Christmas and the holidays. The deadlines for the work usually were very fast. I gave him a week of extra time around Christmas to get the work done on one contract. I didn't think to tell him that.

The first week of January rolls around and I get this very apologetic email from him in which he is begging to be lenient on him for enjoying the holidays with family and friends all around Kenya.

I was startled by what his expectations were of my expectations. He actually thought Americans worked constantly, even through Christmas (some do.) We laughed about it, he told me how the entire country pretty much shuts down for a week to celebrate Christmas.

We Americans need to relax. Our reputation as hard charging, hard working people is a real double-edge sword.

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