Focus on Success: Special Projects

by Skip Cohen

This is the last chapter in the 2026 Focus on Success series. There have been eight to date, but this is one of my favorite suggestions. While I'd love to take credit for the concept, it's thanks to artists like Matthew Jordan Smith, Jeremy Cowart, and Jonathan Givens, just to name a few.

Many years ago, I did a podcast with Matthew as my guest, and we talked a lot about special projects. The concept is meant to help you stay focused on your creativity. This is even more important when your bread-and-butter business isn't as glamorous as you had hoped. A unique project allows you to be in complete control and can be virtually anything you decide to capture.

This is all about having something you love doing on your schedule as a sidebar. It doesn't have to be your core business. However, you never know when a sidebar project can become something bigger than you planned.  For example, Matthew's book Future American President was based on an idea that had been part of his life for at least 3 years before publication. And when Aretha Franklin passed away, Matthew focused his energy on Aretha Cool, a collection of incredible images he captured over the years of working with one of his favorite clients.

Jeremy Cowart had an idea and established HelpPortraits.com; Jonathan Givens published a stunning book, Dance Across the USA, that brought dance to one national park in every state. Each project captured the creativity of its "author" and grew into a substantial contribution to imaging.

Click on any of the above for more information.

Most important of all special projects help to keep your sanity! This is about helping you stay focused on your passion for the craft beyond whatever pays the bills.

​When did you last shoot for your most important client - yourself? So often, what might have started as a just-for-the-fun-of-it idea evolves into something more focused and substantial.

The world is upside down right now, with dozens of issues we all worry about. The challenge is to stay focused on something you love doing that keeps a camera in your hands while also building your confidence and creativity.

Don't let your quest to build your business overtake your need to grow as an artist. As I've written in the past, you can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in the game. And to keep your heart in the game, you need something that you're excited about that helps you grow as an artist, utilizes your skills, and makes you smile even when business is slow!

You never know when a sidebar project can grow into a serious part of your career path. That's the fun of staying focused on what's in your heart, regardless of what you do each day to put bread on the table.

When I was 14 -years-old, I made this PowerPoint presentation, and I invited my parents into my room and gave them popcorn. It was called 'Project Hollywood 2004' and it worked. I moved to L.A. in January of 2004. Emma Stone