Hump Day: Where's Your Focus?

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.
Helen Keller

by Skip Cohen

​I came into the professional side of imaging in 1987. For almost 40 years, I've met and worked with hundreds, if not thousands, of artists and business owners. Those who have been most successful have always had a vision of how they wanted their business to look and perform.

What makes me sad is the number of artists who either had minimal vision or treated their vision as if it were embedded in concrete, unchangeable. So, they stuck to the same path, forgetting the expression, "If you do what you've always done, you'll never get more than you've ever gotten!"

Success is more than just the financial side of a business - it's also about waking up with a smile on your face, excited about the day ahead. It's about being able to pivot when necessary, keeping up with technology and maintaining momentum. ​

If you're not happy with what you're doing, or how your business is running, then step back, analyze the issue, and make the changes you need. 

It's no good running a pig farm badly for thirty years while saying, 
'Really, I was meant to be a ballet dancer.'
By then, pigs will be your style.
Quentin Crisp

Here's the bottom line - stay true to your passion. If your original vision needs to change, then don't be afraid to follow another path, just don't abandon your dreams completely. When I was a kid, people used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. The truth is, I still don't know, but I know I'm happy and life is anything but dull. And as long as I'm still waking up smiling and charged up for the day ahead, then I'm on the right path!