Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself…
At a recent seminar for the ASMP Ohio Valley chapter, an attendee asked me “What’s the biggest challenge facing photographers today?”
A zillion possible answers flit through my head and then I had it: Fear.
There’s no question – our industry is facing challenges on all levels. Technological, Economic, Political, Cultural – there’s practically no front on which the status quo isn’t changing in some major way.
But change isn’t the real problem – it’s our reaction to change. Fear traps us. It robs us of perspective and inhibits us from seeing the opportunities in change. It paralyses us and leaves us feeling incapable of making decisions or taking action. And, in all my travels these past 2 years, I have yet to meet a single photographer who isn’t worried about the future of our industry.
In 1880, Benjamin Disraeli wrote “Desperation is sometimes as powerful an inspirer as genius.” If we make an effort, we can use fear the same way. The challenge I set for all us is to find a way to use fear as a galvanizing force. Don’t let fear use you. Instead, learn how to use it. Let it energize you, let it sharpen your wits, let it motivate you to look for possibilities and take control of your future.