July 16, 2010
What is Success to You?
I believe that to succeed in one’s art, one must first identify what success means to them.
Sometimes when you’re younger, success simply means “rich and famous.” But as we get older our values change, we have grown, matured and success is no longer that obvious. Also, we start to realize that success means different things to different people.
So, what does success mean to you? To make it easier to digest and compare answers, let’s keep our definitions to three short items.
1.
2.
3.
I’m anxious to hear everyone’s thoughts.
Cole
P.S. The question “what is success” is not just for “professionals” (I dislike that distinction) but for everyone.
Interesting question.
1. Produce a coherent photographic thought, from conception, to capture, to output.
2. Earn the respect of artists who I respect.
3….I don’t know that I have a third. Maybe, “Earn enough to keep supporting the addiction” but I would ever be able to associate a value with success. At least in regards to my photography.
1: Having earned the freedom to “create” what I like without the necessity to sell the art.
2: Being asked to hang work in a quality gallery.
3: My children asking for prints!!
For me it is about experiencing continuous growth by:
1. Improving my ability to clearly see and enjoy my surroundings through learning more about them and living in the moment;
2. Improving my ability to create properly exposed images and quality prints through a better understanding of the craft of photography;
3. Creating new and different styles of images that I connect to emotionally, inspiring me to be adventurous in my evolution as an artist.
1. Always producing something better than before, at least what I think is better 🙂
2. Positive comments about my photographs!
3. Continuing to feel inspired even when it’s not so easy.
1. Create something aesthetically dynamic.
2. Affect my audience.
3. See the audience enjoy the work.
These would apply, both as an artist and a gallery director.
Earl Nightingale said it best: The progressive realization of a worthy ideal.
My worthy ideals are to share my talent, to share my love, and to be nice to little people.
1.) To find something I’m passionate about photographing
2.) Create photographs that will last a lifetime – so my great grand kids, and others, can see/view/appreciate them.
3.) Feeling good about the images I’m producing and sharing no matter what others say.
Ranked in order of importance to me.
1. If it is for a client then it is a success if they are happy and ecstatic about the image(s).
2. If I am happy, content and satisfied that the image(s) or body of work is the best I could produce given all the parameters at the moment in time it was produced, then I consider it a success.
3. If the work is viewed by others not specific to nor responsible for the inception of the work as pleasing, moving, emotional or just generally good imagery then I could consider it a successful image(s).
Cole, for me its one thing, to have free time to do what ever I want.
Success is when I say and know to myself that what I just created was good was real good. I’ve had that feeling a handful of times in my many years of age, but its so euphoric that it keeps me looking for it yet once again.
1. Doing what you want because you can, not because you have to.
2. Receiving recognition for what is important to you.
3. Seeing your children mature happily.
great thoughts Mr. T: Here’s my take
1. The satisfaction of enjoying your final piece dispite what anyone else thinks! and I mean anyone
2. Have the means to take photographs when and where you want 24/7.
3. To overcome those fears and inhibitions that would restrict you from doing your art and performing when and how you want to.
Note: For me I really could care less what people think of my photos. If you don’t like them, click to the next site. I really do appreciate where people are coming from in their photos and never say to myself, “hmm, off balanced, no tone, too much sky”….get the idea.
I believer you are like that Cole…thats why I love your site, your style and the karma I get.
Cheers, Pete
Hi Cole,
Success with my art is a pretty simple set of conditions:
1) Creating increasingly meaningful and compelling photographs that please me.
2) Sharing my photographs in important public venues and on-line sites.
3) Getting feedback from people that suggests that my artwork “speaks to them.”
That’s it for me.
Gary Larsen
Hi Cole, your readers left some noble definitions of their success before me… I want to be completely honest to myself and to you when I give you my definitions of success, so here they are:
1. I want to be satisfied with my work… I am the severe critic of myself and it is hard to satisfiy my own criteria of a good art work ( I am still not happy with my work)
2. yes definitely, I want to make a good connection with galleries and see my work properly represented
Hallo Cole, thats the way 😉 thanks for this article. Success is for me to be happy in small things. Yesterday I have bought a postcard it puts a smile on my face: to see is the home of earthworm, designed by an icelandic kids in a project about homes for animals.
1. Shoot only what I want.
2. Have the ability to find a vision, shoot it and materialize it.
3. Have recognition.
Cole, here my thoughts:
1. the more one learns, the more one realizes that there is a lot more to learn. This is something that shows me that some evolution (or success) is already taking place.
2. work hard, and work hard and work hard
3. success is about being passionate about what you do (no passion no success)
…by the way. You’re statement “This question is not just for “professionals” (I dislike that distinction) but for everyone” is excellent.
Charles Chaplin said once : Everybody is an amateur. Life is so short that nobody can become a pro!
Best wishes!
Hi, I’m from Europe, Slovak Republic, so I’m sorry that my English is not entirely correct. Just as you write, the value of success depends on the age of man. 20 years ago I published the first magazine title and I was heaven, drunk success. Today, I do not not count as a success.
So success:
1st When I can stop my fine someone that thought …
2nd Checkmate really good friends
3rd feel, touch from the ordinary little things, sees the world through the prism of emotion.
My photography has matured for more than fifty years. Now success is not another beautiful sunrise or sunset shot, nor a shot of wildlife in Rocky Mountain National Park nor a good picture of grandkids for those are all spontaneous shots. Now a successful photo captures the idea I have thoughtfully considered and planned in my mind – and occasionally sketched on paper – for days or perhaps weeks until every detail has been determined. Then I search out the location or make the props and finally execute the shot. If the photo meets the goal I earlier envisioned, it is a successful photograph. Perhaps this is too deliberate and reflects my professional background as an engineer. Am I engineering a successful photo?
Morning!
Success: 1. The moment that I am touched by a scene, object that takes my heart and my eye there.
2. That one photograph that I shoot that makes the corners of my mouth turn upward.
3. When a total stranger speaks to my photography with kindness, desire and constructive criticism.
Thank you, Cole Thompson!
Pat
With regards to photography…
Please consider this a first draft, for this list should change over time.
1) Being able to display a print on my wall and not wanting to take it down within a brief period.
2) Being respected for my work by the persons I respect for the same reason.
3) Influencing others.
Hey, Cole.
Well, it would go something like this:
1) The aha! moment that occurs when that fuzzy vision of an idea floating in my head says to my heart, “That’s what I was trying to say.”
2) Having a fuzzy vision idea.
3) Just like a good baseball player, having an aha! moment meet my fuzzy idea 3 in10 times. Hell, I’ll take .100 and the company of a good friend.
1. A body of work that is
2. Authentic of who I am and my personal vision
3. Engages viewer involvement
I think of success as a way of being rather than a goal to be reached. As applied to photography… I feel successful if :
1. My visual voice is getting stronger and with greater depth
2. The life I’m attempting to capture stays young, fresh and with added meaning.
3. I stay free from the noose that is criticism or praise for whatever comes out of the process.
I haven’t been at this all that long but I still feel very successful. Just my 2 cents…
A tough question, and the answers might shift depending on my day… or mood.
Right now, success means 1) having a vision and being able to execute it 2) to my satisfaction and 3) having that work move another person.
First, in response to Eduard Crispi’s Charles Chaplin quote, the very word “amateur” is derived from the latin root meaning love. The original definition meant that to be an amateur meant that you did something simply for the love of it. Our language has since diluted the true meaning of the word to that of a hobbyist who isn’t “good enough” to be “professional”. I’d rather be an amateur who happens to sells some work than a professional who has lost the love/passion for the work.
This leads to my three:
1. Love the work I create – and the process.
2. Have meaningful work that can touch others deeply.
3. Continue to make a comfortable living with my art.
If I did not have the joy or fulfillment from #1 or #2, I would find a much easier way to support my family than art.
Keith, thank you very much for the explanation. I didn’t know the origin of this word. In any case both definitions (new and old) apply to me: “do something simply for the love of it” and “not good enough”.
Cheers!
1. When I write a song that carries & delivers the emotion that birthed it.
2. When someone other than myself personally relates to a song causing them to feel something
3. A stranger driving past loudly enjoying my music, smiling at me on the sidewalk not knowing I created what they are hearing.
My definition of success tends change just slightly faster than firing of neurons in my brain. So… an attempt here… to sneak up on a really slow semi-conscious moment on a Sunday morning, before caffeine has jump started the neuron activity, and try to define one moment’s definition of success.
1. Being satisfied that I did the best I could at that moment, (not that I always am though).
2. Being dissatisfied that past results are acceptable current results, (although it happens often).
3. Embracing and accepting that actually achieving success is much like religion is to an agnostic, (not sure one way or another it really exists)….
Hummm.. re-reading those, my attempt didn’t seem to work very well at all… very confusing… could be there was too much neuron activity and those three items spanned several different moments…
As a photog hoping to become self-sufficient and move away from the stress loaded day job, I’m _currently_ rating my definitions of success as:
1. that ‘oh wow’ moment from a customer (or viewer);
2. self-sustaining in a photography related business (mine hopefully :-);
3. continue to grow in expression, technique and comfort creating images.
1. have a goal.
2. reach that goal.
3. make bigger goals.
without some sort of goal you can’t have succsess. like when you shot randomly with bow and arrow somewhere and afterwards declare that whatever you hit you wanted to hit … that’s not success and not fullfilling.
For my underwater images, success would be to:
1. Create an awareness of our undersea world
2. Honor the men who served on those ships
3. Prevent looting of these wrecks
1. Feeling really good about the images that I create.
2. Getting positive feedback, usually in the form of awards and publication. (But I will accept any and appreciate every one! )
3. Becoming a nationally recognized artist.
When looking at a photograph –
1. Imagine the story
2. Reflect on the story
3. Smile
I guess I am a complete combo of Sylvia and Keith.
Hi Cole:)
Great question:) I am particularly happy to answer, as I think, or to be more precise, I feel, I am successful, which doesn’t mean I don’t want anything more from this life. So, make it short, for me success means:
1- that you enjoy your life and each day no matter how much you have and how you are admired by others
2 – that you do what you believe in, not what others believe in.
3 – that getting what you want doesn’t make you happier
Warmest greetings from Poland:)
Danka Antas
Danka, nice answer. To be comfortable with self.
Cole