Tom Petty on Songwriting

"'It's kind of lonely work,' he said, 'because you just have to keep your pole in the water. I always had a little routine of going into whatever room I was using at the time to write in, and just staying in there till I felt like I got a bite.

"I compare it to fishing: There's either a fish in the boat or there's not,' he said with a laugh. 'Sometimes you come home and you didn't catch anything and sometimes you caught a huge fish.'"

—Tom Petty, who died on Monday, quoted in "Tom Petty's final interview: There was supposed to have been so much more," by Randy Lewis, from the Los Angeles Times website

Compare to what I said about photography in the article "Key Thoughts and the Zen of Fishing," July 7, 2002. "The other thing I find really helpful is to constantly remember to discard my expectations. Photography is a bit like fishing. You can think and prepare all you want, but sometimes the fish bites and sometimes it doesn't. (Also like fishing, those who know what they're doing stand a much better chance of success than those who don't. But there's still that element of serendipity involved.) Those of us lucky enough to be shooting as amateurs, for ourselves, ought to remain aware of this. Many photographers force their work to conform to the ideas they had when they shot. But the reality is, some shots work and some shots don't, and which is which does not always have much to do with what you wanted to have happen."

I still love the fishing metaphor where photography is concerned. I'm not a "control everything" kind of photographer. And the key is, "you just have to keep your pole in the water," meaning, get out and about with a camera in your hand and turn your seeing on. Ralph Gibson said something like that to me in the '90s, during an interview. This is a paraphrase, not a quote, but he said something like every time I go out I know I'm going to get something. I'm just good enough at this point. I always come back with something.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2017 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

B&H Photo • Amazon US • Amazon UK
Amazon Germany • Amazon Canada • Adorama

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Jimmy Reina: "Re '"...Some shots work and some shots don't, and which is which does not always have much to do with what you wanted to have happen,' I have heard that, when asked how to make a good photograph, Robert Doisneau said, 'If I knew the answer to that, I would do it every time.'"

Comments

[Anthony Shaughnessy]

I reckon four trips out of five are a bust but the fifth trip is gold. So the more I go out, the more good shots I get (as well as getting more practice).
Anthony

[Steve Jacob]

This rings very true. I love wandering around London when I have a spare afternoon and the weather is suitable. Sometimes I don't catch a thing.

Could be wrong place, wrong time or the wrong frame of mind. It doesn't really matter, because if I persist, I get there in the end. No point in forcing it, but no point in giving up either.

I have the same issue with writing...

[Stan B.]

Yup. All the sincerity and dedication in the world don't matter a lick if the fish ain't in the pond. That said, there are pictures out there each and every day, only question- are we there when they happen (and can we see them when they do)?

[Bill Poole]

I've often thought that fishing and photography are alike in at least one way: it doesn't matter if you are skunked on any one day, because the joy and learning is in the process. I went through a very serious fly-fishing phase a few decades pack. Interestingly, I gave it up about the time I got reinterested in photography in a serious way. I remember telling myself that I would have to choose how to spend my time, and deciding that fishing for photos was ultimately more rewarding than fishing for fish.

[Del Bomberger]

Thanks for mentioning Tom. It means a lot to many of us, for oh so many reasons. He left an incredible musical legacy, though nothing (except a Grateful Dead concert) was like a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers outdoor event. This last tour has wonderful examples of how they grew over time into something extra special which will of course remain with his fans for as long as any of us are around.

[Adrian Malloch]

There is a point somewhere between faith and confidence that seems to work for me. I have no idea what I'm going to get but history gives me the knowledge that I will get something useful. That scares the daylights out of my new clients; art directors need to direct, they need to know what they will get back.
When I'm out there, all I'm doing is creating situations for interesting stuff to happen and then noticing when it does instead of looking for what I expect to find, or photographing what I need.
In other words, a fishing expedition.

[Stelios]

Was it Chuck Close who said something along the lines ''inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just go to work every day''? (amateurs not in a derogatory sense, but you get the point I hope).

[Mark Jennings]

I live in good fishing country. Naturally, a few people are good at fishing. It's sometimes said that the best of these think like fish. The select of the select are on the water a lot, but I've found out that at least one also spends a lot of time thinking about fish when he's not.

[Herman]

Waiting for a bite-

[Craig A. Lee]

The same can be said for any creative process really.

[Hans Muus]

To paraphrase zen master Shunryu Suzuki: 'Photographer's mind, beginner's mind.' Each time I experience a 'photographer's block' of sorts, the way out is realising just this.

[Chris]

I am sometimes consoled by a remark by some famous photographer (it's consistent with my age that I can't remember the name) who answered the question: "How to be a better photographer?" with "Stand in front of more interesting stuff!". Wish it worked reliably for me... ;-)

[Les Hibbert]

Just now seeing this and it reminded me of what photographer, Gary Ladd told me on a Grand Canyon river trip many years ago. He personally likened photography to hunting rather than fishing and further divided the participants into stalkers and those who set up hides or waited in tree stands. I'm pretty sure Gary prefers the hide method but his photographs taken on ever moving river trips prove he's no slouch as a stalker!