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Thursday, 16 March 2023

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Was your father this way with your brothers too? Or just you?

I find myself getting mad at him upon reading this--of course, I've never met your father--and wanting to say, hey, lay off, will ya? Give Mike a little love and support. Won't cost you anything. And who knows, he might surprise you!

Mike wrote
"...what I should have done is write another one of those articles—articles discussing specific individual photographs..."

I bet if you started now, and published one a month on TOP, you would have some very happy readers.

Maybe not a book, but as you noted yourself previously, TOP is where you earn your daily bread.

Perhaps your father felt that you couldn't make a living taking pictures. I wonder if he would feel the same way if you wanted to be a plumber!
Bill

Well, you have now painted yourself into an Escher-like corner. I would guess you have plenty of started projects within Yards of the finish line. Try just one.

my condolences re your parents mitreatment of you.But... you have a successful blog which based on writing. First thing I read of yours was the snarky "the internet reviews 10 photos" or something like that. Brilliant burn of internet 'experts'.

Hi Mike, since you recently mentioned you're currently running low on photo writing ideas; have you considered doing a series of reader portfolio reviews and discussions? I'd imagine they would naturally lead to a bunch of topics for new article, might(?) be interesting for many readers, and super valuable exposure for the selected portfolios.

As an AdAm (to use your terminology), one of the things I miss most in my involvement with photography is exactly such qualified feedback from likeminded people, preferably of more experience than myself.

This post is reminiscent of a Seinfeld script. A post about nothing... well a post about why there wasn't going to be a post. Very clever pivot sir.

Mike, with regards to creating, and the big R (resistance), might you find these podcast episodes of interest:

https://www.richroll.com/podcast/steven-pressfield-584/

https://www.richroll.com/podcast/seth-godin-728/

https://www.richroll.com/podcast/robert-mckee-736/

https://www.richroll.com/podcast/steven-pressfield-732/

Well Mike it is quite interesting that none of the book ideas that you have started have apparently failed to hold your interest to bring them to fruition. Payday is at the finish line

Only tangentially related to your post, but I laughed at this line from Sandford/Camp's bio page:


He quit sailing when he realized that it was much like driving across Kansas in an RV at eight miles an hour, except without freeway exits or gas station stops.

When self doubt creeps into your mind and ties up your progress, remember, your audience definitely has lower expectations than you do.

There is a danger into looking too deeply into the methods of people who have proven success for a recipe for success: survivorship bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias

I suspect everyone who succeeds finds their own recipe, and their explanations of their own success have a tendency to be post hoc rationalisation. We should never overlook the contribution of luck,10 talented, hardworking people may simply be separated by a good break that got them on their way.

TOP is a superb product and a success story few people enjoy; you don't perhaps appreciate your own work enough.

Mike, you might take a gander at this slim little book.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1771965169/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's quite funny while feeling spot-on about the chaotic and contingent nature of writing as a calling or a career. Getting used to failure and moving on with the work is sound advance in any area of artistic creation.

I haven't read Proust, either. But I do enjoy a nice madeleine, so I think of him often.

Mike,
I wish I could offer you some constructive and worthwhile advice. Your skill set is what it is, and you’re great at it. Just do what you want, (and it seems to be working), and don’t worry too much about the awards, critiques or rules that others mark their passage with. And try not to label yourself as anything that follows a path that restricts your life. For what it worth, your blog is pretty much one of the few I read for content, responses and insights. Those things sometimes have immeasurable value.

Am not sure if parents realise how much of an impact they have on their kids, even as we grow older our parents still have the ability to make us feel a certain way (good, bad, ugly) no one else can, seems strange but true in my opinion!

Ref Kirk's response

A convict can save a kid from a life of crime. The con might never have benefitted from the advice he gives the kid, but by god, he knows the consequences of ignoring it.

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