One of the reason's I loved Dawson's Creek so much when I started watching it a few months ago was the fact that he was so incredibly passionate. He decided he wanted to be a film director at such an early age and would stop at nothing until that dream became a reality.
I saw myself in the character. Sure, I didn't decide I wanted to be a photographer until I was 17, but still, that's pretty early and when I did decide on it, I became so passionate and wanted to learn everything there was to learn about the subject.
Then the dry spell happens. To both, me and Dawson. It's like you forget who you are because your entire life is consumed with this one thing. You no longer see yourself as a person, but as your "profession," which you may or not be getting paid for. I'm not, by the way.
Dawson went through a phase of not doing anything with a camera because he wanted to find himself again. He took down all of his Spielberg posters and replaced them with non-movie related things. Like the a Beatles poster and pictures of his friends after he took up photography. The problem is, after that phase, we rarely ever see him with a video camera again.
Sure, he has since made a documentary that won an award and now he's in film school, but don't you think a film maker, who is TRULY passionate about making films should carry a camera with them at all times? We rarely ever see Dawson do that. In this particular aspect, I'm a little different. I carry my camera with me everywhere, but I rarely take it out of my bag.
Over the weekend, I read an article called "The Thing Itself" by Bill Jay. He made a lot of good points on the subject of photography and photographers, but one thing that Bill Jay said in his article deeply saddened me. He said, "it is rare indeed to see a photographic student carrying a camera."
In my experience, students choose the photo route, not because they want to make a lot of money like you might find in the engineer department, but because they are passionate about what they are doing. I think it's a little strange that we aren't showing off what we are passionate about. We should be wanting to take pictures of every little thing. Exploring the world around us, yet we hide it.
You may not be a photographer or a film maker, but I'm sure you are deeply passionate about something. I don't know what it is, but are you trying to hide it, or are you trying to show off your gifts? Personally, I want to show it off.
2 comments:
I love taking photos and have often wished that I had gone to school for photography. It's fantastic that you're passionate about this and I think you should be seen with your camera! Can't wait to see what your future has instore for you. (Stopping by from the blog hop, have a great day!)
Writing is what I'm most passionate about, and what I'd love to do for a career, but like what you described, it's what I do much of the time even when I don't get paid. Although, when I was in school, I didn't write much outside of all the paper assignments I had to write, because school itself can burn you out a little when it comes to words!
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