For What It’s Worth.

I’ve had a very busy couple of weeks shooting weddings, conferences, magazine covers and the like. A busy life, working all the time makes me feel so grown up. I’m trying to strike a balance between the fresh faced enthusiasm of being young and responsibility of being old. I feel that in the creative field, it is vital to have the curiosity and innocent ambition of youth which helps you find new opportunities, chase them madly and eventually achieve them. However, as one grows up, it is very easy to let the fire die as you realize the folly of young dreams and give in to the mundane routine of life.

In this madness of juggling life, work, pleasure and creativity; trying to make time for things and people that I love proves tricky. Travel. Friends. Family. If I don’t make time for the people and things that matter to me, it would be unfair to expect them to make time for me. But fortunately, I have friends and family who understand the pressure of a self employed person and are empathetic of situation. Well, mostly. I still need to find time for personal work though. I guess I just need to sleep less.

#1 on my list is keeping clients happy. I go to endless measures to make sure that they have a good experience working with me and my team. And I take great joy in seeing satisfied clients. Every wedding and event I cover is a new experience with new people. Earlier this week, I covered the engagement of an old school friend and it was great to meet and catch up with other mutual friends at the event. Moments like these make it worth the hard work.

And at other times, I feel like I work too hard. Then I reflect upon how hard my father would’ve have worked when he was my age, supporting a wife and a child, sacrificing personal pleasures for their well being and the sheer pressure he must have felt; and then I remember that I have it easy. It creates the drive to do more, challenge myself, and push the boundaries. Why? Because I can. 9 to 5 is not my thing. When I work, I work 24/7. My life and work have amalgamated into one entity.

I also often wonder how my friends find time to watch so many TV Shows with new ones being added to the list every time I meet them. But then I realize that working a ‘normal job’ does come with its perks and peace of mind, something that I sorely miss.

Working in different places with different sorts of people, I have learnt that it is easy and convenient to laugh at ignorance of others but the real skill that sets one apart from the crowd lies in educating the ignorant ones, with a view of making the world a better place.

Currently listening to – Let there be love by Nat King Cole

Shooting a friend’s engagement and reviewing photos with him after the ceremony.