You Have to Work for It

I've come to many realizations during these past few days. It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride for me lately. With four feet of snow falling in the past three days, and me having to work during all of them, it's been a little bit tough. While everyone else went and rode pow, I watched hopelessly as my board gathered more and more snow on it as it leaned against the side of the lift shack. I got many comments such as "Not a very good day for pictures huh?" or "Bet you're not getting much business today!". I just want to let all know that those comments are better left unsaid. It's almost like saying "You look tired." or "Pretty slow tonight huh?" to a cocktail server. On commission based jobs, it's very tough to keep spirits high in slower situations. I don't really have a choice but to stand out there and get people stoked on taking photos, blizzard or not.

Don't get me wrong, I love photography. Especially snowboarding photography. There's nothing that gets me more stoked than capturing that perfect moment in a shot where the rider is right at the peak of their trick and I am able to capture that 1/1000th of a second for them to look at forever. I get so excited, and so do they. Snowboard photography is art to me. It's a way that I can take the sport that I have such a passion for and turn it into a beautiful self expression, even if it's not me in the shot. It's a way of combining the human element with the powerful forces of nature and being able to capture the moment forever. A moment that will never occur in the same way again.

In conclusion of these contrasting thoughts, I've realized that life never really goes the path that you expect. To get to one place, you have to work through another, even if it's a place you don't want to be. Right now, I feel a little bit stuck, but I know that if I just keep my drive up, I will get to where I want to be someday. Most successful and creative folk don't get the luxury of skating through life and achieving their dreams. Doctors go through countless hours of school, lawyers study tirelessly for tests, writers may move to a big city only to hear the word "no" for years, high school seniors may apply to 20 colleges only to get into 5, etc. Everybody fails. The only ones who succeed are those who take those mistakes and learn from them.

With that in mind, I'm going to fall asleep, and start a new day. A day without work and drama that goes along with it. A day with photography that I love. A day with snowboarding, friends, and the love of my life, in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I've got a lot going for me, and it's time that I start acting like it.