The Plus, Minus and Equals of Growth and Connection // (#024)

When you think about what people or places have moved your career forward the most (regardless of whether you consider yourself a visual creator or not) what comes to mind as common traits? Has it been the upstart entrepreneur who shook you out of the “we’ve always done it this way” way of seeing the world? the wise-sage type whose time-tested ideas and messages resonated just right with what you were seeking? Or just a simple meetup over a cold beverage with a colleague where you hash out pros and cons of a creative project you’re working on. You might be seeing where I’m going with this... When you really break it down, I think there is a brilliantly effective and simple (but sure as shit not easy) way to give yourself a leg up in your career or building your skills – Three words: Plus, Minus, and Equals.

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Hello and welcome to the Photo Forward Podcast, the weekly show where we explore the stories behind some of the greatest photographers and visual storytellers the world over. From their photographic origin stories, to finding work-life balance as creative professionals, to how to actually make a living as a photographer, cinematographer, or multimedia creator — we uncover what makes them tick and their shutters click. I’m your host, Ben Brewer.

So, this is an episode I’ve been wanting to share for such a long time. Like seriously probably a solid year when I heard about this concept for interpersonal connections and growth that clicked in such a profound way for me when I was able to tie it back to places in time of my own creative journey.

Alright, so what is this Plus, Minus, Equals concept and why does it matter? 

Put simply, a key way to ensure you’re growing in your career (or really ANY area of your life you could apply this principle to) is deliberately creating connections with people way ABOVE your level, way BELOW your level, and RIGHT AROUND your level of (insert skill or proficiency here). You might hear all that and think, “Well, duh? Of course you want to have a variety of folks in your circle”. Well, obviously yes, but think RIGHT NOW to your closest connections in a particular space (say your department, one of your hobbies/passions outside the office, or even just close friends). And tell me honestly how many of those circles truly contain a variety of skill levels? Chances are pretty slim that’s a damn near homogenous group. 

If you’re one of the many photographers listening to this episode, for example,  do you really have any newbies or photo students in your close contacts? Or vice versa, how many world-class, awarded photographers could you honestly say is a connection you could call upon? If you have trouble answering either of those questions, trust me, you are so far from the only one. As we settle into our careers (creative disciplines, media or otherwise) we aggressively run the risk of our networks and connections becoming calcified into “people like me” who “think and do things like I think and do” (The brilliant marketing mind Seth Godin has a word for that – CULTURE)

Okay, I say that a bit tongue in cheek, but it’s true. The farther along in our career and and personal lives we get, we fall into ruts of what we do and who we spend time with the most (not all in a bad way, but far more often and even a little insidiously, in a mindless, unintentional way).

So, let’s break down the three elements of the Plus, Minus, Equals philosophy of connections and how it can make such a difference in your own growth and development.

PLUS:

While the word gets bandied about way too damn much for anyone’s liking and has nearly lost the gravity and importance that it used to have, PLUS in this model of connection and growth is really referring to the concept of Mentorship – or at the very least, learning from individuals in your field who have objectively created and achieved more than where you’re currently at (no shade here, it’s just a fact that you’re always going to be outpaced and out-achieved by plenty of people. Just the same way you’ll outpace and out achieve plenty of folks in turn, but more on that later).

In my mind, the key benefit of connecting and communicating with folks above your weightclass as it were in your field or in the particular skill you’re looking to grow in is this: hard learned lessons minus the struggle. As the old saying goes : “Only a fool learns from their own mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others”.

Now there’s nothing quite like the teacher that is failure/struggle/pain/etc., but connection with an advanced figure in your field is a damn close second. And more often than not, can help you illuminate the “unknown unknowns” and pitfalls one couldn’t possibly see coming. The trite analogy would be the idea of summiting Mount Everest. Instead of learning lessons yourself (cough, frostbite, cough), wouldn’t you rather start on a solid foundation of learning from those who had come before in place of reinventing the wheel so to speak. 

Realistically however, each of these kinds of connection do come with a handful of pitfalls and the PLUS category of individuals can be one of the most sneakily detrimental to growth if you’re not careful.

Put simply, you’re going to get rejected, shot down, and ignored by folks farther along in career or skill level. A LOT. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with that (they’re leading busy, accomplished lives and most won’t have the time to connect on a cold email/phonecall with a junior person they may never have met). On top of that, if you as the reacher-outer don’t approach it in the right way, you’re going to set off all kinds of alarms in the mind and inbox of the PLUS you’re trying to connect with – Hot take, if you use the word “mentor” or “mentorship” explicitly or throw out a phrase like “pick your brain”, you’re going to have a BAD TIME. 

Second, another pitfall of connecting with PLUS folks is objectivity. And what I mean by objectivity is this – The tendency in all sorts of industries or skills is to view the folks at the proverbial “mountaintop” as larger than life. As such, the real thing to avoid is any and all kinds of HERO WORSHIP. You can see through that kind of insincerity a mile away. If the kind of person you’re reaching out to needs you to butter them up to build a rapport and to open the door to learn from them, they are NOT the kind of person you want to learn and grow from. We’re all multifaceted beings and to distill them down to the pinnacle of their career or skill is not only super reductive to them as an individual, but once you lose that objectivity, how are you going to be able to think critically about the lessons and insights you might get? 

So where do you go from there with the PLUS folks on your connection quest? Make a list of 20 people in your industry or skill that you would want to connect with and, for each, nail down EXACTLY what the scope of that learning would be – specific and relevant enough that they’ll be able to understand why you reached out to them in particular. Better yet, do you have any mutual connections who might be able to reach out and make a no-pressure introduction? From there, if you’re fortunate enough for one or two folks to respond, you can try to build that relationship OVER TIME. 

(and just as a cheeky aside, there’s a really big part of the photo forward podcast that grew out of a need for more PLUS folks in my circles through interviewing brilliant visual creators, through the magic of technology, all around the globe that I may never have the chance to meet in person)

MINUS:

Alright, now that we’ve cleared out the hero worship and fawning over the greats, let’s move on to what I think is arguably the most important group to build connections with – the MINUS folks. Like I mentioned on the PLUS group, there’s nothing inherently negative or problematic with talking about a MINUS population who aren’t as skilled or far along as you. Just facts. So why would you want to grow connections with those who are objectively less skilled than you? 

In my mind, the true benefit of building these kinds of cross-skilled relationships is both a little counterintuitive, but super obvious when you spell it out. TEACHING (or as it’s been coined referring to teaching folks only slightly behind where you are “The Protege effect”. One of the most brilliantly simple and effective quotes that typifies this is the old (possibly) Albert Einstein adage “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” What makes a teacher a teacher is their ability to understand complex topics in such detail and with such alacrity that they can translate that domain-specific knowledge into lectures with students who know relatively far less. And not bore them to tears in the process.

Once you yourself cease to be in the group of complete newbies on a topic or in a career field, you really do owe it to the world to give back to the collective knowledge and growth of the “next generation” in your area. I wouldn’t be anywhere close to the achievements I’ve gotten without learning from those above me, so to actively neglect that to those less far along than you is hard to describe as anything less than unwise (if you’re being generous) or (let’s call a fucking spade a spade) selfish and gatekeeping. 

So what could possibly go wrong with getting a deep understanding of your skills and teaching the up-and-comers? Well, in my mind, there’s really only one potential downside to over-indexing in the MINUS group of folks for connection and growth. It’s definitely possible to extend yourself too far in this direction and end up spending a disproportionate amount of time being the PLUS for new folks in your field that you end up not keeping pace with the EQUALS or learning your own lessons. If you’re constantly teaching, your’re probably not spending enough time building your own experience and run the risk of stagnating a bit in your own endeavors.

Now when we get to action steps, this can be a bit trickier because so many of these interactions require a bit more serendipity and responding to MINUS folks that reach out to you personally. But it doesn’t have to be quite so passive! How you might ask can you manifest these connections into existence? This is where the beauty of Web 2.0 comes into play. If you have a lesson to share, there’s pretty much an unlimited number of ways to get that out into the world through blogs, LinkedIn posts or *wink wink* just start a podcast and put out episodes like this. And more than anything, don’t feel like you have to be a know it all to know enough to teach – You don’t have to have read the entire book, you just need to be a chapter ahead of the students.

EQUALS:

Last but certainly not least we’re left with the final group in this connection and growth concept – the one we always think of first when you think of networking and skillbuilding your EQUALS. While it’s kind of a duhh section to include in the episode (“Yeah Ben, real fuggin insightful to suggest that you should CONNECT with people who are CLOSE in skill level to you. Eye Roll.”). But stay with me here. I think there’s gotta be particular reasons WHY you’re collaborating with and with WHOM you’re working with to make these EQUALS connections actually valuable. From my experience over the last decade as a photographer and cinematographer, I think when it comes down to it, there are three big factors that transform a good EQUALS connection to a great one – Aligned Values, Productive Collaboration, and Candid Communication (oddly enough, as I write this out it’s really hard not to super impose these onto what it takes to make a healthy and successful romantic relationship or partnership. *accidental mind blown*

Now, your EQUALS connections don’t have to have all three of these characteristics or even excel in a single one of these (there are tons of people and connections that are extremely valuable without needing to “optimize” your growth and development to death and prune out people that don’t hit these themes). But I’ve found that a mindful approach to who you’re close with and defining why you’re close with them (think Napoleon Hill: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”). Speaking specifically in the field of photography/visual media, finding people with Aligned Values ensures you’ve got a shared language for your work and similar motivations and goals that you’re reaching towards. EQUALS folks that you can actually have Productive Collaboration with ensures that you can sustain working together over days/weeks/and months together and not just falling into the trap of the creative jerk-off that can be talking about projects and bouncing ideas off of each other and not actually MAKING ANYTHING and taking it to the next level of growth. And deeply connected to that, if you can’t really, and I do mean REALLY, honestly share your input, ideas, and world with an EQUALS connection, you don’t actually have one. If you feel like you can only be real with them if it’s what they want to hear or you’re only giving them positive feedback on their work, change that shit quickly. You shouldn’t feel like you need to cut them out of your life entirely, but there does need to be a “come to jesus moment” where you get real with each other and come up with a plan to fix that. (Or maybe you notice that you’re the one who’s only getting positive feedback and praise from your EQUALS and YOU need to have your own wake-up call and reflect on why that is). As the great executive coach Jerry Colonna breaks it down: “How am I complicit in the creation of the conditions in my life, that I claim to not want.”

Again this is sort of a category I don’t need to beat a dead horse on when it comes to identifying practical next steps for you the listener to grow your EQUALS group. Honestly, like I mentioned before, it’s almost more about building (and then pruning) your existing connections to deliver the desired outcomes, creative collaboration, growth and problem-solving you want. 

So with all of the demands on your time in our busy world, when you think about creating the connections and relationships to grow, just remember: Find your PLUSSES, Teach your MINUSES and collaborate with your EQUALS.

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Thanks everyone for listening to today’s episode on the PLUS, MINUS, and EQUALS of connection and relationship building. As we’ve talked about on a lot of recent episodes, I want to make this year a lot more collaborative on the Photo Forward podcast and incorporate a lot more Q&A or AMA style elements. In so many of my recent Zoom chats and interviews with photographers I’ve been getting some brilliant, spontaneous questions that come up in our conversations and it made me realize just how strong the “curse of knowledge” is in our industry – We get really skilled at certain things and come to assume that “everyone must know that” and then as a consequence, do a really awful (or negligent) job of explaining that elsewhere. So! If you’ve got a question or anything you want to ask on the show that I’ll respond to AMA-style, I’ve set up a page at photoforward.media/connect or send an email or voice message to connect@photoforward.media. I’d LOVE to make this a weekly element in each show after the main interview, so whatever is on your mind creatively, photographically, nagging career questions, etc., send them over at photoforward.media/connect or connect@photoforward.media. Cannot wait to hear what’s on your mind and bring some more value to all of you listening.

Enjoying listening to the Photo Forward Podcast? Want to hear more thought-provoking, engaging discussions about photography, creativity or freelance business? Well, this is where you come in. We want to get the word out as wide as possible about Photo Forward and reach as many listeners as possible. And the best way to do that is through reviews and recommendations on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you consume your podcasts. If you want to support more engaging and intimate conversations with photographers, cinematographers, and storytellers the world over, head on over to the Photo Forward page and drop a review to let me know how you all are enjoying the show, or even just a rating. It means a ton to growing the show and I personally read through each and every review to make this show the best damn visual storytelling podcast out there.

Thanks for listening everyone, and as always, keep seeing, keep thinking, and keep putting your best Photo Forward. Catch you all on the next one.

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Reading Material to Shape your Visual Creativity (and Life) // (#021)

Hey Photo Forward listeners —  It is the winter (slightly post-holiday) season! A time to step back, reflect on the year behind us (what goddamn wild one…) and look forward to the future and how your photographic work can and should evolve. And yeah, there’s that whole giving of gifts thing…

And as my present to you all, the podcast is back delivering weekly episodes on photography, creativity, and making a living as a visual storyteller. Yes, finally at long last after taking a while away from the podcast during 2021 following the unrest in the Twin Cities and examining how to make the show more inclusive, the Photo Forward Podcast is back and will be better than ever. We’ve got some incredible interviews lined up for the coming months and experimenting with new content on the show (Q&A segments/episodes are going to be HUGE), but more on that after the bulk of todays show. Thank you all so much for your patience. 

So, without further ado, let’s get into this week’s episode on my curated list of five of the best pieces of reading material for you, the photographer, or the visual storyteller in your life. (With a bonus item on the list that should just flat out be required material for every fucking human that’s sufficiently old enough to read it)

Hello and welcome to the Photo Forward Podcast, the weekly show where we explore the stories behind some of the greatest photographers and visual storytellers the world over. From their photographic origin stories, to finding work-life balance as creative professionals, to how to actually make a living as a photographer, cinematographer, or multimedia creator — we uncover what makes them tick and their shutters click. I’m your host, Ben Brewer.

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#1 “The War of Art” by Stephen Pressfield

So, as you’ll probably figure out as we go through today’s list of books for visual creators there’s going to be three major “themes” if you will in the content – headspace, principles, and history. Personally, as a photographer those are the most critical aspects of personal and professional development that you can *focus* on. Before we can externally create what matters to the world in photos, video, multimedia, etc. you’ve got to start with yourself. Put simply, there are no visual creators that create high quality work over a sustained period of time that haven’t done the work of getting their mind right – tackling limiting beliefs, revealing unconscious assumptions, and breaking probably most insidious of all, valuing your work as your worth. 

There’s a lot more to discuss on mindset and worth that I’ll definitely be getting into on future solo episodes of the podcast (and honestly would love to talk on specific Q&As that people have on the topic as well), but we’d be here all damn day. But what we do have time for is going through what I believe to be one of the most important books any creator can read (early and often) – The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield.

From the metaphorical “Resistance” that so perfectly captures the psychological foe of creating work consistently to a few pull-no-punches wake up calls scattered throughout the book, The War of Art is in no uncertain terms a creative kick in the ass. Equal parts artists owner’s manual and meditation, Pressfield’s tough love novel is all about identifying and tackling the internal and external enemies of creative ambition. As Pressfield says, “We can’t control the level of talent we’ve been given. We have no control over the nature of our gift. What we can control is our self-motivation, our self-discipline, our self-validation, and our self-reinforcement. We can control how hard and how smart we work.” While the book might only be a scant 160 pages, every line will hit home like a sack of bricks for any creator (whether or not you’re ready to hear it)

#2 “The EOS Life” by Gino Wickman

So, after starting with the psychological, we’re going to take a hard left into the entrepreneurial (with a side of life and lifestyle design). This is the newest book on the list, but with ideas and principles that have been time-tested for decades in the world of business. Now stay with me here, because I know you’re all going to collectively bristle at that. No, this isn’t some old hokey Napoleon Hill “Think and Grow Rich” or “The Secret” visualization bullshit. This is real systems and practices to create a work and personal life that hums in number two on today’s list – “The EOS Life” by Gino Wickman.

Now, the author’s name might be familiar to some of ya’ll who have dabbled in business classes  in the past 20 years or so for his (honestly pretty unique for its time) business structure handbook “Traction” initially published back in 2007. 

Just as an aside, back in the day I worked at a small video production company (recently out of the glow of the plucky startup phase) that was dealing with some structural issues and we eventually implemented The EOS (Entrepreneurs Operating System) process. And pardon my French, but I fucking haaaaated it. From repetitious meeting formats to delegated “rocks” for individual quarterly goals, it all felt so rote and thoroughly depriving us employees of any creative spirit. 

Well, much like the angsty teenager grows up and realizes that their parents aren’t completely full of shit and actually had some good ideas… Yeah, re-reading Traction and re-contextualizing the EOS system with another decade of work experience under my belt totally blew my mind. In the same way that “Extreme Ownership” by former Navy Seal Jocko Willink (which could have easily made the list as well) forces the reader to understand that discipline in principles leads to freedom in actions — with a dash of coming to grips that you’re truly the only one responsible for the choices you make and the state of your life). In that same way, implementing a system and a structure to your business, and hell, your life as a whole allows you the artist, you the entrepreneur to be infinitely more creative in the work that you produce – Placing the time and energy on the most important things and not constantly re-inventing the wheel of making work work.

All that is a long-winded way of leading up to the *actual* book that’s being recommended (though reading through Traction for background isn’t an awful idea)... WHEW. Essentially, Wickman’s recent book seeks to take the ideas from the Entrepreneurial Operating System and apply it to your life as a whole (work and all, half of our life is spent at work, so we ought to make damn well sure it fits into our concept of an ideal life.) Put simply, The EOS Life boils it down to this : 1) Doing What You Love , 2) With People You Love, 3) Making a Huge Difference 4) Being Compensated Appropriately , 5) With Time for Other Passions

Now who couldn’t get behind creating a life like that?  

#3 “Vivian Maier Developed: The Untold Story of the Photographer Nanny” by Ann Marks

Although as I’m writing this out, it seems borderline trite to say, understanding the history of photography is critical to becoming an educated, effective modern day photographer. I’m a firm believer in the old adage that you can’t truly know where you are going until you know where you’ve been. In a world of technological advancements, cutting-edge cameras, and a barrage of visual information, learning from the masters of our industry has never been more important. 

There are few more brilliant visual creators to learn from in the 20th Century than the subject of the 3rd book on today’s list, presented in a brand new definitive biography that unlocks her remarkable story, a nanny who lived a secret life as a world-class photographer, – Vivian Maier: Developed by Ann Marks

While many photographers have heard the name Vivian Maier before, understanding the depths of her life and prolific photographic production is such a perfect example of reading beyond the surface level of Instagram and social media image-making. The 2021 biography shows the reader both her masterful images (with nearly 400 photos placed for the first time in the context of her life) as well as the capacity for photography as therapy – expressing herself through photography, crafting a private portfolio of images full of emotion, authenticity, and humanity.

As Washington Post journalist Marion Winik says in her review of “Vivian Maier, Developed” “Considering that hardly a thing was known about Maier when [Ann] Marks began her project, her achievement in documenting Maier’s peregrinations and troubles with such clarity and feeling is remarkable. Dogged and creative original research enabled her to track down and interview people who knew Maier at every phase of her life. Marks studied archives to identify the buildings where Maier had set her photographs, then used phone books and census records to zero in on the people depicted… Marks believes that although she never sought recognition in her lifetime, Maier would have thoroughly enjoyed the unexpected way her posthumous story has unfolded. “It’s a one-in-a-million ending — another beginning, really — to an already remarkable life,” Marks declares. “If she had read the account in a newspaper, Vivian would have loved the particulars. … She would have absorbed every juicy detail and stood on the sidelines with her camera, intent on capturing it all.” 

“Vivian Maier Developed” is a photographic character study worthy of your reading eyes. 

#4 “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman

As many of you might know by now, despite my entire career being based in photography and visual storytelling, my formal education and college degree are in something far, far, farrrr more granular and (spoiler alert) neuroscientific – Biological Chemistry with a focus in neuroscience to be precise. That all being said, I do recognize that this next book miiiiight not be for everyone as it leans somewhat heavy on scientific research and studies – but I do promise that if you can get through some of the heavier technical explanations, this is a book full of gold in terms of understanding the systems and processes of human thought and action (and how it applies to everyone you engage with as a visual creator – “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Nobel Prize winning economist Daniel Kahneman.

Without spoiling too much of the core argument that Kahneman makes in the book – in impressive detail the neurological, psychological and behavioral systems that underpin the theory – there are essentially two, dichotomous modes of thought that we’re able to engage with as we humans go about our lives: System 1 and System 2. While System 1 is fast, instinctive, and emotional; System 2 is the slow, deliberate, and logical system of thought. 

One of the fascinating outcroppings of the 2 Systems of thought that Kahneman dives into is the need to question our (regularly false) intuitions and keep a healthy mindfulness of all of our deep seated biases. While the entire book (all 400 plus pages in all) is full of mental models and analyses of behavior, my personal favorite chapters are towards the end in the sections revolving around the “Two Selves” we all live with – An “experiencing” self and a “remembering” self (and the latter usually wins out over the former). Think about the last time you took a lengthy vacation that went practically perfectly, but if on the last day things went poorly, you’ll tend tend to remember the vacation as negative. Your memory of the event overrides your experience of it. As Kahneman says “Confusing experience with the memory of it is a compelling cognitive illusion—and it is the substitution that makes us believe a past experience can be ruined. The experiencing self does not have a voice.”

Another section of the book that I’m drawn to particularly as a photographer deals with risk and a narrowness of thought surrounding it. For those listeners who are working photographers/cinematographers/etc., think back to a recent assignment of yours, when did you make the most creative, unique, or eye-catching images during the course of the shoot? If you’re like most folks, chances are pretty good those didn’t come until after you’d captured the “safe” shots to CYA and then moved onto taking those creative risks during the course of the assignment to get the creative or special images. Put simply, outsized outcomes in the photographic world only come from taking some necessary creative risk. Naturally as humans, most of us are so averse to risk that we actively work to avoid gambles. Kahneman explains that, since some gambles are clearly on our side (they can’t all be against us) so by avoiding them, we lose money/positive results/etc. One way that we can decrease that natural risk aversion is to think broadly rather than narrowly, looking at our combine set of wins over many small gambles. Thinking narrowly, looking only at short term losses will trap and paralyze us,  but thinking broadly one of those System 2 tasks that takes work despite us being wired by the fast System 1 to think irrationally economically and pass by risks in our favor. 

A book so deeply encompassing I honestly don’t know how reviewers can even begin to get across the breadth of examples contained inside of it – “Thinking Fast and Slow” for me has always been the Users Manual for choice, decision-making, and everyday judgement to consistently return to when I need a dose of first-principles to fall back on.  

#5 “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Number five on the list of books to inspire and challenge you as a visual creator is one that has had a profound impact on my life and perspective on the world – a book originally intended for children and yet I’ve gone back and re-read it almost every year as an adult. Don’t mistake the playful handmade drawings and watercolors sprinkled throughout – this book deals with some hard grown-up themes and ideas, but with a certain lightness and alacrity that we could all stand to bring into our own daily struggles – The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

Basing its reality in the creativity and imagination of children, The Little Prince is a fantastical story of a pilot (the narrator) who, after crashing in the Sahara desert, meets a young boy and is recounted with his story of the Little Prince’s travels across the stars. Tackling themes of loneliness, love, loss and what it means to grow up, the book in beautiful parable form the struggles of life and human nature. 

For those that haven’t read the book yet, I refuse to go on about any more of the detail inside of it because I think it’s honestly that special of a book that I couldn’t dream of spoiling it. But one of the most beautiful lines in the piece that I have tacked up on my wall because it’s a constant reminder as a photographer that not all the beauty we capture is taken in through photos into our cameras – ​​”And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” 

Put simply, The Little Prince is hands-down one of the most magical books I’ve ever read and as far as I’m concerned should be required reading for all as we navigate our way into the unfamiliar territory that life presents us with as we enter the real world.

BONUS “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck” by Mark Manson

Okay, I know I said there were only going to be five books on this list, but I’ll leave this one here as a bonus to all of you who made it through this far. 

One of the biggest challenges I believe we face as professional (or nearly professional) visual creators is getting in our own way – emotionally, professionally, or relationally. The last book on my curated list for photographers and creators is the stark, no-punches-pulled antidote to our collective self-bullshit – “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck” by Mark Manson.

Especially in a field as tumultuous and challenging as ours as creators, we’ve often been told to keep a perfectly chipper attitude or “fake it until you make it”. In his delightfully subversive and irreverent 2016 book, Manson argues the opposite: "Fuck positivity," he says. "Let's be honest; sometimes things are fucked up and we have to live with it." 

Seeing the world and ourselves as we are, not in the delusional rose-colored-glasses of how we’d ideally like it to be, he argues is the way to finding real empowerment in creating your own life. "Not everybody can be extraordinary--there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault." Once we can embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties--once we stop running from and avoiding, and start confronting painful truths--we can begin to find the courage and confidence we desperately seek.

Again, another piece of reading material I couldn’t possibly do justice to with a micro-review here on this curated list, but for another kick-in-the-ass, it’s hard to do better than “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck” by Mark Manson.

That is it for today and thanks everyone for listening to this episode on the top books for visual storytellers and creatives of all stripes. As we’ve talked about on a lot of recent episodes, I want to make this year a lot more collaborative on the Photo Forward podcast and incorporate a lot more Q&A or AMA style elements. In so many of my recent Zoom chats and interviews with photographers I’ve been getting some brilliant, spontaneous questions that come up in our conversations and it made me realize just how strong the “curse of knowledge” is in our industry – We get really skilled at certain things and come to assume that “everyone must know that” and then as a consequence, do a really awful (or negligent) job of explaining that elsewhere. So! If you’ve got a question or anything you want to ask on the show that I’ll respond to AMA-style, I’ve set up a page at photoforward.media/connect or send an email or voice message to connect@photoforward.media. I’d LOVE to make this a weekly element in each show after the main interview, so whatever is on your mind creatively, photographically, nagging career questions, etc., send them over at photoforward.media/connect or connect@photoforward.media. Cannot wait to hear what’s on your mind and bring some more value to all of you listening.

Enjoying listening to the Photo Forward Podcast? Want to hear more thought-provoking, engaging discussions about photography, creativity or freelance business? Well, this is where you come in. We want to get the word out as wide as possible about Photo Forward and reach as many listeners as possible. And the best way to do that is through reviews and recommendations on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you consume your podcasts. If you want to support more engaging and intimate conversations with photographers, cinematographers, and storytellers the world over, head on over to the Photo Forward page and drop a review to let me know how you all are enjoying the show, or even just a rating. It means a ton to growing the show and I personally read through each and every review to make this show the best damn visual storytelling podcast out there.

Thanks for listening everyone, and as always, keep seeing, keep thinking, and keep putting your best Photo Forward. Catch you all on the next one.

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5 Lessons Learned from Podcasting in 2019

Picture this: It’s late 2018. Feels like a lifetime ago, right? Like the whole damn world’s changed since then. Enter me: Freelancing pretty regularly, working at a past desk job and feeling creatively TOAST — I wasn’t happy with the quality of the work I was producing, but without any buffer time in my life to practice my craft and grow as a photographer. What would you do? Well, if you’re crazy like me, you’d respond emphatically with… start a podcast? Yep. That’s right.

It’s become pretty trite to even say anymore but, back in 2018, the social media and digital world was changing in a big way. (Remember again that January 2018 marked the beginning of Facebook openly and frankly saying that they were going to radically de-emphasize commercial content in the news feed and favor “friends and family” content over “brands and pages”) And in that creative TOAST that I described earlier, I was feeling more and more disconnected from my visual creator brothers and sisters even though we were all connected and sharing on Facebook, Instagram and the like. So it hit me — as a freelancer, the way to actually feel connected to a community of photographers, cinematographers and more wasn’t to drop my work off the cliff into the news feed. What I needed to do was start to create a community myself through teaching and learning from some of the most knowledgeable, talented, and creative visual storytellers out there – the kind of creators that you’ve seen their byline and their work, but you don’t yet know their story.

It’s now been a full year of creating content for the Photo Forward Podcast and, whew, I finally feeling like I can call myself an honest to goodness podcaster. And yes, that does sound as weird to me saying it as it probably does hearing it if you’ve discovered this podcast from my photo and video work. So with that, I wanted to share a little bit of Insight And some lessons learned From my first year creating this very photo forward podcast for you guys who may be considering doing the same (which I would highly recommend anyone start a podcast if you have a pulse and think you have a message to share with the world) So without any further ado, let's get into my biggest lessons learned starting the photo forward podcasts in 2019. 

#1 – Podcasting forced me to expand outside of my normal skillset as a photojournalist.

Immediately, upon telling people that I was going to start a podcast, I had to field questions like – “What do you think you’ll talk about? Do you think that photographers really want to sit down for an hour-long interview? Have you done this kind of thing before?” These threw me into a fair share of tailspins as I started to do the legwork to get the podcast off the ground and interviewing the first few guests in person and over Skype. Sure, I'd recorded audio on set and interviewed people for documentaries or content marketing pieces, but nothing quite like that ultra-real, authentic face-to-face (or Skype) podcast interview connection with no cameras, no lights, and no crew in sight.

There's something to finding that extra level of vulnerability and deeply connecting with your guests face to face, eye to eye in person. Us visual creators often use our cameras as a shields of sorts. Sure we can capture beautiful, moving cinematic images, but we often do so at the detriment of actually experiencing those moments firsthand. Or maybe if we're experiencing them, we're not truly feeling them. So that's one of the things that really drew me to the format of the long-form interview podcast.

#2 – Podcasting WILL, I repeat WILL, enable you to communicate more clearly in everyday life. 

It might sound like apples and oranges, but being a better private speaker makes you a better public speaker. You might be crammed into your jankily soundproofed bedroom closet makeshift studio on microphone recording your interview introductions, but it FOR SURE translates into being a more deliberate and confident public speaker. Because you’re able to get immediate feedback on your speech (Did I stutter through the delivery of that sentence? Why do I sound so sad or angry when I’m trying to make my voice sound happy?) you can directly correct those accidental mannerisims that we mindlessly move past in everyday speech with colleagues, friends and loved ones. Hearing and truly LISTENING closely to your voice is an incredible way to make sure you’re sharing the best version of yourself to the world.

#3, Closely related to #2, but unique to creating a podcast in the space that you work in – Podcasting coaches you into being able to talk about your work in a deliberate, cohesive way.

Again, like I mentioned earlier in the episode, us visual creators often don’t have to practice justifying our work or explaining why we did what we did. We sort of chalk up certain creative decisions to “going with our gut” or “thinking rationally” on visual projects. The act of asking another visual creator about the technical style of their work or even talking through their career trajectory forces you as an interviewer to be precise in your creative language to get beneath the surface level (where did you go and which gear did you use).

#4 Creating the Photo Forward Podcast allowed (and required) me to dive back into the memory box of history and put myself in the place of a new, emerging visual storyteller.

As I’ve talked about on the show before, when setting out to create the Photo Forward podcast, I had a few major goals for new listeners and creators in mind — Share the stories behind visual storytellers the world over, give new photographers a repository of lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid, and provide critique coaching and mentorship as we grow the audience and following. (We’re still working on that last one, but this year, that’s going to be a big focus going forward). So in order to make sure that the interviews resonate with both emerging and established visual creators, I had to hop in my photographer time machine and really think back to those, if I’m being honest, dark days of my early career wondering if this photography thing could ever actually allow me to provide for myself and maybe one day a family. The questions and doubts do change, but they never truly go away so putting myself back into the shoes of a new creator ensure we can create the best quality content.

#5 Podcasting WILL grow your network outside of the folks you’d normally interact with. 

Sure, as I was pulling together an initial list of guests to have on the podcast, I leaned more heavily on both people that I knew personally as well as folks with some industry recognition. But as I kept completing interviews, more and more, I would chat with guests after we’d finished and see who they think would make a good guest for the show and who would have some wisdom to share. This is another beautiful thing about podcasting, the more episodes we create, the wider array of guests we have on, the more the network effect of 2nd and 3rd degree connections grows — essentially my theory at the beginning of the podcast that, the way to actually feel connected to a community of photographers, cinematographers and more was to intentionally create a community myself through the show. We’re just getting started, but I’m already reaching out to creators I never even knew about before getting started that I guarantee will bring you all an immense amount of knowledge and value in the months and years to come. 

So, there we have it, the top five Lessons learned from my first year as a podcaster creating the Photo Forward Podcast. I didn’t really dive into the technical side of producing the podcast and lessons learned. And that’s on purpose. Because honestly, I think the gear, gadgets, and programs that go into producing the show are so secondary to the personal and professional work necessary to create this show each week. But that being said, if any of you are interested in hearing more about the technical hurdles and lessons learned from the technical and production side of the podcast, shoot me a DM on Instagram @BBrewerphoto and if there’s enough interest I’ll put together a quick primer.

As much fun as creating this series in a vacuum and pushing content out into the void is… I want to hear from you guys! Are there topics or guests that you’d LOVE to get on the podcast here in 2020? Or are there some BIG NAGGING QUESTIONS you’ve got on photography or video production that you want me to cover on one of these solo episodes? Hit me up @BBrewerphoto or drop an email to podcast@photoforward.media . I want to make 2020 a much more collaborative, community-focused season of the Photo Forward Podcast and can’t wait to keep creating with you all throughout the year. So, as always — Keep seeing, keep shooting, and keep putting your best Photo Forward. LATER!

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PHOTOS FROM THE EPISODE //

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY // What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments!

SCOTT STRAZZANTE // Shooting from the Hip (#002)

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SCOTT STRAZZANTE

Scott Strazzante (@scottstrazzante) is a former POY/NPPA National Newspaper Photographer of the Year, an 11-time Illinois Photographer of the Year and was part of a Chicago Tribune team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for investigative journalism.

You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

After spending the first 27 years of his career at Chicago newspapers, including 13 at the Chicago Tribune, Scott Strazzante joined the photography staff at the San Francisco Chronicle in 2014. Scott’s personal project, Common Ground, has been featured in National Geographic, Mother Jones, New York Times’ Lens Blog and on CBS Sunday Morning. The 23-year-long effort, which has won BOP’s Best Feature Video and POYi’s Community Awareness Award, became his first book with PSG. And, In October 2017, Scott’s second book- “Shooting from the Hip-” was released. The book consists of iPhone Hipstamatic snaps from around the USA.

In this episode, we dive in deep on the practicals of getting started and staying motivated on a VERY long term documentary project, how a kid from the South side of Chicago got connected with some of the greatest photographers out there, and why getting creatively bored is the best way to rethink your photographic style and technique.

Enjoy! 

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WATCH ON YOUTUBE:

PHOTOS FROM THE EPISODE: COMING SOON

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments!

SHOW NOTES: COMING SOON

JEROME POLLOS // Don't be trendy; Be timeless (#001)

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JEROME POLLOS

Jerome Pollos (@TheRomer) is an award-winning Northwest photojournalist specializing in documentary work, weddings and portraits for clients who love timeless, candid moments.

You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

Joining the U.S. Navy right out of high school as a self-described "troublemaker", he was sent to journalism school in Fort Benjamin Harrison, IN, studying broadcast journalism, TV and radio; writing, and a two-week course on photojournalism — which he unceremoniously failed. After a deeply emotional photography assignment, while stationed in Washington, D.C., he saw the true power of photography and his love for the craft grew assignment by assignment. Pollos had an illustrious 13-year career at the Coeur d'Alene Press in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, but searching for greater creative control and financial freedom, took the freelance plunge in 2014. After a rocky start, he has excelled as an award-winning editorial, wedding, and portrait photographer in the Idaho and Northwest. 

When I was thinking of how best to start this weekly series, at first, I gravitated to the idea of interviewing a “big name” photographer, capitalize on their status and get listeners hooked from the get-go. But I realized early on that didn’t jibe with my whole philosophy for undertaking this – I’m in it for the long haul. Obviously I want to connect with incredible photojournalists the world over, but the soul and purpose of this show – educating photographers on the art of visual storytelling, from photographers with stories of their own that fascinate me.

So, when I stepped back to thinking about photographers with fascinating stories, unique philosophies, and with whom I’ve got a personal connection— it was actually pretty obvious who to invite first. My mentor and friend Jerome Pollos – who gave my career a massive kick-start at my first internship at the Coeur d’Alene Press back in 2010.

In this episode we unpack a ton of interesting stories about finding your visual style as a photographer, how to totally screw up a long-term documentary photo project, and making the earth-shattering move from a staff photographer position to a full-time freelancer (and not losing your mind and bank account in the process). I hope you guys get as much out of this listening as I did recording it.

Enjoy! 

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WATCH ON YOUTUBE:

PHOTOS FROM THE EPISODE:

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments!

SHOW NOTES

• COMING SOON!