Barnstorm Redux

Barnstorm XX... To be in the room with that much talent is as overwhelming as it is humbling. To my left, Bill Eppridge, John H. White, Douglas Kirkland, to my right Chris Hondros, Clay Patrick McBride and Maggie Steber. Eddie Adams, everywhere. Their lives, their words, their work... all inspiring.

Inspiration and motivation came from some unexpected sources as well:

Like my students... but they're worthy of their own post later. Because I'd love to share some of their work, and talk about the process a little more.

And a late night, conversation with my former boss, Tim Rasmussen, had me really wanting someone to challenge me again. He kicked my ass while I worked for him, and I hated it. Didn't know how to respond to it. Rebelled from it. Looking back, it was exactly what I needed because it pushed me like I've never been pushed before. Out of my comfort zone, and into the unexpected, there was growth.

"M, you could be 'change the world good' if you want to. Whether or not you want to is up to you." Then he raised his hand high over his head and told me, that he always had the bar set up here for me. I miss the bar being raised and someone expecting me to jump over it instead of slide under it. He told me that the reason he pushed so hard was because he knew I had it in me, and he wanted to bring it out of me. The we hugged it out. Sometimes when you're doubting yourself, it's nice to have someone else believe in you.

The following morning, sliding into a booth at the Liberty Diner, I got an awesome opportunity to pick Michael Williamson's brain over a plate of bacon and eggs. When you're in college, your growth seems exponentially faster. Eventually, you start to level out. Then if you're lucky, you start climbing again in your first job... pushing and pulling your way up the hill... improving slow and steady... then again, there's another plateau... stagnation... Somewhere, halfway up the mountain, the peak seems unattainable. The road seems steeper. The risk, greater. The air, thinner. I worry about being stuck on this plateau. Of never getting off. Of having to climb down because I can't go up any higher. And that scares the shit out of me.

Williamson's advice: Be confident in your ability - if you can't sell yourself, how do you expect others to. Become an expert at something, anything. Create a large body of work instead of a bunch of smaller disjointed ones.

Inspiration, over eggs over easy.