Over the last ten years things have changed immensely in my life. In the early days of my internet life I spend many days and nights hacking, stripping and rewriting code – it’s how I’ve learnt. I no longer spend so much time writing code, though it is still a passion.
I still enjoy coding HTML/CSS, but I much prefer to spend my time creating graphics for websites and advertising, particularly when the payment is in camera-gear! Getting clients who like the idea of ‘code-for-barter‘ is not really any easier than negotiating a dollar-price, but at least the client can understand what and how my business works in relation to theirs.
What I prefer these days is photography, but you already figured that out! When I am not determining where next I will photograph a scene or product, I can be heard promoting Redbubble.com.
Last year whilst on a visit to the Adelaide Zoo, I ran into some photographers from DSLRusers.com. Upon seeing the size of their HUGE lens, I knew these guys were spending a fortune on their passion – so I had to ask “What do you do with your artwork?”
Oddly, their answers were not about making money, nor even printing them. That bamboozled me. Why would anyone spend that much money on something that had no profit? Unless they were writing-off their cameras on Tax as depreciating assets in a small business, they might as well be smoking or drinking their money! I tried to tell them about Redbubble, but they were a lost audience.
Seems not everyone puts value on their personal time.
When I am not holding a camera, I constantly expand my skills – mostly in photo editing, graphic creation and self-understanding. Thankfully I have a great mentor plus many close friends who are constantly reminding me that I am under-appreciated and that it is *my* job to take the next step to find a better job!
I’m guessing my mentor gets a little exasperated at the pace I take some projects, but thirteen years in the same organisation takes a toll on a person’s psyche, faith and self-belief.
But I know the future can only get better.
I regularly read my CV to remind myself of what I am capable, where my abilities lie, how I have travelled through my working life to this point and, most importantly, why I am going the extra mile to learn more and apply myself.
The journey isn’t over yet. Forty is the new twenty. I just wish I had made better choices back when I was twenty. But then I would never have reached the point now. Which, for the most part, I am glad to have reached.
My QotD:
Change is good. Change is difficult. Whereas underestimating the value and importance of change is hazardous to one’s soul and future. Appreciating the fact that change is inevitable is smart thinking. Even if it takes a little time to realise.
Stephentrepreneur.com 
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