Divine Intervention??

This morning, I posted how I was questioning the way I divide my time - wondering if I was spending too much time teaching and too little time making photos. Well, on my way home from a spinning class (yes, I’ve been known to go to spinning classes now and then) I caught the tail end of a story on Minnesota Public Radio about National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg. I don’t really care for his work, but I always like to hear from photographers regarding their opinions on the current state of photography as well as their random photographic stories. Even though I’m not a fan, I think we have a lot in common: we both photograph Minnesota (albeit much differently), we both could be more articulate about our work.... well, maybe that’s all.

Anyway, fate stepped in after I had been listening for just a few minutes. Jim was talking about the changing scene of working as a photographer for National Geographic (a very different world from the one that I work in, but there were still connections). I listened to what he said while parked outside my house, and then ran inside to write it down immediately:

“Just take pictures for fun, folks. Don’t try to make a living at it. Trust me. Trust me.”

Now I’m not saying that I’m throwing in the towel. I’m not done making photos. I’m still going to play this balancing act of teaching and shooting. I’m just as confused as I was a week ago. But the interview and the words that were spoken felt timed too perfectly, as if someone wanted me to hear them. Interesting...