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Reflections on Thanksgiving

The All That Glitters West Coast Tour summary will continue this weekend. In the meantime, I spent some time today thinking about the things and people for which I am thankful and would like to share a few of them with you here.

Let me start from the beginning. Well, maybe not the beginning, but four years ago in 2006. I was working in Corporate America earning a decent living as the director of product development and project management for electronic advertising and software solutions in the travel industry. But I wasn’t happy. In fact, I was miserable. At first I thought it was only because the company I was working for wasn’t the right fit for me and that I’d be happy if I could only find the right company.

I searched for a new company and joined a start-up in the summer of 2006. I should have been a bit more suspicious when they offered me close to the same salary I was making at a company where I had proven myself for over five years. But I took it anyway because I knew it was time for significant change and even if things didn’t work out at the start-up, I would have at least taken the first leap in the direction of that change.

In the seven months that followed I realized that the corporate world just wasn’t working for me. I determined that I was neglecting the creativity that had been a part of my life for so many years. This creativity had been set aside in the pursuit of the next rung on the executive ladder.

It was January 2007 when I found myself out of a job at the start of what has become the recession as we know it today. Even if I could find a job, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to cope with going right back into the corporate world unless I was somehow able to work with creative people or contribute in a creative way. That’s when I decided to turn my now-serious hobby of photography into a start-up business.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that starting up any kind of business in a down economy is difficult, but starting up a creative business that relies on the portions of budgets that companies tend to cut first (marketing & advertising) is even more difficult. Add to that the fact that people in general were tightening the purse strings and you face the challenge of trying to convince someone that it’s worth paying for their family portrait instead of asking their friend to do it for them “because they have a really nice camera.”

From 2007 and into 2008 I put all of my effort into my photography business. Some months were bad and others were worse, but every month I learned something new -- about running a business, about photography, and about myself. Especially about myself. And especially about what motivates me and makes me happy. And what is it? Creativity. Art. Producing. The ability to make something that wasn’t there before that I, and hopefully others, find intriguing, thought-provoking, and possibly even educational or beautiful.

All along this journey I have been following various blogs and web sites pertaining to photography, be it photographers posting their own work and talking about their projects, or sites dedicated to tips and tricks on how to take better pictures. One photographer who stood out in the crowd early on was Kyle Cassidy. Aside from being a phenomenal photographer and enjoying the accomplishment of having one of the first photo blogs on the Internet, Kyle has the keen ability to encourage and inspire creativity in others through his own creative projects.

In 2007 Kyle released a book called “Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes”. I was deeply inspired by this project. Not only did I desire the ability to create and tell stories through such moving and well-lit portraits, but I craved the adventure that traveling around the country and meeting new people would bring. I spent most of 2008 brainstorming on a photography project that would fulfill some of these desires.

By early 2009, having photographed burlesque performers on stages around Chicago for over four years, I was friends with many of them and was intrigued to try something that would highlight their creativity while creating a historical document of burlesque in this day and age. At the same time, I encountered a handful of conversations with various folks in the burlesque scene that resulted in the realization that what burlesque means to one person is not necessarily what it means to another. This, combined with the premise of Kyle’s book, which is to show a segment of society in the environment of their living quarters, gave me the idea to apply Kyle’s concept to the world of burlesque. I e-mailed Kyle to share with him my idea and he responded with a message of blessings and encouragement.

I also wanted to dive into a project that would challenge my broad skill set in the world of multimedia production. This included honing my lighting and photography skills which would be further challenged by diverse environments and lighting conditions in each performer’s home, as well as expanding into video production. Furthermore, I wanted to set goals for how I would share the content I collected with the world. I began planning for an ambitious project that would expand my life experience and skill set. My work on All That Glitters began.

In June of 2009 I set out on this journey with the following goals:

- Photograph at least 100 burlesque performers in their homes across the United States
- Record a video interview with each performer in which they answer the question: What does burlesque mean to you?
- Edit the video interviews into a format that could be presented to the public (thus learning how to edit video in the process)
- Present the project in a multimedia presentation that would include a book of the portraits as well as a DVD of the interviews
- Organize gallery shows of the images in cities across the country

Meanwhile, I felt the urge to move to a place that would further support my strong desire for more creative career pursuits. Los Angeles seemed to make the most sense, so as part of my journey across the country for All That Glitters in May 2010, I moved from my former home in Chicago to my current home in Los Angeles.

In addition to being in a place where I was more likely to find creative work, I would also be conveniently located to complete the gathering of content for All That Glitters along the West Coast. And because of the experience I have gained capturing and editing video for All That Glitters, I have managed to get some freelance work in Los Angeles as a camera operator and video editor.

This summer I wrote a publisher proposal for All That Glitters and began sending it out to publishers. Initial response, though encouraging, was negative, but I continued to push forward with the project.

Then, one day in September when I was feeling under the weather and a little bit blue, I received a phone call from a publisher. They had received my proposal and had also heard mention of my project from a fellow photographer. They were ready to send me a publishing contract.

I am thrilled to announce that I am working with Schiffer Publishing to publish a book for All That Glitters.

In addition, I am nearing another major milestone with this project as I am nearly finished with all of the portrait sessions. This has been and will continue to be an amazing journey. I have met so many great people and seen many new places that I hope to visit again.

So yes, I am thankful. I thank you for your support through this journey. I am grateful to my friends who have been there with me and for me. And I am even grateful to those who have not as they have only helped me become who I am today.

There are still many lessons to learn and things to experience on this creative journey, but I’m happy that I took some time out to reflect on the things and the people in my life today for which I am thankful.