For most of our lives society and schools spend their time making us fit in. There seems to be comfort in being one in the crowd, one of ‘them’, and there are many institutions that encourage us to be quiet, sit down, tow the line, and be just like everyone else, a good, moral citizen. I think that this is one of the reasons why we see so much mediocrity. I wrote some thoughts on this recently in the post, ‘Mediocrity is Not Acceptable‘. Being average, being ordinary, fitting in, may sound safe, but it is a situation that strips the creativity from all of us and makes the world a place of human cogs in a machine.
Seth Godin speaks to this in his book ‘Linchpin: Are You Indispensible?‘ The world needs artists, unique individuals, to express themselves, to step out of the machine, and to become what he terms ‘linchpins’. Being an artist, in the broad sense of the world, means not being afraid to go against the grain, or speak out about a new product, or idea, or to be more you than you have been before. This is where I think that people need to abandon the shackles of society and to find the courage to stand out. This whole mentality of fitting in goes hand-in-hand with the mentality of being mediocre and it is a loose-loose proposition. You loose because you never get to reach your full potential, to express your ideas and passions, and to be a true ‘artist’. Society looses because you never reach your full potential and never contribute your unique ideas and ways.
I have always been an artistic person, but I was good at science and math too, the pillars of logic and education. I pursued science, and although I was somewhat creative, I was not contributing and making a difference each day. That is when I returned to my first love, photography. That is when I had the courage to stand out, and to become an artist. So I photograph, and I teach, and I try to make a difference each day by expressing myself any way that I see possible. I encourage you to do the same. It will make your work better and your life more fulfilling. Every time that I photograph I am making a unique statement and recording something in a way that no one before me has done. It is time for all of us to stand out and be great.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
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