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Go outside, not this very moment. I’d like you to finish this video, but today, even if it’s raining or cold, go outside and experience the world. You need to
Take a dance class. I’m serious, absolutely serious. Take a dance class. Find the rhythm and learn to react. Dancing is a great skill. It really teaches you to be
Here’s one that I always tell folks. Go to museums, learn from the past and experience the future. What’s excellent about museums is you can really open your eyes. Two
Go to a conference, you’re going to learn new things and open new doors. What I like about conferences is you learn new skills. Learn new skills You can’t “not”
Here’s a simple one for you, and I’m totally serious. Read comic books. Visual storytelling is a compelling medium. Shot composition The great thing about comic books is you’ll learn
Learn the exposure triangle. This is true for both photo and video, knowing the exposure triangle is essential to succeeding. Now I’m not going to go through all the points,
Sometimes proof matters. A lot of the tools you work with offer certification programs so you could take a look at software certification. Professional certification There are professional certifications. I’m
Want to be successful in business? Diversify. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. It would be best if you had a safety net that you have different
Add color, and I mean to your wardrobe. Stop only wearing black or shades of gray. Accessories I look at my Christmas presents this year, and I got a lot
Learn to read contracts — understand what it is you’re signing as a creative person. Learn to read what you sign We’re not very good at this, and you need
Going back to the personal side for a moment, exercise six days a week if possible. I recommend doing it first thing in the morning. Exercise solves so many problems.
When you add power, that’s great, but don’t overbuy. Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) is a real thing. Stop gear churn We used to have a person in our office who
Learn how your computer works and I mean truly understand what you own. I talk to so many people who work creatively who don’t understand their hardware. It’s great to
Get an accountant. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting paid fairly or being profitable and an accountant can help on this front. Money is the fuel for creativity. You don’t
Now let’s switch back to the personal side. You need to build meaningful connections. It’s the quality of your network, not the quantity of people in it. This is all
I also suggest capturing personal knowledge. There’s a lot of great ideas you have, and you need to save them for those days when you’re feeling a little bit stifled,
Our next tip is to focus on your specialties. Identify the skills and opportunities that you have and then focus on those. Well, this comes down to is really what
Eliminate distractions. You need to get rid of the things that are distracting you from what you really need to pay attention to. This takes control. How much television do
Happy New Year! Introducing a new series from our publisher, Rich Harrington. He wants to challenge you to make bigger New Year resolutions for a more successful year. A new
Do you ever look back at pictures you’ve made and say to yourself, “What was I thinking?” Surely you’ve got some weird pictures in your catalog. Surely there are some
This new Conceptual Creativity series is a collaboration with my friend Daniel Mallard. Dan has been a photojournalist for a major Canadian daily newspaper for over 35 years. In this
