Redefining Success
The other day I was asked the question “What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?”
After lots of staring around the room, deep thinking, and mulling over the question on long runs, I finally decided on an answer. If you know anything about me at all, you know that I’m a big fan of a musician named Steve Moakler. He’s an extremely talented singer-songwriter from Nashville, TN, and also someone I look up to a lot. Moakler once said something so profound I immediately wrote it down and made a mental note to blow it up and piece the words all over my wall:
“You can never control how many people are going to respond to you and what you’re doing as an artist, but you can control how deeply you are present in your work.”
This advice has such an echo into my life because of the path Moakler has taken on becoming so successful in his music career. I’ve only met him a handful of times at some of his shows, but he is by far one of the most down-to-earth and genuine artists out there. He has raw talent and is very skilled at what he does, but he doesn’t put himself on a pedestal because of it. To him, I think, he’s just performing what he knows and singing about things he cares deeply about. Regardless of the record sales, he writes about his life and his experiences, and he isn’t much for aiming to fit any sort of country music mold. He’s worked hard to make sure he hasn’t compromised his talent in order to be successful on someone else’s terms.
In my goal as a striving creative, ultimately my work is about valuing authenticity over the sole aim of pleasing others. Yes, earning a living and supporting myself from a job I love is important, but at the same time I need to make sure that what I put into my work is my very best; that I’m leaving it all on the table. Working for others means meeting their needs and preferences, but that also means creating things that I believe in and work that I want to stand behind. The pictures I take should represent what I love- capturing someone’s personality and heart for their work. Producing work that is honest and genuine is more important than creating mediocre work that you don’t believe in, just so others will like it.
Moakler’s music gives you a sense of who he is and what he stands for. I want my work to be like that, because at the end of the day your work should have your fingerprints all over it.
