Great piece Don. I agree in having different sets of skills can be beneficial, especially as a creative.
I've found the idea of finding a niche sticking to it only helps agents, agency and picture commissioners whose job is to profit on our skills and talent.
But when you look at the massive failures of siloed information from specialists who had no interest outside of the specialty, you see that easy may not be best.
And this freedom from specialized work is slowly slipping its bonds.
Large corporations like Accenture and even Walmart are dropping their diploma wall.
Absolutely right! Easy rarely gives the best outcome. I'm not sure about niches in America but here in rhe UK and Europe works in a similar way for what you mention at all levels.
In this vein, finding a “niche” almost killed photography as a hobby for me, and I’m still recovering.
I started, like most, as a generalist. If it looked interesting I took a picture of it. 2009 I was given an old pro-level 35mm camera and from there quickly discovered medium format and black and white. But still I was “general” in my subjects, though leaning toward landscapes more and more.
Found myself pursuing the “best” technical quality for that niche, which led to 4x5 (because I was sticking with film). Great, right?
Not so fast!
Now I was siloing myself to only shooting landscapes, and only when everything was perfect and I had time to set up, use, and tear down the big camera. And only when I brought the damn thing along at all, which was only when I went out intentionally to photograph. Being an otherwise busy hobbyist, that’s not often.
I basically stopped making art because I shut myself off from everything outside my self-imposed narrow specialty of technically proficient 4x5 landscapes using an inconvenient camera.
I shoot a lot more now, and am rediscovering the joy of that, using smaller cameras I can bring along wherever I go. Sometimes even my phone! I do still use the big 4x5 when I can but I’m not limiting myself to only that process.
When I was shooting commercial back in the heydays for me, the 80s, I realized at one point that I had not shot a single image for myself in over two years. I was either testing a model or shooting a gig. And I was siloed into fashion/beauty. I started with landscape. I whipsawed that around and began shooting what I want.
I hope to get back to that utter fascination we all had when we got the first camera and discovered that we could actually make something interesting. And everything was interesting so we were like kids in a candy store. I want more of that and less jaded "done that' attitude.
This is a great read. I’ve been working on a similar piece, though from a slightly different direction. I think this is great life advice, generally, and reminiscent of Jay Maisel’s quote: if you want to make better pictures, become a more interesting person.
The bass is one of the coolest instruments, I think.
Yes, the snippets of bass players I heard on the floor that evening are what I used to weave this piece. And thanks for noting.
Christian McBride, Paul Chambers, Miroslav Vitous, Richard Davis, and even Ron Carter have all pulled out the horsehair for both solos and accompaniment. You should be able to find some on YT.
I'm currently learning some basic jazz on the standup double bass. Your modern bass music reminds of the rifs and arpeggios I'm learning that form the building blocks of a walking bass line. Unlike most jazz bassists I actually prefer the bow--because it's so flexible and articulate. In my practice sessions I'm trying to combine jazz walking bass techniques with classical bowed rhythms. When I played Klezmer music I learned to mix up my patterns every 4 to 8 bars just to keep things interesting. I've not run across any jazz bassists yet who combine the walking bass with classical bowed rhythms. Do you know of any?
Great piece Don. I agree in having different sets of skills can be beneficial, especially as a creative.
I've found the idea of finding a niche sticking to it only helps agents, agency and picture commissioners whose job is to profit on our skills and talent.
Niches are easy.
They make an agent's life simple.
They can make an art buyer's life simple.
Or a hiring manager at NASA.
But when you look at the massive failures of siloed information from specialists who had no interest outside of the specialty, you see that easy may not be best.
And this freedom from specialized work is slowly slipping its bonds.
Large corporations like Accenture and even Walmart are dropping their diploma wall.
Absolutely right! Easy rarely gives the best outcome. I'm not sure about niches in America but here in rhe UK and Europe works in a similar way for what you mention at all levels.
In this vein, finding a “niche” almost killed photography as a hobby for me, and I’m still recovering.
I started, like most, as a generalist. If it looked interesting I took a picture of it. 2009 I was given an old pro-level 35mm camera and from there quickly discovered medium format and black and white. But still I was “general” in my subjects, though leaning toward landscapes more and more.
Found myself pursuing the “best” technical quality for that niche, which led to 4x5 (because I was sticking with film). Great, right?
Not so fast!
Now I was siloing myself to only shooting landscapes, and only when everything was perfect and I had time to set up, use, and tear down the big camera. And only when I brought the damn thing along at all, which was only when I went out intentionally to photograph. Being an otherwise busy hobbyist, that’s not often.
I basically stopped making art because I shut myself off from everything outside my self-imposed narrow specialty of technically proficient 4x5 landscapes using an inconvenient camera.
I shoot a lot more now, and am rediscovering the joy of that, using smaller cameras I can bring along wherever I go. Sometimes even my phone! I do still use the big 4x5 when I can but I’m not limiting myself to only that process.
I am so sorry that happened to you.
We all experience that in some form or another.
When I was shooting commercial back in the heydays for me, the 80s, I realized at one point that I had not shot a single image for myself in over two years. I was either testing a model or shooting a gig. And I was siloed into fashion/beauty. I started with landscape. I whipsawed that around and began shooting what I want.
I hope to get back to that utter fascination we all had when we got the first camera and discovered that we could actually make something interesting. And everything was interesting so we were like kids in a candy store. I want more of that and less jaded "done that' attitude.
Thanks for the comment.
This is a great read. I’ve been working on a similar piece, though from a slightly different direction. I think this is great life advice, generally, and reminiscent of Jay Maisel’s quote: if you want to make better pictures, become a more interesting person.
Thanks, Bill.
Share your piece when you get it finished.
The bass is one of the coolest instruments, I think.
Yes, the snippets of bass players I heard on the floor that evening are what I used to weave this piece. And thanks for noting.
Christian McBride, Paul Chambers, Miroslav Vitous, Richard Davis, and even Ron Carter have all pulled out the horsehair for both solos and accompaniment. You should be able to find some on YT.
These two are in my playlist:
https://youtu.be/e13DeaA-ClY?si=BnqmXlCkXlzumSIp
https://youtu.be/ZMkFEeS1wJU?si=IZy1TevgP23xth-h
Happy bowing!!
I'm currently learning some basic jazz on the standup double bass. Your modern bass music reminds of the rifs and arpeggios I'm learning that form the building blocks of a walking bass line. Unlike most jazz bassists I actually prefer the bow--because it's so flexible and articulate. In my practice sessions I'm trying to combine jazz walking bass techniques with classical bowed rhythms. When I played Klezmer music I learned to mix up my patterns every 4 to 8 bars just to keep things interesting. I've not run across any jazz bassists yet who combine the walking bass with classical bowed rhythms. Do you know of any?