Do something for long enough and you bet your life you will be asked how you got to be doing it.
I'm always asked how I got to be doing what I do. People are even more interested when they find out I worked in global banks first as a computer programmer, a project manager and then Head of this, that or the other. In fairness it really doesn't matter.
What is important is how I got to be full time photographer, erotic artist, creative director and videographer. Quite a turn at the traffic lights.
It all goes back to Summer 2012 where I was working for a huge, and I mean massive global bank. Footprints in so many locations they probably have some on the moon !
I'd just come back from my Summer holiday, chemicals on the suits from dry cleaning still apparent.
It wasn't unusual to work from home, however I was called in for a meeting, not only that the meeting was in an actual meeting room, not the boss's office or a coffee shop. Frankly the whole set up was a little stinky.
Knock, knock. ( that's me asking to be let in )
"We don't want you to be worried but we don't think we need you in the team anymore"
I wonder now, how it is that you aren't supposed to be worried by an opening sentence like that.
Not the for first time on this rodeo bull I asked questions.
Sensible ones that you might have though they would be prepared for.
"What about other roles in the team?"
"What about other roles wider in the bank?"
"If you are right, what are the rough numbers?"
and so it went on.
They had no answers, were ill prepared and frankly made the whole thing a complete and utter shit fest.
So I basically stood up and left the room. That was as good as my last time in the company of those people. A few phone calls, some meeting with Human Resources.
By the time I had walked around the block, cleared my head and made that phone call once again to the Mrs. I had made up my mind. It was time to get out. Be done with the false promise of the rat race once and for all.
I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm actually able to do something other than what people tell me. So I took the little weekend photography business I had been nurturing for a few years, building it a little like Andy Dufrense in Shawshank Redemption, I had kinda been building the tunnel for a while. I told the world I was available for full time photography, portraits, events, corporate headshots and the like.
and ... there were tumble weeds. Where I had expected to have the door beaten down, a veritable stamped there was silence.
For the first 6 months I sat there wondering what I had done ...