Ambition and motivation

Evening sun on the Cairngorms

At the height of my corporate career, HR experts and senior leaders would assess the Attitude, Aptitude, and Ambition of their most promising stars (you can almost hear the ‘ker-ching’ of the consultant’s cash register on that one). I clearly lacked the Ambition element, which must have frustrated the hell out of my boss, but proved the HR team right - I would have been a poor choice for the upper echelons. I simply didn’t care enough about money. Competing. Winning. INFP vs ESTJ in much-lauded Myers-Briggs terms (although ‘Libra’ is about as informative).

I am motivated though, just by less material things. I care deeply about quality and creativity in pretty much everything I do and I rarely meet the standards that I set myself. I know I’ll never be rich.

There’s a current slew of YouTube videos about how to build a better photography business. Developing your brand. Exchanging some artistic integrity for a healthy dose of hard-nosed product management. Make photos that will sell. Identify your niche. Etc. Etc. I understand it. Product Management was my profession for many years.

For the moment, though, I’m content with finding and gently nurturing the intersection of the Venn Diagram where the images that I like to create, overlap with those that others like too. Perhaps enough, just possibly, for them to buy a print for their walls. I shall probably look back on this post in years to come, alternating between it, and a pitiful bank statement through the eyes of a tortured, destitute artist.

On a short break in lovely Aviemore in June last year, the snow and hail squalls kept us from straying too far into the mountains. Smart going-out clothes, a decent meal and a pint or two, made for a relaxing evening instead. Then the sun began to set and the Cairngorms lit up. Sprinting (well, walking as quickly as possible as an old fella can muster), we made it back to our accommodation. I grabbed my camera, clambered in a terribly ungainly fashion to the highest local vantage point, calmed my breathing and took this shot. I love it. I love the white cottage amid the dark, Speyside woodland. I love that only a few hours previously, I was hiking in those stunning mountains.

There is a tangible sense of achievement in capturing a fleeting, one-off moment in nature. I am motivated, driven to do more. Now if I could only wake up earlier in the morning…

Fujifilm X-T5, XF 16-80 at 80mm, f/8, 1/125s, ISO 1600