Today I had lunch with a co-worker and friend, Dany Flageole who is a motor sports photographer and webmaster/owner of www.flagworld.com. Dany's passion is racing, and he is devoted to this sport. His photography reflects that, and you can find him almost every weekend at the track, doing what he does best, capturing images of motor sports. His week is spent editing and writing (apart from his 40 hr day job as a software QA specialist). So you can say Dany is not only passionate but completely consumed by his interest. This is the kind of dedication that you need to reach a level of success in any endeavor. There are choices to make. I'm sure there are a lot of movies and TV shows that Dany does not see. But he makes these choices. It is always inspirational for me to talk to and see people who excel at their work. It is a testiment to the capabilities of the human spirit. My pet peeve is to listen to people how they can't do this or that because of this or that. So what's the point of making excuses for yourself? If you understand what people do in order to achieve what they are, then one can begin to chart a personal course of action.
My point to all this is that there are inspirational examples of excellence all around us. In fact almost everyone has their own version of this story. As we grow as artists, we need to make decisions everyday. Whether these decisions support your artistic endeavor or not, you consciously plot your own course for what you are and will be. I will apply this thinking to my everyday activity to guide my choices...now let's see, when are the American Idol re-runs going to be on?