Staying Hungry and Staying Foolish – An Ode to A Familiar Stranger

So, I was originally going to write about an entirely different subject, but with the recent passing of Steve Jobs, I started to reflect on the life of a man I only really know from his conventions regarding his products and whatever resources I can pull up from a search on Google or Mashable.  And even though I don’t know him on a personal level, he has still impacted me tremendously – to the point where I almost feel I lost a mentor.  It’s funny to type those words out, having never given much more than a passing thought about the man, taking for granted his genius and innovation as if he would always be around.  Despite his passing, I write all of this on my 27″ iMac, with my iPhone lying next to me at my desk, listening to music through iTunes while my iPod and iPad rest idly by, so I suppose, in a way, he still is.

Steve Jobs was more than an innovator with technology in my mind; he was an innovator on the way we live and see the world.  It’s interesting to note that the way I discovered the news of his passing was through an iPhone, which I heavily rely on for many things in my daily life and photography.  It’s what keeps me organized, keeps me in touch with friends and family, and keeps me creative by allowing me to photograph the world as I see it.  I would dare to say that I am only capable of achieving the greatness I seek to achieve because one man has gone above and beyond doing so in his own life.

That was his mantra, after all. Jobs frequently referenced and spoke of death, including his commencement speech in 2005 at Stanford University.  I remember hearing of the speech and reading about it on websites at the time and thinking, “Man! I wish I was graduating with them so I could get a front row seat to that speech!”  His words were penetrating and insightful, and words I think we can all live by, especially as creatives ourselves.  He always said he “lived at the intersection of technology and liberal arts”, and with our industry being what it is, it’s hard not to relate to that.

He always encouraged people to live your life and not someone else’s.  Looking at what he has done during his lifespan, it’s fair to say he did more than put a ding in the universe of which he wished to do. I, for one, am proud to be an Apple fanboy, but how could I not be?  His products are innovative and the results of such profound vision that make my way of life through photography and daily living easier and more efficient.  Furthermore, to take a company from selling shares at $6 on Wall Street to now over $380 and become the world’s most valuable company is a tremendous feat, which can only be done through a fantastic understanding of consumers’ needs and incredible imagination while being bold enough to take on the challenge.

If you’re not living your life in this manner, what are you doing?  I think the way Steve Jobs lived his life is a perfect model in how we should carry on our own businesses and lives.  To dare to dream and take on the impossible.  To seek out to achieve the greatest that we can achieve.  To be innovative and challenge the status quo.  As photographers, we should take into consideration the life this man led and use it as a blueprint on how to be innovative within our own line of work.  We should push the boundaries and continue to show the world the way we see it and how we are living our lives on our own terms. After all, as creatives, we are the ones who see things differently than the rest.

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

Mr. Jobs, thank you for inspiring me to stay hungry and stay foolish.

Until next time,

- Patrick