Jérôme Aoustin Photography

Some time ago, I came across this article about “luck” and why we often misuse the word. It rang so true to my personal experience that I decided to write my own post on the subject. How often do we find ourselves saying “He is so lucky!” or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, “Poor guy, he really is unlucky…”? Probably a lot. On an almost daily basis, we find ourselves in situations which work out well – or not so well – for us. Happenstance? Is it, really?

Let me break it down for you: there is no such thing as being consistently lucky or unlucky. We always have a choice in life, and many times we find ourselves at crossroads. The path we choose to take is our decision alone to make.

When it comes to my own life, I can’t complain. I have a beautiful family and already experienced a lot of what the World can offer. I consider myself successful, and I’ve been told many times that I was “lucky”. Well, if you really think about it, telling someone that his success is solely based on luck is almost insulting. I wasn’t just the passive recipient of what was happening to me, quite the opposite. I worked on my friendships. I worked to seduce my wife. I worked on our relationship. I worked on my career. I worked on my passions *. Yes, there’s no hidden secret to success. You have to work. The more willing you are to cease opportunities when they present themselves, the more chances you have to actually land one. It’s that simple.

Most often, the very people who blame their failures on luck or lack thereof are the passive ones. People who love saying “That’s life” or “It is what it is” when something “happens” to them. Well, guess what, life isn’t easy for anybody. Anyone, no matter how successful that person is, goes through hardship at one point or another. How you deal with hardship establishes whether you are weak or strong. If you fall under the first category, you might want to seek help, but please, don’t blame luck or the bogeyman for it. The good news is, it’s always time to change. Anyone can be successful in life, you just need to want it and get it.

By the way, please do not be a wise ass and take extreme cases to try to break the logic. Sure, there are plenty of people on this Earth who experienced horrible traumas that were inflicted upon them with little to no say in the matter. This article is not about that and I hope you understand what I’m trying to say. By the way, did you notice? I never mentioned the word money.

I’d love to read about your personal experiences on the subject. Please do share them.

* When it comes to my photography, while it doesn’t feel like work because I love it, I do it every single day. I am now starting to exhibit and sell my work. It’s not about luck but commitment, drive, work… passion. Be passionate about what you do and you can accomplish anything.

Time and time again I have people come up to me and say something to the effect of: “Wow, that’s a great photograph… what camera do you use? How many megapixels?” While the first part of the sentence is always nice to hear, the second part will make any photographer roll his eyes inside and just think to himself “Ah, here we go again…” I really can’t blame people for asking such a question though. Almost the whole digital camera industry keeps on pitching that magic word to the masses: megapixels. It seems to be the Holy Grail of digital photography. What will make you keep up with the Joneses. The more the better? Actually, no, not necessarily. I won’t elaborate on this last statement, however, since it’s both beyond the scope of this post and beside the point.

Consider this. Have you ever found yourself asking an oil painter: “Wow, that’s a great painting… what brush do you use? What’s your pigment/oil ratio?” Right. There might be a place for such questions, but not as a conversation starter. Reducing an artist to the tools he uses is not the right approach, trust me. I am tempted to think that this also stems from the misconception that virtually anyone can pick up an expensive camera and instantaneously become Ansel Adams. To keep the same reference point, if I give you the best of brushes, canvases and oil paints, will you instantaneously become Rembrandt?

There’s obviously much more to a piece of art than the tools used to create it. Granted, it’s extremely easy to take a photograph: you just have to press a button. But guess what? It doesn’t automatically spew out a masterpiece. An artistic predisposition certainly helps… to which you can add years of experience. Yes, years of experience are usually necessary to master ones craft, unless you’re a genius. This goes for any discipline: doctor, engineer, lawyer, you name it. You’ve got to practice to be good at it. It’s definitely important to have the right tools, but the tools alone won’t make the art. The artist will.