Image by Chase Jarvis — Source: chasejarvis.com
Over the years, photography has become my primary vehicle for carrying me through the door to the world of art, all it’s beauty and expressions of our universal connections. The Internet has made my wish to connect and share easier and more profound. Hardly a day goes by that my existence isn’t extended in-depth and insight.
For sometime my blog has had a link to the blog, chasejarvis.com. Chase Jarvis is a well-known photography and filmmaker based in Seattle. I love his work, but more importantly, I’m impressed with his use of social media as a creative outlet to the world of art. For Jarvis, social media is not going away, “. . . I think it’s going to change a lot over the next couple of years, but it’s interesting how that integrates with a creative person or with creativity in general.”
Yesterday, Jarvis posted a short entry, titled, “Whatever Makes You Nervous,” where he references Michael Jordan’s response to his golfing friends wanting to know how much they’re betting against one another on each hole. Apparently, Jordan’s stock response is: “Whatever Makes You Nervous.”
For Jarvis, that’s what we should bet on ourselves, every time. “Not what makes you comfortable, but what makes you nervous.” His point being that we must push our comfort level to grow.
All of us who have ever experienced some degree of success, did so by our willingness to take risks. As a young adult, one of my biggest fears was speaking in front of a group of people. But, I knew I needed to take on the fear and face the risk of making a fool of myself, which I have done many times. The degree my skills have improved, and any level of success I have accomplished, has been due to my confronting and pushing the stress level.
The Jarvis posting is a great reminder of how to succeed in life. And, as one reply to the posting noted by sharing the Woody Allen quote:
“If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough!”
kenne
