punk

A Fierce Defender

So, I love music. Further more; I love heavy metal music. I have been in NYC metal bands since I was 18 years old. Metal has always been a part of my life since I cranked up that first Black Sabbath album I got through those bogus Columbia House deals many moons ago. That being said; metal is an extremely positive genre of music and for me it’s the most rocking life affirming jammingest stuff you could listen to. People associate great things with music and I have a song for almost every memory or frame of mind. I love to rock, baby.

Every so often you run across a song that means more to you than the surface value of any written piece of music is supposed to mean. Sometimes music speaks to you in untold ways that really strike you to the core. I have recently felt like that about 3 Inches Of Blood’s song “Fierce Defender.” It’s not because I’m killing undead hordes or championing a battlefield with sword in tow. This song is the perfect allegory for a small business start up. You still with me? Good. Here are the lyrics and song and my breakdown as it relates to being a small business owner. If you could stick around to the end I’ll buy you a drink (Call me out on it. You will get a drink and a conversation!)  Anyway, here we go:

The outbreak has begun
End of days are coming
Very few will survive this plague
Gather all supplies, keep your wits about you
A war is coming, prepare for the attack

No more running, here we make our stand
Against the odds we will fight
Be the champion, be the one
A fierce defender til its done

Fortress walls, behind them to defend
From mindless creatures need for flesh
They are coming, they will not stop
Crash upon you like a tidal wave of doom

No more running, here we make our stand
Against the odds we will fight
Be the champion, be the one
A fierce defender til its done

Hold the line, defend it to the end
Destroy the brain and they will fall
Show no mercy for they will give you none
Relentlessly they seek to kill
Don’t wait for outside help
Reinforcements will not come
On ourselves we must rely
Find the courage to last another day
So all of us will stay alive

Outlast the horde
Their ranks are shrinking
The instinct to live on our greatest strength
The will come when all the killing stops
Time to rebuild all that’s lost

No more running, here we make our stand
Against the odds we will fight
Be the champion, be the one
A fierce defender til its done

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP4ge-lAx5A

The outbreak has begun
End of days are coming
Very few will survive this plague
Gather all supplies, keep your wits about you
A war is coming, prepare for the attack

Meaning: You have recently started your small business and the pressure is very real. Statistically, there are only a small number of businesses that succeed. You have to use all of the tricks you have learned and carefully use your funds because you’re on your own now with no outside help. Keep your wits about you.

No more running, here we make our stand
Against the odds we will fight
Be the champion, be the one
A fierce defender til its done

Meaning: You’ve been thinking about this for a while. This is your chance to succeed and employ the tools you have amassed while preparing for your launch. The odds of success are against you but you have to believe in your self. You have to be your own champion because you know you can. Never slip in your own self confidence. Be that Fierce Defender!

Fortress walls, behind them to defend
From mindless creatures need for flesh
They are coming, they will not stop
Crash upon you like a tidal wave of doom

Meaning: Whatever you build there are people that want to tear it down. These are the haters. They could be family, friends, or business associates. They could try and tear you down and tell you that you are not good enough or special enough. It may hurt at first but you have to persevere and defend that wall.

No more running, here we make our stand
Against the odds we will fight
Be the champion, be the one
A fierce defender til its done

Hold the line, defend it to the end
Destroy the brain and they will fall
Show no mercy for they will give you none
Relentlessly they seek to kill
Don’t wait for outside help
Reinforcements will not come
On ourselves we must rely
Find the courage to last another day
So all of us will stay alive

Meaning: Small Business owners must face facts. There is no one to help with their journey. At the end of the day if  you decide to do everything on your own then you must hold the fort and provide victory for your brand. Against all odds you will see the success of your small business and end up being the bigger fish in the pond. Small Business owners must be steadfast in their product and their belief in their product. No one will help  you, no one will back you up, and you have to find the gumption to stand alone, say your piece, survive, and live to fight another day. As small businesses, we climb a treacherous hill with many obstacles and we should never give up. We must find the courage to last another day. We owe it to ourselves, our family, and other like minded individuals. We stay alive through the communal effort of other business owners that hold the line.

Outlast the horde
Their ranks are shrinking
The instinct to live on our greatest strength
The will come when all the killing stops
Time to rebuild all that’s lost

Meaning: The more you chip at it – the more you get out of it. The haters will fade and the detractors will think better. Why? Because you have pioneered and championed your brand through your own belief. The INSTINCT to live on IS our greatest strength. Small business owners know that they have a huge undertaking before them and that is to establish a reputable brand. When success comes then you can expand, take time off, and make up for lost time.

No more running, here we make our stand
Against the odds we will fight
Be the champion, be the one
A fierce defender til its done

Meaning: Get out there and do it. BE the successful person you know you can be. BE the business owner you have always wanted to be.

Whew, well I hope you all got through that in one piece!

The album this is from; “Here Waits Thy Doom.” is also one of the greatest driving albums ever.

I would love to hear what songs motivate you and have meaning for you.

Barcelona

As always, please support this site and blog with some items from Amazon!

 

 

 

Shoot What You Love

Shoot What You Love

If you take photos for  a living, are trying to, or just shoot around constantly as a hobby ; chances are that not every single photograph comes out the way you want it. There are photographers out there that will spend an endless amount of time setting up and gearing toward that one perfect shot, which is fine and amazing on its own. But, a lot of us are not like that. More power to you if you shoot that way. Most of us kind of go for broke and shoot anything that comes our way or anything we see that we like. Again, not every single picture comes out perfect but sometimes in those imperfections you find a nice little nuance that you really dig. Accidentally amazing shots can sometimes be a photographers bread and butter.

Shoot what you love. Love what you shoot. You can take those two sentences as literally as you want or as figuratively as you want. There have been jobs where I have cringed do to circumstances BUT I will always close my eyes for a second and remind myself that this my chosen profession and I DO love what I do. Sometimes photographers need to remind themselves of that. At the end of the day we push a button that takes a snapshot of a moment forever frozen in time. It’s a beautiful thing if you think about it. We are massagers of the optical nerve and sometimes our photographers will break hearts, create joy, bring laugher, or awe and audience. We are magicians. Do not forget that. Shoot what you love.

Like any profession or hobby you have to take the good with the bad. Whether it’s bad client attitude, a bad day, or just a general lack of energy, you have to learn how to take your lumps and make the most of the situation. You can’t run away from a “bad day” every single time. You need to make the most of what is being presented to you and it’s your job as a photographer to work within your situation and take the best photos you can no matter what.

If you aren’t in love with your subject then be in love with your craft and you will always take better photos than you would have otherwise.

If you are in love with your subject and it makes you realize why you love photography so much, then by all means shoot for the stars and come out ahead of the game with some wonderful images.

As always please support this blog and site with some purchases from Amazon!