When a storm makes you pivot
I like the word pivot.
I also like the idea behind it and think it can be a useful tactic in the middle of a storm.
There can be value in pressing on and holding a course, but sometimes there’s wisdom in quickly changing direction for the safety of all aboard.
What I don’t like about the word pivot, is that it seems quick and easy. A quick turn, and headed off in a new direction.
I don’t know how often a course correction looks like a pivot. I think it often looks like a massive effort to change thinking, momentum, short term goals, and finally direction.
When I made the hard “pivot” from engineering work into photography and video for advertising, the entire world was in the middle of the financial crisis of 2008. From all outside appearances, it was a terrible time to switch career paths.
One of the details making that an especially difficult switch, was that the advertising agency I went to work for, primarily focused on big financial clients. One of their biggest clients, as the financial crisis began, was AIG.
Needless to say, AIG along with many other financial clients, went silent during those years.
And then an interesting opportunity arose in the middle of that time that I never would have foreseen.
Churches started calling and asking for our services. The agency had always done work with large churches here and there, so it wasn’t completely out of the blue. Hower what did seem strange was that in the middle of a financial crisis, churches suddenly wanted to spend money on creative projects.
It appears that in times of financial uncertainty, people start going to church. I guess when a god is taken away, you start to look for the real one.
And so, the beginning of my work in advertising was with churches and ministries doing good for people around the world. One of the first projects I was a part of, was a documentary for Life Church in Oklahoma, telling the story of inner-city ministries making a difference in the lives of people who didn’t have many options.
I still think back to those stories of people in impossible situations, who experienced life-transforming opportunity in a way that they could never have seen coming.
Right now, in the middle of another storm, I’m having a hard time identifying which industry needs me.
But I can’t spend time worrying about not being able to see it yet. What I must do, is keep my head up, looking around for those people who need my help. And it’s probably going to look a lot different than anything I could imagine.
The stories I write inside my own head are far less amazing than the opportunities that actually present themselves.
Keep your head up. Do what makes us the best version of ourselves and be a helper to those around you.
About
I’m an Editorial and Advertising Photographer and Director. Bellingham, Seattle, and the Pacific Northwest. I travel anywhere for a good story.