How to turn your simple beginnings into skills that bring on tangible results.

8 years ago, after many years of being a passionate musician, I yearned for another way of getting my creative ‘fix’. At the time, I had been living the proverbial double life – from 9AM to 5PM, my creativity was prefaced by guidelines, rules and regulations of office life.

It was my then unique ability to fragment my personal aspirations into two separate, working entities – pursuing corporate goals during the day and giving birth to ‘sweet musical babies’ late into the night. It was the kind of work ethic that forced you to wake up every morning, wishing a coffee intravenous was waiting for you at your office cubicle, ready to pump that sweet caffeine straight into your blood stream because you knew that the night before, you spent so much time agonising over two chords between the chorus and the hook.

I was splitting my goals – in my day job, I wanted to excel. On the weekends, I wanted to be known as a producer of impactful music.

I grew up in a Christian home, a son of a pastor, and the music ministry was part of the P.K (pastor’s kid) experience. Almost every day of the week, my life would be surrounded by opportunities to learn and grow from other skilled musicians – all the while, being subject to the reality of knowing that this might not actually be a job that pays money in the future.

But I didn’t care. I just loved getting on the drums/guitar/bass/piano/mic and this was the world I knew. It was my happy place. The stage, the lights, the atmosphere. Pure elation.

Conversely, I am innately someone who strives for perfection in almost everything I do. Having all sorts of skills and talents is great, but the toll it takes on your ability to remain focused and stay the course can be debilitating, to say the least. A ‘renaissance man’ – or a person with many talents of areas of knowledge – that’s what I wanted to become.

And then, life happens. I no longer loved playing music the same way I used to.

It has happened to so many creative people I know. They succumb to a ‘creativity plateau’ – a point of which you’re in a state of suspended animation for an indefinite period of time - it seems like everyone around keeps climbing higher and higher, leaving you behind. I had performed overseas, played to crowds of thousands, composed a heap of music and more importantly, became a passionate musician, but somewhere along the way I was losing my motivation. Maybe I needed something new to quench my creative thirst.

Meanwhile, I just got promoted in my day job. The extra disposable income was great, which in turn led to my first DLSR camera purchase. I had joined the ‘professional camera’ club and like many of those impulse buyers, had absolutely no idea what to do with it. All I knew was that I needed a break from music, and I decided that this was going to be the way I wanted to conjure art. For a while at least.

Thankfully, it wasn’t just a moment of impulse but in fact, a defining chapter in my life that led me to the successes I have today as a photographer.

Sometimes, people associate the pattern of success with glitz and glamour – but it’s the ability to turn simple beginnings into actual skills, which bring on tangible results. I appreciate music and still am very much a passionate musician, but the momentary exodus from one ability led me to another talent that enriched my focusing abilities. My passion for one talent had transcended and adapted to another.

You see, its not a matter of how to focus because if you love what you do, then chances are, you’re already there, putting the hard yards and extra hours. In fact, its the pattern of unrelenting perseverance that will determine your next course of action.

Be someone that turns your skill into a double edged sword with an ability to cut both ways, through good and bad situations, capitalising and adapting on what ever industry you encounter. Your ability to remain resilient in the face of adversity will coincide with the focused passion you pour everyday into your skill. Don’t neglect the opportunity to take a step back, refocus, and grow. The opportunity will call to you at sometimes inconvenient, troublesome times. Will you answer?

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Gersom Santos

Founder/Photographer

Gersom Santos Productions

www.facebook.com/GersomSantosProductions

Instagram: @GersomSantosMoments

Contact: g-santos@live.com.au

www.gersomsantos.com coming soon!

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Gersom Santos is the founder of Gersom Santos Productions, a creative enterprise specialising in event & lifestyle photography. He has over 8 years’ experience in the creative business industry and has excelled with over 12 years’ experience in the corporate sector, working with federal, state and local government offices. His work has been featured in several magazines and he has travelled and spoken at seminars internationally, influencing and encouraging young people for personal & spiritual growth. An avid life enthusiast, music composer and entertainer, Gersom has a distinctive ability of bringing people and their talents together, influencing like minded individuals to pursue goals and enhance quality of life. He lives in Sydney City with his wife, Alyson.

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