The Groove 179 - How Moving On Fuels Success
HOW MOVING ON FUELS SUCCESS
In today's fast-paced and ever-changing professional landscape, the ability to recognize when it's time to move on in your job or career can be a powerful catalyst for success. Knowing when to pivot, transition, or pursue new opportunities allows you to stay agile and adaptive, positioning yourself for growth and advancement. This proactive approach not only fosters personal fulfillment and professional satisfaction, but also opens doors to fresh challenges, learning experiences, and avenues for achievement.
Recognizing when a career path no longer aligns with your goals, values, or the realities that surround you can help you break free from limiting constraints. Knowing when to move on empowers you to take control of your destiny, unlock new possibilities and propel yourself towards greater heights of achievement.
Born in Springfield, Ohio in 1898, to a broken family where abuse and neglect plagued her, Berenice Abbott knew instinctively when to move on. When she arrived in New York City in 1918, escaping her life to pursue studies in painting and sculpture, little did she know that she would embark upon a fantastic and fruitful 70-year career that would become inscribed in history.
Embrace Saying “Yes”
Berenice Abbott in Paris in 1928. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone.
There’s nothing more counterproductive to growth and expansion than being rigidly obsessed with one way of doing things. Embracing flexibility is the key to unlocking new avenues of growth and discovery. By remaining open to alternative paths, we invite the unexpected and unearth hidden treasures that may have eluded us otherwise.
Once in New York City and wanting to refine her skills as a sculptor, an opportunity came up for Abbott to move to Paris, then the epicenter of the art world. And so in 1921, she decamped for Europe. Upon her arrival, she ran into Man Ray, who was already her acquaintance from New York. He needed an assistant and asked her if she’d take the job, which she readily accepted. This “yes” changed everything for her and jumpstarted her photography career.
Berenice Abbott, New York at Night, 1931, gelatin silver print. From the Changing New York series.
“Man Ray did not teach me photographic techniques. One day he did, however, suggest that I ought to take some myself; he showed me how the camera worked and I soon began taking some on my lunch break. I would ask friends to come by and l'd take pictures of them. The first I took came out well, which surprised me. I had no idea of becoming a photographer, but the pictures kept coming out and most of them were good. Some were very good and I decided perhaps I could charge something for my work.”
Abbott’s reputation as an excellent portrait photographer grew and people came looking for her. She quit her job with Man Ray and opened her own studio. “He changed my whole life; he was the only person I ever worked for and I was extremely grateful to have a job, to have the opportunity to learn.”
Saying yes to something doesn’t mean to go against your instincts or values; it also doesn’t mean to jump from one thing to another without sticking to anything. But Abbott’s “yes” is the epitome of openness: she still became an artist, albeit not the kind she first imagined.
Luck = Preparation + Opportunity
Berenice Abbott, Tempo of the City I, 1938, gelatin silver print. From the Changing New York series.
The Roman philosopher Seneca said that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. After eight years honing in her skills and finding success behind the camera, in the dark room and in the artistic and social circles of Paris, Abbott's pivotal moment arrived in 1929, marked by one fateful trip to New York City.
While she thought she would travel for a quick visit, life had other plans in store. That winter of 1929, Abbott experienced in awe the growth of New York: people had come from everywhere, streets were buzzing with new stores, and skyscrapers had popped up on every corner. "I felt that here was the thing I had been wanting to do all my life." Following her inner voice, Abbott didn’t return to Paris.
Aware of the existence of the Federal Art Project (FAP), a program established under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal initiative during the Great Depression to provide employment opportunities to artists, Abbott presented a proposal for "Changing New York". This caught the attention of the FAP due to its ambitious scope and its potential to document the rapidly changing urban landscape of New York City. Recognizing the historical and cultural significance of Abbott's vision, the FAP selected her project for funding and support.
Abbott embarked on a daring five-year odyssey eschewing the conventional focus on human subjects, while boldly aiming her lens on the architectural landscape of the city. Ralph Steiner, a distinguished photographer and documentarian, wrote at the time in a newspaper called “PM” that Abbott's work was "the greatest collection of photographs of New York City ever made." He was right.
Through "Changing New York," Abbott emerged as a fearless chronicler of urban life, her photographs serving as a timeless testament to the ever-evolving spirit of the metropolis. With a deft touch and unwavering dedication, she transformed the mundane into the extraordinary, capturing the essence of a city in flux and leaving an indelible mark on the annals of photographic history. For many decades, the images of "Changing New York" have been a landmark taught in photography, architecture, social studies and exhibited hundreds of times in museums all over the world.
Luck is not a passive force that randomly bestows its favors upon a select few. Instead, it is the product of hard work, perseverance, and a readiness to embrace the possibilities that life presents. For everyone, true success requires preparation and refinement of one’s skills, but also the willingness to take action and the courage to embrace uncertainty. Opportunities often arise unexpectedly and may require you to step outside your comfort zones and take calculated risks.
Know When to Move On
Berenice Abbott, The Science Pictures Portfolio (12 photographs), 1945, 1961, gelatin silver prints.
One of the greatest beauties of being human lies in our capacity to evolve, adapt, and grow. This journey of evolution necessitates a profound sense of honesty with ourselves and a keen awareness of when it is time to move forward.
In April 1939, Berenice Abbott wrote a manifesto entitled “Photography and Science”. "We live in a world made by science," she stated. "There needs to be a friendly interpreter between science and the layman. I believe photography can be this spokesman, as no other form of expression can be."
Having exhausted cityscapes as subject matter, Abbott turned to science as her next thing and mined it relentlessly until the 1960s. Her precise and technically proficient images helped visualize complex concepts, ranging from the laws of physics to the behavior of light. Abbott's contributions to scientific photography paved the way for the use of photography as a tool for research and education in various scientific disciplines.
In 1958, Abbott's career trajectory once again took a remarkable turn during a job interview at MIT's physical science study committee. Boldly challenging the status quo, Abbott made a memorable declaration: "Scientists were the worst photographers in the world," she asserted, "They need the best - and I was the one." This audacious statement not only secured her the gig but also marked the beginning of a groundbreaking collaboration. Abbott's keen eye and unparalleled expertise behind the lens were soon put to work, capturing the intricate beauty of scientific phenomena with precision and artistry.
The fruits of her labor manifested in a groundbreaking American educational book titled "Physics," published in 1960. This seminal work, studied by millions of high school students, showcased a select collection of Abbott's photographs, illuminating complex scientific concepts in a visually stunning and accessible manner.
For Abbott, the ability to recognize when it is time to move on, let go of the past and embrace new opportunities and experiences was attuned to the realities of the places and times she lived in. She demonstrated that moving on was not a capricious act, but an unwavering commitment to honing her craft, constantly experimenting with techniques and pushing the boundaries of what was possible in photography. Her flexibility and the consciousness of being fully present to her surroundings not only enriched her work but also fostered a deeper understanding of the world around her.
And with that in mind, is it time for you to move on?
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