Meeting Strangers on the Internet, Vol. 2 - Bolen
March 3, 2020
It’s only the second installment of “Meeting Strangers on the Internet”, and already I’m deviating from the plan. I still have a stranger to tell you about, but he’s the one who found me, instead of the other way around.
This is Bolen, and I’m a stranger he met on the Internet back in November 2019.
That whole thing where I posted an ad for free photo shoots? It wasn’t exactly my idea. A few months ago when I was checking Craigslist daily for paid gigs, I came across a post by a fellow photographer looking to trade photos; I would take photos of him, and he would take photos of me in exchange. I hesitated to respond since there was no money involved, but looking back on it all, I’m glad I took him up on the offer.
Flash back to that first meeting in November and things are instantly off to a good start. We have plenty in common, and seem to be at relatively similar points in our respective journeys, but Bolen is definitely on another level. He says things during our conversation that seem so logical, but that had never occurred to me before. A lot of “Why didn’t I think of that?” moments were had that day. It made me realize that while I may be a skilled photographer, there were a lot of holes in my strategy and approach, and I would need to work on that to be successful. I could tell that this guy was really living and going through it, and I wanted to soak up all the knowledge he had attained through his experiences as best as I could.
I admire Bolen because he took the leap and went out on his own. It’s still just a dream or an idea for me, and the uncertainty of it all terrifies me. I’ve always stuck to the safe and secure play, but I find myself wondering more and more if these safe and secure situations are actually taking me where I want to go. After all, just last week I advised Max not to settle. Feels like a lot of the time it’s easier to give advice than to take it. Through it all, I’m trying to be more patient and more consistent. One thing I know about myself is that I have a bad habit of focusing too much on the short-term. Like so many of us, I want fast results. Instant gratification. Now, I’m trying to focus on the long game.
I kept in touch with Bolen over the past few months, and he recently hired me to help out on one of his jobs! Looking back, it really reinforces the importance of saying “yes” to opportunity, even if it’s not exactly what you’re looking for in the moment. I had no idea that meeting a stranger on the internet to exchange photos four months ago would turn into a valuable business relationship down the road, but it did and that feels great.
I’m still riding the high from this past weekend; we worked a very fun job together. At the same time I’m reminding myself to stay humble and realistic. This was just one job that lasted two days. If I didn’t have the security of a full-time job, I’d need to already have the next couple gigs lined up just to keep my life afloat. I don’t have any firsthand knowledge of the effort and energy that goes into sustaining this lifestyle, but I think I got a glimpse when I first asked Bolen how long he had been strictly freelancing. He didn’t know the answer off the top of his head. What started as a perplexed look then turned to disbelief when he realized it had been nine months since he quit his job. I remember him saying, “Wow, I can’t believe it…” He had obviously been too busy hustling and scraping to think about it until this moment, and that says something. I suppose when it’s all up to you, there’s no time to look back. Yesterday’s gone and tomorrow’s already here. And while that sounds like a scary, whirlwind lifestyle, it sounds exhilarating, too.