The phrase in the recent short video about the celebrated Magnum photographer Bruce Gilden, “I’ll be broke in a year,”…

The phrase in the recent short video about the celebrated Magnum photographer Bruce Gilden, “I’ll be broke in a year,” preoccupied the internet today.

The video: youtube.com/watch?v=foGe7n…

The article: digitalcameraworld.com/fea…

As someone who’s recently resigned from a well-paid gig to pursue a creative career, I can feel the sentiment clearly. It’s difficult to do hard things, like being an independent artist.

But,

Bruce will be broke in a year; I’ve got about six months. A person next to me on a train doing something they do not love is already broke. So what?

There are plenty of stats available online showing growth in photographic markets. Of course, this doesn’t make the pursuit any easier, but neither do sentimental writeups that rely on the words of a single person who lives a life different from most of us.

My point is that it’s always been difficult. The greats can and do fail, and the odds have not changed for anyone.

Whether it’s a hobby or a career ambition, photography is still worth a try. It’s in demand. People still want to see photographs, in fact, more than ever.

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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: bls.gov/ooh/media-and-comm…

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