Recently I gave a presentation alongside a fellow photographer and a fantastic colleague of mine. This individual and I have known each other for several years, have worked side by side, and have even referred clients back and forth to each other. When either of us has a question related to how we shoot; whether something looks good or not; how to handle tough business situations – we pick up the phone and call each other. And yet at the same time we target many of the same clients.
I got to thinking that this is not the standard definition of “competition.”
We don’t fight tooth and nail against one another. We don’t try to out bid each other on projects. We don’t trash talk the other’s work just to make sure we get an extra few dollars in our pocket today (regardless of what may happen down the road). Instead we help each other out. We encourage each other to be successful, to work harder, and to do better work.
Think for a moment about the word “competition.” The word itself has some pretty strong negative connotations. One definition I found online said that it means when two or more parties strive for a goal that cannot be shared.
My argument is that this definition and the mentality around competition could not be further from the truth.
When treated in the right way, competition can drive innovation, it can enhance creativity, it can lead to new ways to do old things, and it can develop more demand. And that is the key. Competition can lead to a greater demand.
Doesn’t really matter what specific business you are in, whether you work as a talent, an actor, a fellow photographer, or you sell giant pretzels at sporting events. The more a community of professionals can support one other and share best practices; the better outlook that industry will have as a whole.
James
www.portfoliopatrick.com
Nice to see you blogging, James! I love your outlook on “competition”. I actually had a thought about this when I was looking at the work of one of my old classmates earlier today. I was inspired by his work and know it affected decisions I made throughout the day in my own design. Seeing competition is often all the nudge we need to make sure our own work is up to par and able to compete. Your last paragraph sums that up wonderfully.
I’ve always felt that the word competition creates an atmosphere of hostility because many think that if you aren’t the winner, you are a or “the” loser. And if you are not the winner, then you are less of a human or rock bottom in status. I like your take on the term. Although I always thought as competition as an opportunity to show off your best, open yourself to improvement and overall, just have a good time being awesome along others just as awesome whom you can learn from. Be well, JP!
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I was looking for comments regarding the notion of “true competition” and came across your blog. I found it refreshingly honest and in line with my thoughts. I am currently working in a technical educational environment (Technical and Further Education – TAFE) that has set its values on competition driving excellence and innovation. The end result no one wants to share their resources for the fear of losing their competitive “edge” with the end result in resources drying up and in some cases completely vanishing. A majority of our learning comes from others and the “others” learning has evolved in the same way. For competitions I like the idea of match racing – in your case everyone having the same cameras, taking photos on the same day and location etc. The most amazing part of the equation is our own uniqueness and talents – that’s what shines through in your work and my work regardless of the technology that is available. I also agree with your last paragraph – nice comments James.
Thank you so much for the comment Alick. I really agree with what you said about how we often fear losing that competitive edge. Really glad you enjoyed reading this and I very much appreciate you taking the time to comment!