Steve Jobs : 1955-2011

Steven Paul Jobs : February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

 “The only way to do great work is to LOVE what YOU do” – Steve Jobs

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Apple’s website quoted  . . . “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being.

Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor.

Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”

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I’ve never been shy about my obsession with APPLE or my love for Steve Jobs.  He is one of the best people I’ve “never” met.  He has made my life happier (much happier), more enjoyable, more connected and most importantly he has made my business more successful~!  Whether it was simply his ability to inspire me or the fact that I own way too many Apple products, he has affected me personally & professionally.  He changed the way I connected years ago and inspired me to push myself, to dream big & do what I love.  If you haven’t seen his memorable Commencement Speech at Stanford University, you should most definitely take the time to watch it : Steve Jobs 2005 Commencement Speech

Steve Jobs has repeatedly said that “you should never lose faith . . . AND that in life you’ve got to find what you love to do because your work will fill a large part of your life”.  One very important thing that Steve Jobs said is . . .  “The only way to do great work is to LOVE what YOU do”~!  This statement inspired me and was very influential in my life 4 1/2 years ago when I decided to pursue my love of photography.  When talking about all his great (& many) successes, he repeatedly gives credit to the fact that he has always done what he “loved”. This inspired me and was a huge part of my career decision and my current professional path.  I haven’t talked much about my failures in life, I keep them private. However, I felt this was a good time to open up because failures are what push us to our successes.  I went to a well known and respected college, SCAD : The University for Creative Careers” and graduated with honors.  I worked full-time & put myself through 4 years of hard classes, long hours of study, insane hours in the computer lab & barely 4 hours of sleep a night. (My friends & family can vouch for the lack of sleep . . . ha.ha.) Anyways, I graduated proudly . . . proudly and with honors.  However, my degree as a 3D Computer Artist & Animator didn’t seem to feed my passion.  I tried making it work and even moved to a new city in hopes of checking out a more “animation friendly” environment.  BUT . . . “I wasn’t happy” and I felt like I had completely failed after graduation.  It seemed that my friends & classmates were all enjoying successful lives in the industry.  I watched as many went on to do GREAT things with 3D Modeling/Animation.  And me, well . . . “I wasn’t happy”.  I felt like a failure, a smart & educated failure, but still a failure.  I looked at myself with disappointment and thought I fell short of what I thought I should be achieving.  I don’t exactly remember when the Steve Jobs quote about following our dreams re-entered my life, only because I was always a huge fan of his after my years at SCAD.  But at some point, his words resurfaced and resonated with me!  It was then I found myself looking for a new life journey doing something that I loved.  It was also then that I realized that my college degree & the knowledge I had gained was ONLY pointing me in the direction of getting a job.  It was not about being “passionate” about my life or the work I would do and at this point I felt devastated.  I needed to find something that made me smile, something I loved to do, something that would excite me and so my search began.  Very soon, I found my path and my journey began in Professional Photography.  And now I am very PASSIONATE about my work and it is this PASSION that truly drives me today . . . AND “I am happy” ~!

Steve Jobs – Find what “YOU LOVE”~!

Steve Jobs – “THINK DIFFERENT . . .”  This will definitely be my driving force for 2012~!  I’ve always felt a little different with my ideas and my life goals seem a little out of the norm.  I plan to use this “difference” to push myself, my business and even my personal life beyond what I imagined.  I hope to “think different” in all aspects of my life and hopefully find a vision for 2012 that will make a positive impact on myself and others~!  If you knew Steve Jobs, you know he would always PUSH the limits~!  He has made a profound impact on the world and the way we interact others, the way we use our phones, our computers, the way we acquire & listen to music, etc. etc. etc.  He was a GENIUS with his “different thinking”.  We should all strive to be this great~!

Another famous Steve Jobs quote : “the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work . . . The only way to do great work is to LOVE what YOU do.  If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.  And like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.  So keep looking . . . DON”T SETTLE~!” 

Another amazing quote by Steve Jobs : “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today . . . if the answer is NO for too many days in a row, then he knew he needed to change something”.  He said remembering that you are going to die will help you make the big choices in life.  “What is truly important?  All external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrasment or failure . . . these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.  Remembering that you are going to die . . . is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.  You are already naked, there is no reason NOT to follow your heart.”

His words are  easy to understand.  His beliefs are simple & clear.  His advice is something that each of us can acquire with determination.  Believe in yourself.  Believe in your dreams.  Where YOU go and what YOU do is completely up to YOU~!  Reach for the stars and never let failure or other people hold you back.

Steve Jobs was a perfectionist . . . I am smiling because I too am a perfectionist.  This is something I’ve often thought has hindered my professional progress.  Time to time, I take deep breaths and tell myself “You don’t have to be a perfectionist all the time~!!!!” But, the voices in my head does not change the fact that being a perfectionist is in my DNA.  I’m happy that the genius, Steve jobs, is well known for being a perfectionist.  I think I will continue to pursue excellence.

Steve Jobs inspired me to do something I love.  I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY.  I love everything about the creative process.  I even love the craziness that consumes the business side of it.  No matter what life brings, I welcome it all with open arms and a big smile because I LOVE what I do.  Photography . . . the cameras, the technology, social media, the various equipment upgrades, the clients, the colleagues, the branding, the marketing, the accolades & critiques, the daily research, the constant changing & evolving industry, the legal aspects, etc. etc. etc. and most importantly the PHOTOGRAPHS . . . the beautiful photographs that move us each in different emotional ways!  It all makes up a huge part of WHO I AM and WHAT I LOVE~!

I wish I had more wisdom, more advice and more inspiring words of my own to share, but I’d like to close out with a few quotes from one AMAZING man who I believe truly made OUR world a much better place. May his vision live on with APPLE~!

Steve Jobs – “No one wants to die.  Death is a destination we all share.  Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life” . 

Steve Jobs“Have the courage to follow your heart & intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become . . . everything else is secondary.”

“Stay Hungry . . . Stay Foolish”  – The Whole Earth Catalog was a publication started in the late 60’s.  Their last & final publication in the mid-70’s had a photograph of an early morning country road and a quote “Stay Hungry . . . Stay Foolish”.  It was re-quoted by Steve Jobs at the Stanford Commencement Speech.

RIP : Steve Jobs 1955-2011 : And thank you for inspiring ME to follow my dreams and do what I love~! 

 

 

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