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I think there is a mentality running around that you shouldn’t have to pay for quality if you can fake quality. As if no one will tell the difference if you sweep it under the rug and act like it’s all the same at the end of the day. Now, this isn’t a full on rant – but just some thoughts on shortcuts. And bad pictures.

The picture you see above was shot at my birthday celebration this last year. We were at Darling Harbour in Sydney, Australia.

FREAKING CRAZY, sometimes I still can’t believe I’m here. 

Now, I really like this picture despite the decapitated friends and the lack of seeing anyone’s face, but, that’s because I wasn’t expecting a QUALITY photo when I passed the iPhone off to Joe (no offence Joe). I wasn’t trying to build a solid new Facebook profile picture and I didn’t need any of it to be professional level for anything. Seriously, it just ended up on my blog. But that gets me wondering if I limited the use of this photo by not setting it up for a win. I’m not in the mood for leaving this at a metaphor – So, I’ll give a more direct example. Do you reckon that you can actually limit your usefulness when you pretend to be more than you are? To have more certifications than you do? To have more skills than you do? It’s like passing off an iPhone (5) camera to Joe Schmo and waiting for something wonderful to happen. Honey, you might look cool holding the camera but nothing magical is about to happen. Your quality of work ends up with high expectation and low productivity.

Guys, YOU ARE WHERE YOU ARE AND THAT’S OK.

I had the BIGGEST hissy-pride-fit in coming back to college at 23(ish) years old – I wished I had done more at that point with my life but I’ve had to come to terms over and over that I’m actually exactly who I need to be right now. And I am NOT a photographer.

 If I needed to be more I would be – and it’s ok to be honest about who I am.

When we use something to paint a less quality picture, we can create a reproachable picture. Sketchy. Dodgy. Fishy. Honestly, just a picture/person you look at and think, huh, that’t not totally kosher. Don’t be people who are sketchy. Be real, you, faulted and talented at once. When you try and create something bigger than yourself (without help) people find out REAL quick how inflated you and your act is.

Mate, not cool.

When you try and pretend like you’re someone you aren’t, you cheapen the value of the real thing. I think it goes without saying that people take a hot-minute to rebuild trust so IF you act like you’re all that and WHEN you get found out that you’re just you, you cheapen the quality of the view people hold of you. Honour should be given WHERE IT IS DUE, but if no one owes it to ya then you aren’t left with much hey?

I feel like this blog has the potential to sound like I’m calling someone out but I’m totally not – just having a think about quality and becoming more of a quality person based off of WHO I AM and not if I can paint a pretty picture of who I’d like to be.

GET BETTER by all means – seriously, you should know I’m all about educating yourself for the sake of others and adding to those around you so this isn’t a ‘give up’ blog either.

Like I said, I’m just having a think about quality. And Joe’s lack of photographing skills.