If your passion is photography and you desire to monetize your passion and if you have the opportunity to get a free education, I encourage you to go to business school (instead of photography or art school).
But this is a huge thing:
Never go to school if you’re going to go into debt.
If you can do work-study, get scholarships, do it. Never ever ever go into debt, even for the most seemingly “great” opportunities. Debt is the devil; perhaps even worse.
1. Success is marketing
I am successful as a photography entrepreneur not because I am the greatest photographer. In-fact, there are MANY MANY more talented photographers to me who aren’t able to make a living from their passion.
The difference?
I am a master marketer.
2. Where did I learn how to market?
A little about myself.
I studied Sociology as an undergraduate at UCLA, which actually benefitted me to understand society, social media, and marketing. In-fact, I even taught a class on Facebook as a Senior (Sociology of Facebook and Online Social Networks).
I self-taught myself business through trial-and-error, through self-research (internet, blogs, books, websites), and through taking risks.
I think teaching yourself how to make good photographs and good artworks is easy. It seems the only benefit to art school or photography school is gaining connections and networking. But still– do you want to network with higher-ups, or do you desire to build your own platform? (silicon-valley thinking).
3. Good business is the best art
Business gets a bad reputation. But as Andy Warhol said:
The best art is good business.
I personally prefer business over the artworld because business seems more tied to reality, more pragmatic, and more risky. When it comes to money, people have higher stakes. With artwork, you don’t got much to lose.
4. Don’t become a starving artist
Don’t go to art school or photography school, graduate with $100,000 in debt, and then become a barista.
Being a starving artist is not cool. It should not be seen as a badge of honor, nor should it be something that happens (to anyone).
I would rather encourage you to go to business school, become a computer programmer, become an investment banker (get a job in something which is lucrative), and build up your photography passion on the side. My rationale is this:
It is a better way to hedge your bets and risk in life.
Let us say you start your own photography website, blog, or platform. It might take you years (or even a decade) before you really start to “take off”. Why stress about paying bills? Better to “milk” the company you work with.
5. Don’t be a sucker to the company
A simple strategy:
When full-time employed at a company, do the minimum amount of work necessary NOT to get fired. Work the minimum hours. And use all your free time to build up your business on the side.
This is a real lesson I learned when around 22 years old and I got made redundant from my first company I joined out of college:
The corporation doesn’t care about you. So why do we care so much about the corporation?
A corporation will lay you off whenever, with no bad feelings. So why have bad feelings while working at a company? Shouldn’t you take advantage of the company, instead of letting the company take advantage of you?
Conclusion: Build yourself
Build yourself, your own ‘sole proprietorship’ of you.
Build equity in yourself. Strive to gain 100% freedom over your life, and own yourself.
ERIC