I took a couple of ego bumps recently, with a couple of fiscal L’s attached. As some of you may know recently I became a person who stumbles through filming food videos. This has been a steep learning curve and as time goes on I am getting better at shooting food.
My job is not primarily to film, it’s to be a salesperson. That being said it turns out I’m a pretty good salesperson and when required I get tapped in to go film. Since I have a car, this has been a solid way to learn an entirely new skill.
Unfortunately we get ambitious with our vision sometimes and fail to deliver as promised. Those moments suck and honestly can get in your head. I had to go shoot food, phased as fuck about my abilities. I got through it and lived to tell my story.
The doubt that casts shadows in your mind
The first few videos I shot went well. Perhaps it was the nature of the content but overall the reception was positive. The clients were happy and wowza I got to make money filming restaurant food. It’s pretty darned cool.
Then inevitably someone was unhappy with my work. We approached it honourably and reshot. I tried to make it so that I could get out of filming but I was forced back in. So I crammed a bunch of YouTube knowledge on how to shoot better. I took my time and deleted everything that was shaky looking.
The next couple of shoots were very stressful. I had doubts in my mind. Fresh off the critique of my previous efforts. Still, this is my job and I had to deliver. The rewards of sales only come if the job is completed. I had to fight on and get it done. I took my time, I managed expectations better and I ultimately did a better job.
This is not my first rodeo with the demon of doubt.
I remember one time when I got into freelance writing I spent like 4 hours on an article. Then the guy rejected my work and said it was trash. A rewrite wasn’t even an option, that guy did not want me writing for him. I was so phased that I avoided the guy who gave me the contract for weeks. This is despite having already done several successful articles for other clients. I should have handled that better.
When you work in the world of freelance and creativity, you are going to disappoint some people. You may even lose some money on your moves. You need to remember that doubt is your biggest enemy. You will second guess everything and you may freak out in the ride to a shoot over shadows and sun positions. But then you learn you need to check where the sun will be at and it’s one less future snafu.
Other people will be happy with your work
You really cannot please everyone. You can only take the feedback and move on. In all cases there is a way to find a new deal or proposition that will make the other party happy. I’m pretty good at the customer service side of things.
Given my recent shakeups I found myself more communicative on the video shoots that came after. We remade a dish 3 times to get this one shot. The end result is, people started being happy with the work I did again. I know there is a lot of room for improvement but it is really amazing that the work I’ve shot is being turned into something on a legitimate platform.
One of the hardest parts of learning new things is establishing confidence. Instead of worrying about future unhappy people I need to accept it as an inevitability. What matters is that you approach those situations correctly and try to make up for it. When it’s your bad moments, be willing to give a little more. Even if it ends up being out of your own pocket. The overall reputation gain will be worth it.
You also need to remember that if the majority of people are satisfied with your work, you are probably in the right position. When I started selling I was way worse thanI am now with it. The only way to get better is to get right into it and make those mistakes. Like Littyyy Bro Flacko loves posting about, the losses in life are really blessings.
Each loss helps you make better wins branding your brain with the knowledge of wisdom.
People are malleable and can learn new things
I can’t say going to film is my favourite form of creativity. It is an acquired taste where the more I learn the technical aspects the more I enjoy the process. It’s also going to enhance my ability to perform in other creative endeavours in my life, and I’m getting paid to get this training.
It’s a pretty sweet deal and I am very grateful for it. This entire opportunity came from saying “yes” to things I previously would have turned down. I am now in a really cool position learning a lot about what a successful industry looks like that allows me to aim higher with my music and content.
It took a lot of humility to accept that I could learn to redefine myself. Through arrogance I spent years stuck in my ways believing I knew best. Then I learned to just accept new opportunities as they came, keeping an open mind to possibility. Now I get to pull up at restaurants and meet with the owners and try all kinds of new foods.
I hold a lot of cards to my chest these days but really the sun is shining through. It’s wonderful.
The key thing to take from all this is that you will fuck up. You are going to make mistakes and you are going to face uncomfortable moments, ones that may even cost you money. Sometimes you burn bridges and lose people. Once you get past the growing pains and bruises and bumps you will find a lot more wins and happy moments.
You also may need to pivot to succeed. While I can't mix very well, I am a solid recording engineer now. During COVID I was forced to do it myself or wait until studios opened. I now understand how to place vocals in the pocket. I’m now an amateur video person. I had to learn new skills to keep my brand relevant. Sometimes you just need to roll with the opportunity in your face.
You never know where the cookie will crumble. Some cookies suck and others, even sugar-free orange & cream wafer cookies, are pretty good.
Live Long and Prosper Everyone
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