What Advice Would I Give My 19-Year-Old-Self About My Career?
One of my favorite questions to ask friends and family is, what advice would you give your 19-year-old self about your career?
At 19, I studied art history and communications at The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and took classes in things I knew nothing about – like anthropology. My hair was shoulder-length, and I was never without my camera.
I mean, never.
I worked on the school newspaper (The Daily Pennsylvania/the DP) and the school yearbook.
When I was 19, I was always taking pictures. In a 1/250 second, I could tell a story.
At least ten hours a week were spent developing black-and-white photos in a darkroom and exploring my art. The smell of developer and fixer is still a bit of an aphrodisiac, like nerdy cologne. I wore this sweetly acrid scent proudly on my clothes and hair.
I worked at many terrible restaurants too. Cooking had captured my imagination too. There was something similar between a darkroom and a kitchen.
Eventually, I got a job at a terrific restaurant called The Frog. I learned the meaning of ’86ing’ the bluefin tuna and, occasionally, stole a leg off of a sauteed soft-shell crab heading out to a four top.
My circle of friends was kids from Pittsburgh who drank something called Iron City Beer that was disgusting. I didn’t drink beer – hated the taste, but Iron City was more a right of passage in Pittsburgh, so it was more ritual and a rite of passage. I stuck to Coke.
Advice to My 19-Year-Old Self
I was convinced I would become a professional photographer even though I was self-taught and never took any classes. My knowledge of how to light still objects was ZERO. So I did an internship with a photographer to get some education. Thank you, Larry Kanevsky.
If I could sit down with my 19-year-old self, I would have advised my long-haired self that my career would take twists and turns.
I’d hit plenty of speed bumps and unexpected curves in the road.
My advice would be to be present. Enjoy the ride and each moment, and do not operate on autopilot.
Five Suggestions to My 19-Year-Old Self
Yes, the following are metaphors – but they make the point I think I would help give me functional guard rails.
- Keep looking at things from new angles. A wide-angle perspective will serve you well.
- Try different lenses to view the world. Sometimes you want to get up close.
- When everyone is looking down, look up. See what others aren’t seeing.
- Find the light, even in dark places. Be still, and your eyes will illuminate the truth.
- Nothing lasts forever, and things fade as you get older. Don’t be in such a rush.
A few years later, in my early twenties, I had a burgeoning commercial photography business and was helping my girlfriend, who became my wife, with her small baking business.
Eventually, I left my photography behind, and we enjoyed building a business together – Rachel’s Brownies.
I allowed my creative and intuitive self to find a path forward, even though I never took a business course.
Running a business was challenging, but I tapped into something that sparked my curiosity and enlarged my instincts.
In hindsight, the most valuable advice I could have told a 19-year-old Jeff was to stop worrying – everything will work out. Enjoy the moments. Nothing is ever as bad or as good as you may fear.
Fifty years ago, I think I had some help from my future self, showing me a path forward. The message I whispered into my younger self’s ear was helpful, be kind – don’t worry.
Fortunately, things developed well for me. And my daily reminder is to be grateful.
What would you tell your 19-year-old self?
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Watch a short video about working with me.
Several of these photos were taken by my friend Tom Gisriel. Family photos were from my Dad, Poppa George, and my mom Bea.
