One time while in the bathroom, I saw a cute little bug trying to crawl out. The sink was too steep for him and he just kept falling back down... so I just turned the sink on and washed him down the drain.
Well, a week went by and I noticed the little bug back in the sink trying to get out again. I was in a hurry to get back to work, so I just washed him down the drain for the second time.
A few days went by and I noticed the bug back in the sink trying desperately to get out. This time I reached in to try to pick him up, but my fingers were too big. So I put my finger next to him hoping he could crawl up on it. He tried, but ended up falling back down into the drain hole when he lost traction. So, I went ahead and turned the water on and washed him down a third time.
About an hour later, he was back in the sink again! I thought, this bug has purpose and a passion. He's a survivor and he deserves to live. So, I grabbed a spoon to put under him, and as he was trying to climb out, he fell back down. But this time... I caught him with the spoon and took him outside to his freedom.
What this little bug did has inspired me to this day. His fiery passion got him noticed because he never gave up no matter what! This has been the story of my life. You see, back in my twenties... I was pursuing my dream of being a Country Music Singer in Nashville, TN. I had at least 5 Major Record Labels wanting to sign me. All I had to do was make a choice which one to go with. My dream was about to come true, but a tragic thing brought it all to a halt. My mother came down with terminal cancer.
I put everything on hold in Nashville and went back to the farm in Texas to be with my family. Watching cancer take my mother effected me in a way that was unimaginable. She was the reason I had even got to where I was at with my dream. She hauled my but all over the country supporting my singing growing up as a kid. Every weekend, we would be at another Country Opry Show. My Mom was my inspiration and I suddenly lost her.
After her death, I felt totally lost. It took me a decade to wake up, come back to my senses and realize I had given up everything my Mom and I worked for. The regret I felt was overwhelming.
So, I went back to Nashville only to find that all the Record Labels were in financial trouble due to the internet coming to existence and allowing people to download and play music for free. No more selling CD's. The music industry was turned upside down and no one knew what to do at the time.
So now, instead of being backed by a Major Record Label... I do all my music myself. It's been really hard because making music and videos can be extremely costly.
You might be asking what does this have to do with the little bug? Well, for a while, I was kicking myself for not signing with one of those Major Record Labels when I had the chance. This was back in the time they were signing artists like Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney. But instead of giving up... I've been persistently climbing out of the hole I keep falling in. And every time I climb out... I have even more passion than I had before.
This passion has kept building through the years as I've been constantly challenged to compete with the big artists. Keep in mind, the competition in Nashville was fierce and expectations high. This forced me to become very creative and have to learn new things to compete and become better. One of the things I learned was Photography. At the time, I was paying $3,000 for portrait sessions with Professional Photographers. These photographers were the best... the ones artists like Keith Urban, Garth Brooks and Carrie Underwood trust. Well, I started learning from these seasoned pros and fell in love with photography. I learned things at a level very few photographers ever get to experience. It's the creative challenge I fell in love with because I discovered it was a lot like creating music.
So this might be the reason my photography looks a little different than most other photographers. I am persistent and won't settle for anything less than the best. I carry years of passion and creativity on a level of competitiveness fueled by my fiery passion. A passion my loving mother instilled in me years ago. A passion God reminds me of even through the simple things... like a sunset burning colors across the sky making the mountains glow behind me. Or a little bug that had a purpose, and wouldn't quit.
Never give up. Never surrender. It's the passion in you that moves the world and changes lives.