Observing people doing their jobs in places I go to it’s something I love doing often because I find it to be quite interesting and amusing figuring out who really loves his job and who’s in it just for the money.  Might be the server at the pizza restaurant, or the barista at my favorite coffee shop, the sales person at the mall, the school bus driver or my son’s teacher, the downtown museum clerks, or anyone else I interact with randomly. Everyone has a story and in the back of my mind, my little wheels are always spinning trying to figure that story out. It’s plain fun!

I remember when I had my first job in the US, working at this air conditioning company for $10/hr  because I seized an opportunity not to go back to nothingness.  Even though I attended a couple of intensive English classes in high school and college, nothing prepared me for what I had found when I got here. There was a major language barrier that just stood in my way and didn’t let me go through, I felt that everything I had learnt till then just went out the window. I felt helpless and annoyed! But at least I could work… I wanted to be good at what I did, no matter what path I would have chosen in the future. Even though that job was nothing special, just a secretary job, I wanted to be the best for MYSELF. I was fortunate enough to get that opportunity and I wasn’t going to take that for granted, so instead, I struggled to get my words together, spent time reading and researching, hoping that it could change who and what I was at the time.  And it did.

Fortunately, someone had other plans for me and kicked that job to the corner, thank God! So I finally found what I truly loved to do in my life – Photography. I should have known I was meant to become a photographer, because I have always had a camera with me everywhere I went, it just didn’t hit me until years later.

You know this already I’m sure – we all have to start somewhere, and even if we have a great talent or a creative eye for things as an artist, we still have to cultivate that gift, grow it, develop it further, and make it D BEST. 

In order to achieve that level, you need to work hard, prove to yourself that that talent deserves to be Yours! If you don’t help yourself, no one will, I have always said that and I stand by it. Go out of your way to find the time to read everything about what you’re doing, find friends with the same interests, have an open mind, listen to constructive criticism and find ways to fix it, get out there and get exposed to different natures of the work you do from others, be interested in collaborating on projects with people that you have things to learn from, leave your clients with a long lasting positive impression, and most of all, leave your ego behind, be humble and stay true to yourself. One last thing – never forget where you started off, always remember that your struggles were real and do help the ones that are now where you used to be then. 

Become the best you could possibly be – for YOU, and Do Take Pride In What You Do! 

Stay Fab! Shine Through! 

A.

Adina Preston

A lover of all things beautiful, classic and authentic, Adina’s journey into photography has taught her to adapt to all surroundings and allowed her to capture timeless, creative photographs that reveal raw connection and emotion. You can follow Adina on Instagram or Facebook below for more inspiration.