I Quit My Job! Now What?
Covid 2020
Photographing the protests in downtown Greensboro
I think it’s safe to say that the last two years have taken a lot out of everyone. I know it definitely has for me. From all of the people dying, worldwide protests, Trump being president, to the global pandemic; I, like a lot of people, started to just shutdown, mentally. It felt like the world was on fire, both figuratively and literally. Everyday, something happened to outdo the insanity of the day before. It’s hard to imagine that anything good could have come out of this pandemic, but for me, it actually did put things into perspective.
All the madness started for me at the beginning of January, 2020, when Kobe Bryant died. Never in my life have I been so impacted by the death of someone I didn’t even know personally. It really hit me hard, and to be honest, I still haven’t gotten over it. Growing up, I loved playing basketball. My first “idol” was Michael Jordan. I know, I know, just like every other basketball fan on the planet. I was a little too young at the time to really appreciate what MJ meant to the game, but all I knew was that I wanted to “be like Mike.” When he was nearing retirement, I remember a little 11 year old me saying that I would never watch basketball again…..and then it happened. December 17, 1997, the Bulls played the Lakers and their rising star by the name of Kobe Bryant. They said he was the next MJ. I, of course, was not convinced……yet. After Mike finally retired, and a few years of watching a young Kobe Bryant play, I had become a die hard Lakers fan, thanks to the almost clone-like play of the Black Mamba. It wouldn’t be until many years later that I learned what really made me such a huge fan of these two.
So what does all this basketball talk have to do with me quitting my job, much less, photography? Well, everything, really. Allow me to explain.
Learn from the greats
“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something, but I can’t accept not trying.” - Michael Jordan
What I learned about my childhood infatuation with MJ and Kobe was, to my surprise, not about the highlight reel dunks and video game stats that they both put up. What separated these two from everyone else was their mindset and how they approached the game. They were both fearless, insanely competitive, and made no excuses. They just found what they wanted, went and got it, and nobody was going to stop them. They were “alpha dogs,” so to say. It’s this mindset of pursuing what you love at all costs that I’ve always subconsciously tried to live by, and ultimately the reason behind the name of my photography business.
I’ve been in education for 7 years and have absolutely loved teaching and motivating my students to be the best version of themselves. So much so, that I ultimately dedicated more of my life to my students than I did to myself and my family. Before the pandemic, I was working anywhere between 60-80 hours a week as a high school and middle school band director. I love music and I love my students, so it was fun for me. That was why I was able to last as long as I did. In keeping that “Mamba Mentality,” I was never one to complain or make excuses. I just did what had to be done, because I wanted my students to succeed. I figured that as long as I was still having fun, I would always be able to push through. I never realized how much of a toll it was taking on my own mental and physical health. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit and schools shut down that my eyes were opened to what I was putting myself through. All the time off that I had and was able to spend at home with my wife really opened my eyes to what I really wanted in life. My true passion has been photography for about 12 years now. I started my company, Alpha Shots Photography in 2010, which back then, was GreeneWorks Photography. It’s been my side hustle for years, but I’ve always wanted to be able to pursue this full time. My love for music and teaching always forced me to put that dream on the back burner, but during the year that I spent remote teaching due to COVID, I was subsequently able to rediscover my love for photography, which led to me finding my true calling. As much as I will miss my students, I am at peace knowing that I gave everything I had, to be the best teacher that I could be for them.
“Virtual Band Class”
That “Mamba Mentality” is something that has gotten me through some of the toughest times in my life. No matter how hard life seemed to get, I was always able to find enough inner motivation to keep pushing and keep my eyes on my goal. After Kobe died, it felt like a piece of my childhood had died with him. I have always been a very shy and introverted person. The only times that I’m not are either when I’m playing basketball, teaching my students, or when I’m behind a camera. Watching Kobe play, I was able to find my confidence in my passion. I learned that in order to be the best, you had to believe that you were the best. This was a guy that I had grown up idolizing, and essentially modeled my whole mental being around, so it really hit hard when I found out that he was gone. I owe a lot of who I am today to Kobe. He taught me that doing what you love and being the best at it takes focus, dedication, and sacrifice. It takes doing what everyone else is not willing to do. No matter how tired you get, no matter how much it hurts, you just keep pushing, you keep fighting, you keep working until you have given everything you have.
Even though I didn’t fulfill my childhood dream of making it to the NBA, I’ve been able to find my passion in music, in teaching, and now in photography. It’s a different animal, but the same beast. The mindset is and always will be the same. Be the best. Find what you love, pursue it with everything you have, and don’t let anything or anyone keep you from reaching your fullest potential. That’s my plan as I embark on this new journey as a full time photographer in 2022.
As I tell my students all the time:
You want it? Go get it. Period.
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