jameel morrison | blog

To all, and to all a good night. Christmas was some good eating. And I got a trip to the spa! More on that later.

It’s been a most interesting experience creating/conceiving/starting a business. I remember when I first used to think of how working for myself would be better than working for someone else. After all, that was the original cry. How it came to be colored with overtures of being more like Mercedes-Benz rather than Hyundai, or the boutique rather than the bargain basement has most recently captivated my attention. Perhaps I’ve been plugged into the community too much at the expense of diluting my own thoughts and ideals? Of course, there is something to be embraced about premium product, cutting-edge marketing, or the sense of giving or having “the best.” But what about the relics of “common availability” that still continue to boldly saturate the landscape?

I’m pressed to ask myself if branding was most important from the beginning? Did I even have a brand working for someone else? Was making “so much” or “all this money” what was important from the beginning? I remember telling myself if I never made a cent more than I made working [retail for someone else], but I was working for myself: making my own hours, calling my own vacations, defining my own policies, and representing things the way I would prefer them to, I would’ve been happy. Now I’m forced to ask myself, Where is that guy now?

The guy who would’ve happily taken pictures just because, not because this job or that job would’ve fetched a greater earning, or because these prints packaged this way can get this, but because what I’d be doing for whatever reason was going to be far more satisfying, enjoyable, and fulfilling. It’s amusing how the analogical references always distinguish between high and low, when the rest of the human experience seems to cry out for middle ground. You never hear religious overtures for people to spend life in purgatory, there’s only heaven and hell. Rich and poor, hot and cold, best and worse. And of course, we all want to sit atop the mountain because apparently there’s no glory in the billions to be had by the Walmarts of the world (Let’s be honest, we don’t have the capital necessary to be that cheap, right? Is that really the only thing stopping us?)

At the eve of a new year, I find myself revisiting what really matters. This handful of months has been a rollercoaster of emotions, perspectives, ideas, reflections, and revelations. Not much different from this first semester I’ve completed of graduate study.

And yet, the question remains. Where do I stand with my branding? How will I represent myself? Is it to be luxurious, one-of-kind, and worth every penny (note here the consumer is scraping the pennies, not me)? Or is it to be full of value, decked out in quality, and within reach of even the common man? Speculation says the middle class is eroding and middle of the road marketing is the way of the “gone-out-of” business.

To self: Should I even be soul-searching on my blog? I think yes. It’s a necessary part of doing business. And that’s what I’ve committed to doing. And the time has come for doing (the ever-glorious point of difficulty). The answers can’t all possibly come before doing occurs.

It’s long overdue.

There’s something totally unsatisfying about being contacted about work you thought you were supposed to have been finished with. In this case, it’s a paper. Assignment says 2500-3000 words MAX, I turn in less, and now I’m under the impression that anything less is supposedly insufficient addressing of the material?!

*shakes head* .. and I thought I was done with writing for the semester.

I need to edit the copy for the bio section of my website apparently the consensus says it was too wordy. And kinda the opposite of confident.

Do tell.

What is success?

Is it winning? Is it not coming in dead last? Or is it just giving breath to a vision, making a bit of progress in a given direction, or crossing off 3 out of 5 goals on a list?

The hackers say small steps are not a problem for big goals. Simple Dollar says be specific. The Bible says to ‘write the vision.’ So what is it?

Month’s ago I spoke to some 8th graders about whether or not it was having the DB9 in the garage beneath the hardwood-floored bedroom with the $3-7K mattress

Here’s the fun part.

That’s for you to decide. But whatever you side. Make sure you remember what it is.

Shouldn’t have left. But that’s another story. The semester’s over and I’m trying to get some stuff together. Many in-changes and the blog will be one of them. I’m looking to move over to Wordpress. Once I get it tweaked a tad more, we go live. It’ll be fun. I promise.

It seems like I’ve been perpetually beginning. Maybe that’s just the freshness of ideas coupled with the fear of failure.

Whatever the case it’s high time we moved on to something new, something consistent, and something real. To that end, I’m looking at selling these two 30D camera bodies (with grips) and the best lens to fit on those bodies, the 17-55 f/2.8 IS (either that, or it’ll be one of the bodies with said lens). I want the 5D. Screw the speculation of a new body. All this ogling at gear hasn’t afforded much for anyone except the manufacturers. Time is to be better spent shooting.

It should be fun taking pictures of each camera with the other :).

Copyright Law. Creatives swear by it. It secures the livelihood of many, allows businesses a basis for profit, and appears to be the scourge of the civilian (just check the comment thread).

Are creatives crying over spilled milk? Is business in for a paradigm shift in this era of information and content? Is it all just greed?

I’m with Lane Hartwell. But my eye is on the shoreline. I think it was Mr. Jarvis (see 34:41) that said we’d have to start thinking different.

It used to say “hello world,” but this isn’t the my first entry into the world of blogging. We had that years back with movable type (so inclined to put that inmywritemind back up for posterity, we’ll see about that).

New breath, direction. It’s about life, success (and the perception thereof), business, being left-handed, and everything in between).