Quit your secure corporate job of over 12 years and launch a photography career. Oh yeah, and don't forget to knock up your wife just before she gets fired for being pregnant. What did David Mamet say in True and False (a great book for actors by the way, or any artist for that matter)...something about not having anything to fall back on cause if you do you will? OK. Done. We have no jobs-plural-no money saved-cause we didn't plan on having no jobs-and a baby on the way-which costs money-which we don't have. If you ask me, this is awesome! Or... should be. To my former bohemian throw caution to the wind, fuck the man, screw the corporation pre-pregnancy self, this IS awesome. However, I was 4 months pregnant when this unfolded and anything, everything would set me off. I had a complete breakdown in the Band-Aid aisle of Duane Read cause there were too many choices and I couldn't make one. I called Jimmy in tears and all I could vocalize was "Duane Read...come now". He had to physically remove me from the store. If Band-Aids cause that kind of panic, the above situation will cause sheer hysteria.
We quickly sign up for unemployment and wait for the money to start rollin' in, all $322 a week's worth. That should cover half of our rent and just about nothing else. I decide we can make it work if we never leave the house again and live off cans of tuna and coconut water. But wait, I keep forgetting, I'm pregnant. I need to eat some semblance of a balanced diet or this kids gonna come out looking like Steve Buscemi.
I know, how can you forget your pregnant. OK, Im gonna talk about my pregnancy just this once. I didn't show until I was 6 months and I've had the easiest pregnancy on record Im sure. No symptoms, no morning sickness, no swelling, no cravings (unless you count my unholy obsession with red seedless grapes). At this moment Im about 10 days away from giving birth and I STILL have days where I leap a little too fast off the couch, double over with a cramp, and exclaim "oh right, Im pregnant."
So here we are, or there we were, back in late March of this year, faced with a choice: get yet another soul sucking, dream obliterating corporate job...or... do the thing your supposed to do which for some reason you only see clearly when there isn't anything left to do.
We cleaned out our furniture, grabbed what little space was left on our credit cards and high tailed it to B&H Photo-NY's amusement park for all photo inclined. 3 days later our new home studio was delivered. Kino Flows, extra bulbs, stands, sand bags, and white/black seamless backgrounds with floor to ceiling framing structure. Now a trip to Home Depot: 4x8 plywood and white gloss wall paneling for floor, 6 pink insulation panels to block/reflect light, and white and black paint to cover the pink insulation panels. This was the do-it-yourself portion of the show. We could have bought white and black press board that is created just for photography but its expensive. Ours works, with lotsa gaffers tape.
Now we have a talented photographer, a willing assistant, and a new studio.
How do we get clients...
