Learn by teaching

I have had to conquer this inner desire to keep methods and secrets to myself. The truth is, there’s no secret to designing a great brochure or taking a beautiful photo.

Light, retouching, colors, and composition are free to everyone.

What I’ve found is that the things I am not willing to share always rot away inside of me and I naturally evolve into a different artist. Those “trade secrets” that I held so firmly end up being worthless to me in the end.

Art is simple, but there is an intuition you must have and a feel you acquire making art over time. This happens as you create new work (create lots of new work!) It is art, not science. There is no textbook you can read and become a great photographer. You become a great photographer by taking pictures.

If you’re good at what you do, the thing that makes you special is not able to be shared. But the knowledge and techniques you used to become such an artist are shareable.

When you share your secrets, skills, and knowledge with others, you re-learn those things yourself and you get better as well. I've seen it in my own life dozens of times. When I share what I know, I learn on a deeper level and really understand the material.

Learn, teach, and then learn from what you taught. Then teach that new stuff. The cycle goes on and on.