Stay Small

Stay Real

Succulent blooms in Dottie’s garden

I have personally been part of business ventures that lost their way through growth and expansion.

Sidewalk rose

Even favorite neighborhood restaurants and pizza joints tend to lose their essential comfort level (and food quality) when the owners begin thinking that expanding the dining room to accommodate more customers will create more profit.

Fly away jay

“Now with new locations throughout the area”. That means that the personal touch that made the business attractive is no longer part of the experience. The owners thought they would be happy letting someone else run the show so they could enjoy the good life. It didn’t take long before the business, faithful customers and profits were all gone.

Golden iris

I have several personal experiences with how even a small amount of greed can mess up a good thing. One example would be a little trio in Ashland, Oregon that only played weekends at homecomings, proms, Elks club dances and such in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

We were happy. We enjoyed playing together and people enjoyed our style. We made enough money and had the time and space to enjoy our individual lives and loving relationships. 

It was nice to have all week for things that were important to developing as human beings.

Succulent flowers

Eventually the day came when opportunities arose to make more money playing 5 nights a week at resorts, bars and hotels throughout the country.

I tried to explain that we were all happy doing what we were doing and our lives were rich with friends and lives in beautiful surroundings. I tried to share a bit of my experience in road bands. “There is a good chance that we will lose the spirit that brought us together when we go work for greater profits”

Sure enough, the “Gain the world and lose your soul” adage proved to be true. Somewhere in Montana or Idaho, I ended up telling them to find a replacement within 3 weeks because I was going back to Oregon.

Is this really Redding

Sometimes people don’t understand why I don’t _________. “You could make a lot of money if you _________”, they say.  I try to explain, as best as I can that I have already done that and I found out it wasn’t fulfilling.

I do appreciate their good intentions when they suggest ways to monetize my music, my photography, my artwork, my announcing, etc. I am happy just to be able to share what gifts and joy I have to share.

I recently entered the “Is this really Redding” bokeh photo in a contest for a chance to win a fancy camera lens. I got a couple of emails from the site where I sent it.

They say that it has achieved popularity and they added; “Have you considered submitting this photo to 500px Marketplace for commercial licensing? You'll earn an industry-leading 60% net of every license sold!”

I think I would rather stay small, feel real and enjoy my photography experiences, thank you.

Today’s Video;

Share Your Joy