Photography by Jonathan Becker.
WHAT ARE THE KEY INGREDIENTS TO A GREAT CAREER?
Well tenacity, certainly. Talent, which may not be immediately evident but can develop over time, helps. Having a reservoir of goodwill is essential. This comes from treating colleagues, friends, and even competitors with kindness and respect over the years. It’s important to stay true to your vision. In all successful careers, there’s a certain amount of luck involved. That doesn’t hurt.
WHAT DOES ENDURANCE MEAN TO YOU?
Well, endurance is everything. Steven Spielberg released Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List in the same year, 1993. Similarly, Ridley Scott made Gladiator and Black Hawk Down back-to-back when he was in his early 60s. These are remarkable achievements both in terms of the results and the tolls they must have taken on the two men. Long and fruitful careers are, in large part, about just keeping at it. There will be good days and bad ones, good months and bad ones. Don’t dwell on the failures or the successes. You learn much more from the failures, by the way. Successes rarely teach you a damn thing.
WHAT GETS EASIER FURTHER IN YOUR CAREER? WHAT GETS MORE CHALLENGING?
The actual work gets easier. Painters mature, and their line becomes freer and richer. Writers become better at getting what they are really thinking onto the page. Musicians build on every song they’ve ever composed or performed before. What gets more difficult is the energy required to keep at it. The tough part is to get up in the morning and rally the same enthusiasm you had at the beginning of it all.
