Above photograph taken from Brooklyn Bridge in New York by Daniel W. Coburn
The Reckoning
For the first time in my life I feel confident that I understand my purpose. I don’t understand why it took 30 years, because I was born an artist. From the time I was old enough to hold a pencil, I loved the act of creation. Constantly drawing and painting as a kid, I became obsessed with making pictures on paper or canvas.
As I got older I became influenced by many factors that led me wandering aimlessly on a path towards the “American Dream”_ I racked up credit card debt, bought a house, and have been engaged to 3 different women since I graduated high school :c) I’ve been married and divorced. I’ve found myself on the brink of bankruptcy and insanity on more than one occasion. It’s taken me 3 decades of life experience to realize that I’m not required to meet the expectations imposed by tradition and society. I refuse to live a mediocre life, work at a mediocre job, have a mediocre retirement, and then die a mediocre death. Yes! we can all find safety and security in mediocrity but where is the fun in that? We only get one crack at life!!
The past few years have been great ones. I am about to get married for the second time to an independent, strong, caring and talented woman. My career as a fine-art photographer has been a great success. I don’t have a credit card payment, car loan or mortgage to worry about. The timing is perfect, so now I can live the life that brings me happiness
The Reasons Why I Left
Friday was my last official day of work in the corporate world. For the last 10+ years I have been employed as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator at Jostens Printing and Publishing in Topeka. I gave my two weeks notice in Mid-May. My departure was quiet and uneventful. Just the way I wanted it.
Now that I am officially gone I feel at liberty to discuss some of the reasons why I left. I spent many of my years at Jostens as a model employee. I volunteered for special teams, special projects, and sacrificed my personal life to do extra work because I thought that I was somehow making a difference. I also thought that I was a valuable employee and that someday I would be rewarded for my hard work in the form of salary or special recognition. I was mistaken. I spent the last few years as an average employee with a serious chip on my shoulder which was definitely not a healthy situation. Perhaps the most discouraging part is that throughout my years with this company, I was always treated as if I was expendable. Regardless of my level of performance, I could always be replaced. It didn’t matter if I busted my butt or sat on my butt, I was always treated the same. My opinions and ideas didn’t seem to matter or make any difference. I am convinced that management really didn’t want employees that could think_ They wanted robots to perform a job and keep their mouths shut. Now I just sound disgruntled :c)
The good news is that I realized it was time to get out. In my 10 years at Jostens I saw very talented people squander their potential. I finally escaped!! It’s only been a week, but I already feel rested and relieved.
You are visiting the blog of fine art photographer Daniel W. Coburn. More photographs can be found on his official website.
Posted by dancoburn 
