While in New York this past week, I couldn’t help but reflect on past visits, including when I lived in New Jersey and every trip to NYC really was a “visit”.   There are so many of our industry’s icons who have spent most of the careers in NYC, one of them, Richard Avedon. 

One of the highlights of my career might be when, after I called him Mr. Avedon several times in a bar in Tucson he said, “Skip, you can call me Dick.”   That was the start of a nice friendship.  I don’t want to make it sound like we were the best of buddies and about to buy a boat together, but he always said hello, always sent me a new book (signed) and I even lucked out and tasted his cooking once when he made us lunch in his flat above the studio.

In thinking about Avedon and the contribution he made to photography, I happened to run across a great quote of his that seems appropriate to so many of us.  He absolutely loved photography, but his outlook on “work” was unique – although when I think about how many of us absolutely love what we do, maybe it’s not so unique!

“I believe in maniacs. I believe in type As. I believe that you’ve got to love your work so much that it is all you want to do. I believe you must betray your mistress for your work, you betray your wife for your work; I believe that she must betray you for her work. I believe that work is the one thing in the world that never betrays you, that lasts. If I were going to be a politician, if I were going to be a scientist, I would do it every day. I wouldn’t wait for Monday. I don’t believe in weekends.   If you’re headed for a life that’s only involved with making money and that you hope for satisfaction somewhere else, you’re headed for a lot of trouble. And whatever replaces vodka when you’re 45 is what you’re going to be doing. ” Richard Avedon

Nothing I could add would top that!