Pay Attention to What Ignites You with Jody MacDonald

I think, because my childhood was very non-typical, that it allowed me to get the confidence to just go 'Screw you ... I'm just going to do what I love.' And, to me, I know that that is the most important thing, and that still drives, like constantly today, every day really.

I think, as artists... most of us, we love making our art, but we don't know anything about the business side of it, but that's such a huge side of it. You can take the greatest photographs in the world, but if you don't get them out into the world properly, nobody's going to know who you are.

I hear this comment all the time: 'Oh, everybody's a photographer nowadays ... How does that make you feel?' Well, there are a lot of people taking pictures, but in my mind, there are a lot of people not taking them well.

I can't emphasize it enough—being critical of your own work. I think that is the most important thing that a lot of people don't do very well, and it's a really hard thing to do when you have an emotional connection.