The other day we got into a conversation about what I thought were the 3 greatest films ever made. This turned into a surprisingly long conversation, (in fact more than a week later Liam has finally come up with one of his answers!) but mostly because we all automatically started to try to narrow down the question much further than the term “greatest” really suggested. How are we defining greatest? Indiana Jones is probably the film franchise that I have most enjoyed watching over the years, but The Godfather is probably the one I think is technically the greatest film in terms of cinematography and acting performances, but which is therefore “the greatest”? I have no idea! When we start to break down our idea of what really is “the best” it’s incredible how quickly the concept falls apart.
Lionel Messi is widely proclaimed as “the best footballer in the world”. His skill, control and creativity along with his ability to put the goal in the net is unbelievable and his title is perhaps well earned, but is he any good in goal? Is he the world’s greatest defender as well? Have we placed each and every footballer in the world in the exact same team and circumstances that Messi enjoys and scientifically tested which one is actually the best? The fact is that a Goalkeeper is incredibly unlikely to be proclaimed as the world’s greatest footballer, simply because the position they occupy isn’t as exciting or as flamboyant as their attacking counterparts. They might, however be proclaimed to be the greatest goalkeeper in the world, but then a goalkeeper is only able to prove he’s the best if he’s consistently playing against the best strikers in the world; an opportunity afforded to very few. Yes you have to work incredibly hard to get there, but there’s a huge element of luck involved as well – you have to be in the right place at the right time to be spotted, you have to avoid injury, you have the right people around you to help you on your way.
We live in an increasingly competitive world and one where we’re all under pressure to be “the best” in our particular fields. In a world where we can make public statements at the push of a button and easily keep track of what everyone else is up to anywhere in the world it’s easy to feel that we’re failing, that everyone else is a step ahead of us. But it’s important to remember something – we’re not all playing on the same field.
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I’ve had so many conversations with photographers and videographers about who is the best in the world, and although a few big names do generally pop up in conversation, it’s rare to find complete agreement amongst a group. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago though, when talking to someone about the person I saw as the world’s best wedding videographer to a friend who knew nothing about the subject that I was asked a question that left me completely flummoxed: “so why are they the best?”
I’ve thought about this long and hard – their composition is outstanding and some of the action shots they’ve captured look incredible, but then I know for a fact that much of their images are carefully posed and that they have the luxury of being in a position where the demand for their services is high enough that they can choose to only work with the clients who will do whatever they ask to get those kind of shots – a luxury few of us can afford and also if they’re creating those images by design then they instantly have an advantage over someone capturing in purely a documentary style. The way they used light was absolutely beautiful, but the location they were shooting in had naturally beautiful light and the architecture created shadows unlike any you’re likely to capture anywhere else in the world. Their choice of music and the way they edited seemed just perfect, but again they had been given complete creative freedom without any limitations, and the freedom they’d had in shooting along with the incredible location and wonderful light undoubtedly has an impact on the ease of getting such a quality edit together.
Now don’t get me wrong, as I said before getting yourself into a position to have that kind of freedom and be able to shoot in those locations requires incredible hard work and a huge amount of skill and I couldn’t have more respect for what these industry leaders have achieved and for the incredible standard that they’re working to, but it seems to me that truly being “the best” is impossibly subjective, and if we work to try to meet other people’s definitions of what is “the greatest” we end up being nothing more than a copy – skilled but unoriginal, never happy with our own achievements, and that doesn’t sound so great to me.
Throughout history those that we now look back on as “the greatest” have been mavericks – original thinkers who have pushed themselves to the limits but never cared what anyone else thought. Charles Darwin had an idea that went against everything the public (and much of the scientific community) believed at the time, risking widespread condemnation and ridicule, but that theory went on to change our whole understanding of life on this planet. If he had followed the consensus of what was the “best” theory at the time he may well have still been considered a top scientist, but our actual understanding might have been put back decades. He wasn’t trying to be “the best”, he was following the path that he believed to be right, and that he achieved what he achieved was down to his own commitment and hard work in following that path relentlessly.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t try to be the best, try to be the original. Greatness isn’t achieved by following what everyone else does, it’s achieved by seeking to better yourself, to improve your understanding and hone your skills whilst following your own path. Don’t settle for where you are now, always strive to take your work to another level. Be creative, be original, but don’t try to be the best, you’re better than that.
