We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Herbert Ascherman, Jr. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Herbert, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I graduated college and took a position as a Middle School Instructor. Two years later I was fired because I had major issues with bureaucracy.
I joined my father in his business.
11 months later I was fired because I had major issues with bureaucracy.
At that point I made a decision:
I needed a career.
I needed a career from which I could not be fired.
And as as long as I was going to have to work, I might as well enjoy myself.
Hence, I became a photographer.
Fifty years later I’m still joyfully employed.,
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
The Joy of Photography liues in the fact that no two days are the same: every day, every person who walks through the door presents a different set of challenges, opportunities, and different (rewarding) goals to achieve.
I have worked in 44 states and 36 countries.
Photography has provided me with a life of adventure, exploration, and a great deal of personal satisfaction in my achievements.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The short answer to this question is Education, Education, Education.
I have a Masters Degree in Literature/Psychology/Education.
The constant refrain from clients is that I don’t use my education…but the essence of a portrait photographer is clear and precise communication: with my client, my constituency, and my community.
I have given over 400 lectures and classes. I have written several books. I have taught here and abroad.
My communication skills have allowed me a life of travel and adventure, as well as having aided mightily in my photographic career..
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I was twenty-seven when Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was first published inn 1974.
This book, and a never ending quest for Quality in my life and profession, has been the guiding light of my career. I have re-read the book every ten years hence, to better understand the necessity of a life of Quality .
“You’ve got to live right, too. It’s the way you live that predisposes you to avoid the traps and see the right facts. You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It’s easy – make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally. That’s the way all the experts do it. The making of a painting or the tuning of a motorcycle is not separate from the rest of your existence. If you’re a sloppy thinker the six days a week you aren’t working on your machine, what trap avoidances, what gimmicks, can make you all of a sudden sharp on the seventh? It all goes together.
“But, if you’re a sloppy thinker six days a week and you really try to be sharp on the seventh, then maybe the next six days aren’t going to be as sloppy as the preceding six. What I’m trying to come up with…I guess, is a shortcut to living right.
“The real cycle you’re working on is the cycle called yourself. The machine that appears to be ‘out there’ and the person that appears to be ‘in here’ are not two separate things.
They grow toward Quality or fall away from Quality together.”
Contact Info:
- Website: AschermanPhoto.net
- Instagram: Herbert AScherman
- Facebook: Herbvert AScherman
- Youtube: The Word from Herb
