Meet Daniel Bagherpour

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Daniel Bagherpour. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Daniel, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I learned the value of sweat, blood, and daylight, working on my grandparents’ South Dakota farm for a summer. I learned the value of interpersonal connection, hospitality, and making customers days while delivering their needs window tinting on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. “Work-ethic” is kind of a buzzword that I’ve seen a lot of people throw around to claim they work harder than other people, or that certain members of society don’t have what it takes to be employed in certain positions. But I would say my work ethic, if you want to call it that, is a mix of both the Midwestern sense of urgency marked by endless tasks to achieve before a fleeting summer fades, and traditional indigenous values inherited from both friends I’ve met in the New World and friends and family I grew up with in the Old World.

Working on the farm was hard. I had it much easier in my day than my mother did, as I only worked it for a season and that season had a definite start and a definite end. It was as wonderful as it was exhausting, getting to sweat alongside family members, ensuring crops were harvested and vehicles were maintained. I would not be so bold as to title myself a farmer. I think that position should be held in reverence as much as the title “senator” or “judge”, because farmers have a lot at stake and they give up their lives to serve their community in ways that most of us never even realize. I would say, I know how hard they work, and I value them tremendously.

Working as a window tinter in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, was fast paced and required a level of precision and craftsmanship which I had never seen before. My boss and I got to meet little old ladies who needed their windows tinted to save energy on their electric bills. They praised our work so much, we felt like superheroes after leaving their homes. It was fun work, getting to be in air conditioning most of the time. We turned the windows of ordinary businesses into shaded works of art. Sometimes at the end of the day my boss and I got to jump in the ocean on our way to the dump, or he would buy us lunch. The standards of excellence were still high in this business, but there was a lot less stress, and a much smaller chance at losing one’s life, or accidentally taking someone else’s. It was a big change from the farm. Sometimes on the farm I only had 30 seconds to scarf down a sandwich between prying down mechanical parts with a giant crow bar, sometimes I didn’t know if I might get run over or crushed by a bale of hay.

So that’s my opinion on “work ethic”. I think work is a good thing. Before Satan made sin, God made work, and it was a gift. I believe as it says in Ecclesiastes chapter 9, no matter what it is you do, you should do it well. I try to treat my coworkers with dignity and respect and to always put out 100%. I’ve been blessed to have worked with a few Godly men who taught me that.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I create Video, Photo, and Graphic content for small to medium sized businesses. This can be anything from 30 minute documentaries, to designing logos or flyers. What excites me most about what I get to do is seeing a product go from development to delivery. In the beginning all we have is an idea, usually the brainchild of the client. You could equate this to the rough block of marble an ancient sculptor would start with. It is my job to reveal the beauty of that idea in its purest form. A lot of thought goes into chiseling a masterpiece: something that will leave a lasting impression on its audience.

A crucial concept in filmmaking is that it is not about how much you can add but how much you can take away. The editor laboriously scours the expanse of footage entrusted to him/her compiling only the best moments, then throws out half of those, and presents the final selection to the viewer. It takes many hours, and many drafts to create a video that incites a visceral response. The reaction of the audience is the filmmakers reward.

Though it is a slightly different process for each artform, I feel a similar sense of satisfaction in delivering each of the products Windword Writing LLC offers whether it’s a final batch of real estate photos, professional headshots, or graphics. The latest project I was excited about was for a San Diego based surf company called DragonSkin LLC (https://mydragonskin.com/). Six years ago I had the opportunity to design their logo, and this year they mentioned they would like to create some stickers for their customers. I spent hours on each sticker design making sure the artistry reflected their brand culture. It was a lot of fun getting to submit drafts for feedback and then making revisions. Just a few weeks ago, I opened up a package delivered to my address to find 10 packs of the stickers I designed! It’s fulfilling to see something that was once an idea take physical shape, and then be sent out into the world!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Being available, flexible, and teachable are probably the three qualities that have best served me over the years.

Availability: They say “fortune favors the prepared”, and I think that’s fairly accurate. There are things in life you can prepare for, and things you can’t, so at least try to have a game plan for the scenarios you can see coming. That’s part of being available: having your gear together, no matter what industry you’re in, knowing your craft, the ins and the outs of it, and being ready to perform the day someone needs your help. The other part of this is letting people know you exist, showing them your skill set, and how easy it is for you to help them.

Flexibility: The reason I said the statement “fortune favors the prepared” is fairly accurate, is because there’s a lot of times in life that fortune just sucks, prepared or not. That’s where flexibility can be your best friend. You could have all your equipment ready for a shoot, full film crew, actors, a beautifully designed set, and life throws you a curveball. Being able to use your resources creatively in that situation might be the only way out. I’ve had several experiences like that both in my field and in daily life. So being prepared and flexible should leave you pretty well equipped for the day fortune comes whether it’s good or bad.

Teachability: Be teachable. It doesn’t matter if you are just an extra on a film set, or the director, there’s always something you can learn from others. Teachability is about bettering yourself, allowing different perspectives to enhance your own. I’m not saying let people walk all over you, but be willing to listen to what everybody has to say. If you don’t like it, or you think they are wrong, you can let it go in one ear and out the other, but at least you can never be accused of willful ignorance. Being teachable opens you up to a world of possibilities: more people will want to work with you, and your skills will grow with every new project you get.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

When I encounter something that is overwhelming I take a deep breath and a step back. Slowing down your breathing and breathing deeply literally sends more oxygen to your brain. It’s like the difference between editing on a computer that has no fan and one that is water cooled. They might both function the same at low level tasks, but the minute you try to process multiple 4K videos in a timeline, you’ll see the computer that is cooling itself is way more effective. Your brain is a computer too, and sometimes it gets laggy, or runs out of memory, or needs to clear its cache. Taking a minute out of your busy day to meditate, pray, or just drink some water and eat a snack will work wonders when you are juggling multiple tasks in a fast paced, high stress environment.

For overwhelming situations that last longer than a day, sleep is my secret weapon. Do your best to get a good night’s rest, every body is different; for some it’s 6 hours for some it’s 8, but you know what your body needs. Get that sleep and watch your brain unwind. The next day I bet you’ll have a new perspective and a better outlook, than what you had when you were in that stressful environment.

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