Meet Darrell Watts

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

Hi Darrell, 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?

Oh man, work ethic. We are talking about consistency, grit, hustle, tough skin, etc. I get my work ethic from my family. My dad has been with the same company for over 45 years, I have aunts and uncles that have been in corporate America for 20 plus years. Having a strong work ethic requires hard work, and hard work beats talent. Me and my brother was consistent with a security job for 10 plus years. The pressure of having good work ethic is greatly overlooked now. Back then, work ethic meant a lot to companies. Now, it’s just about hiring any and everybody just to have a body. When me and brother was preteens and teens, our aunt taught us on how to work for ourselves as entrepreneurs. Monday through Friday we would go to school, do homework, etc. Then on the weekend (Saturdays mainly) we would hustle to cut members of our church their lawns. We didn’t have a price at hand, but it was important we learned what time and money can do for us (working for corporate America vs self employment). That’s where my work ethic comes from.

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?

Absolutely! I am a photographer, I’m working on turning my hobby as a photographer to a business. The most exciting about being a photographer is taking photos and putting my own touches to it. I believe that the most special thing about being a photographer is it can mentally help your soul. Many photographs of nature, animals and portrait (people) can inspire other people to do better in life. I take photos of nature, people, and some animals. I also take some requests if I can do so. I want my photos to be breathtaking and exciting to see. As of now, I’m wanting to sell my photos but not prepared yet as I’m still working out some kinks to make that work.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Consistency, hard work and failing. My advice is this: embrace failure. If you fail, the opportunities of being better are greater. Learn to fail and understand what you did wrong so you can do better. My other advice is have a strong network or build a strong network. Creating a network is key to your journey. Whatever it is, learn to connect with others with the same passion and you can learn a lot from them. Let consistency show your work. If you aren’t consistent, people are not gonna believe in your work. If you show up every month, every week, two times a week or whatever, keep that consistency. I go by the motto: “Hard work beats talent.” Show your work consistently. During my journey, I’m learning a lot that I need to work on, and that is having a strong network. I’m working on that now as we speak. Also having some social media skills, learning how you can succeed with social media, and word of mouth, going out to your community and reaching out. And my last and biggest advice is believe in yourself. Imposter Syndrome is real.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

This one right here is easy. The only person who has been helping me through my photography journey is my brother Darren. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would be as far as I am now. Financially, he has been a big help for me, I suffer from imposter syndrome, he’s the only one that believed in my work from day one. That kind of support cannot go unnoticed. I been building on my essential skills and knowledge, so a combination of me and my brother is the reason why my photography journey has been pretty good.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All photos were taken by Darrell Watts.

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