I read an article today from cracked.com  For those that are unaware, cracked.com is a website with humorous articles about... interesting stuff.  I suggest checking it out for yourself if you want to know what I mean.  Anyway I read an article by David Wong from a few years back called "What is the Monkeysphere?" 

I would suggest reading the entire article to get the full picture but basically the monkeysphere is the group of people we keep around us that are identified as "people".  We care if they get hurt and we feel emotion when something good or bad happens to them.  Other people that are not in our "monkeysphere" are those like the people on a crowded street we walk buy or the annoying bank teller that is taking forever to process a deposit slip.  We don't see them as people with feelings and emotions, we see them as beings that are there.  

But what I found fascinating about the article is that scientists have found that the human brain can only allow about 150 people into our "monkeysphere".  And if you think about it, this isn't very many.  I mean, considering the population on the planet is roughly 7 billion.  

So what does that mean for photographers and bloggers like me?  Well it means that whoever is following your blog or considers you a friend has chosen YOU to be  one of the special 150 beings out of 7 billion to care about.  Thats pretty special if you ask me.  So I guess if you want people to care about what you do.  You have to give them a reason to choose you out of all those other people in the world.  Pretty simple, right? 

Maybe if you bring them ice-cream... 

Have you ever wanted to be the fly on the wall?  You know, to listen in on a cool conversation or watch someone work and see how they do what they do?  I feel like as photographers when we are younger we are very curious about the experienced pro's.  How do they do what they do?  How did they get that shot?  How did they handle that situation?  What made them decide to do it like this?  

It's a tough world out there so any kind of knowledge or secrets we can scrounge up is always welcome.  It probably goes with any profession.  It's just human nature.  Maybe that's why I like to visit chasejarvis.com.  Chase Jarvis is a photographer living in Seattle that has a very unique website.  Yes, his website shows his portfolio and his commercial work and all that good stuff, but it's also an excellent resource for aspiring photographers that want to follow a professional and what he does, how he does it, and what his results are.  His blog is constantly filled with articles related to the photography world.  Whether it be business, creative tips, real-world advice, tech announcements, or updates on what he's shooting.  Right now he's shooting a campaign for Aspen/Snowmass with blog and video updates each day he's out working. 


And while it's really cool to watch a professional work his magic on a photo shoot.  I think it's even cooler to watch someone just create. To see how there mind works and what they are thinking.  To watch someone do something that you never thought of.  It's pretty cool.  So while this post was kind of a plug for chasejarvis.com.  It's also about finding someone that inspires you and watching them be creative and innovative and work at something they love.  And hopefully that inspires you to be creative and innovative and work at something you love.