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Is Combining Passion And Career A Recipe For Disaster?

It’s a risky move, especially if your passion isn’t particularly profitable - by Scott Henderson
  • 24 Apr 2018
Is Combining Passion And Career A Recipe For Disaster?

It's a really tough one. We spend almost a third of our lives at work, so we want to make sure that we're doing something we really truly enjoy right? Well, by natural logic and in the pursuit of mental happiness, sure, that's the right approach to employment. 

But it seems that more and more we're being told to suck it up for the sake of career, finances and family. As recent best-seller The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck highlights... you aren't that special. So why should we expect to work in a job that truly stokes our fire. After all, who would pick up the rubbish if we were all talented NBA All-Stars?

According to Forbes magazine, combining your passion and career is a fast-track path to the poor house, and with understandable reasoning. For starters, most potential clients expect people to follow their passions for free. After all, that’s what free time is for right? The experts from the worlds largest money magazine also suggest that most passions aren’t profitable, and it’s true, it takes a certain marketing genius to bottle a passion and turn it into an in demand commodity.

aquabumps View Profile
1,747 likes - View Post on Instagram
The Aquabumps Gallery is open Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Easter 10am to 6pm...come see us! :: uge

However with such subjective measures of success, perhaps the potential financial risk of passion-hunting is worth the trade off, especially if you really can monetise your hobby. One Aussie entrepreneur to smash these rules and proving the most serious of experts wrong, is photographer Eugene Tan. Although (in a superb example of his genius), you probably Uge by his business name, Aquabumps.

For 18 years shooting at daybreak has become Eugene's morning ritual, initially capturing images of Perth’s beaches for his mates before work and emailing them all, most likely to inspire a hint of jealousy.

aquabumps View Profile
14.6k likes - View Post on Instagram
A very special guest came to visit me in the @aquabumpsgallery this morning. Such a good bloke...thanks @willsmith for dropping by. special thanks to Carly @splendour_tt #splendourtailoredtours

"Photography was kind of dorky back then, before new media, but I just thought it was the best; I had the lab to myself. It was a beautiful darkroom, in the admin building hidden underneath a staircase," Tan told The Huffington Post Australia. 

Since his humble beginnings, combining passion and career has taken Uge from Perth, to Bondi, to Rio, and Italy, all in the name of photography. He now sends out a daily email of his morning captures, to hundreds of thousands of subscribers world wide. The business model has allowed him to open his own gallery, and has attracted the attention of some serious sponsorship dollars.

And although the growth has been organic and he’s built a phenomenal business off the back of his skills, it wasn’t a quick journey to success.

aquabumps View Profile
2,834 likes - View Post on Instagram
This is what heaven looks like. And...what if I told you a world class left is a stone's throw away from here? H e a v e n ! :: uge

"A lot of people say to us, 'Oh wow, haven't you guys gone great guns in the last couple of years'. But it began 17 years ago, so really, it's been very slow," Tan says.

Anyone that’s ever laid eyes on an Aquabumps piece knows the power of imagery, and in particular Uge’s creative eye. His artworks immediately transport you to another, usually tropical, world. It's no wonder business is booming for the photographer.

And perhaps that's where the secret to success when it comes to combining passion and career; a pure skill in your chosen hobby or passion. Something that Mr Tan has perfected in spades.

Uge will be speaking this weekend at Aperture Australia, at the Sydney Convention Centre, Darling Harbour.

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Scott Henderson
Scott Henderson
Scott is the Editor of Men's Health Australia, where he oversees all editorial content of the country's largest men’s magazine. As a fitness addict, adventure sport lover, and passionate story-teller, Henderson is committed to living the Men’s Health brand.

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