Someone in the same profession and in competition for the same business as you cannot truly be called a rival if you are envious of them, have disdain toward them, or if your profits are inversely tied to theirs. True rivals raise each other to new levels through competition. Having said that, in my admittedly narrow-minded view, I don’t feel that I have anyone in my profession that I can honestly refer to as an industry rival.
Instead, I find my motivation to excel elsewhere. There is one place where I find myself thinking, “I, too, must do the best I can!” It’s at the charcoal grill restaurant Shidashi-ya Kenchan 3. “Ken-chan”, as the owner is affectionately called, is a childhood friend going back to kindergarten. Over the last 20 years I have been meeting up with him relatively often. He previously ran a bento shop, but now has barbecue restaurants in Kannai and Koganecho.
Among the restaurant’s must-try items are tanshio (salted tongue), o-toro horumon (fatty offal), nakaochi karubi (rib finger meat), wagyu karubi (Japanese beef short rib), and wagyu harami (Japanese beef skirt). I can say without the least intention of flattery that the food at this place is off-the-charts great.
Just how delicious is it? So much so that I take my most important clients there. And not only is the food fantastic, it’s a bargain! When I ask Ken-chan how he is able to offer such great deals, he answers, “If you pay a lot of money, you expect to be served excellent food. However, if the food is cheap, yet delicious, it highlights your skills.”
Though he said this casually, it was something that only a person with true confidence in the skill and quality of his/her work can say with pride. I was deeply inspired. While our professions differ, I feel his words apply to photography as well. After eating I promptly returned to my photo studio with a renewed energy to hone my skills. I was motivated to work on fine tuning a camera and this put my mind at ease.
I recalled paying Ken-chan a visit one year on Christmas Day after a long day at the office. Of course, he was hard at work, too.
He said to me, “You really should take a little time off.”
“Hah, you, too.” I replied.
