Advance Notes: "The bumps in the business road aren't large if you love what you're doing." That's how the saying goes. Can you pass the test?

I've been observing picture professionals and their business operations for 35 years. Many survive. But many more fail. Of those that fail, the most common flaw was their refusal to pay attention to the business aspects of their enterprise. In other words - they went out of business not because they were not good at what they do, but because they were not good business people.

Being a good businessperson can be learned.

"But I don't like all that drudgery associated with business," you might say.

Yes, it's true, meticulous record keeping and routine tasks are involved. Record keeping. Statistics to keep. Correspondence to fill. Forms to fill out. "Ugh!" you say - and you are correct.

But look at it this way: Are you in love with what you're doing? If you are, then the inconveniences associated with operating your business should pale against your rewards.

THE BEST YEARS

History shows that anyone can succeed if they're willing to put up with the inconveniences (and "the lean years") associated with their endeavor. Actors often talk, write, and sing about their years of struggle. While it was happening, they say, it wasn't pleasant. But if they survived, and went on to fame - they often will comment that those years -were the best years. Can you draw a parallel to your own efforts? If it's any consolation, you might be passing through "the best years" right now. Enjoy every moment!

The inventor Thomas Edison didn't "discover" the electric light bulb. He simply put up with the drudgery of testing more than 7,000 different ways to make it work. He was in love with what he was doing. When someone asked him, "Isn't it boring - going through all those tests?" he replied, "On the contrary, it's exhilarating. Now I know 7,000 ways it cannot be done."

INSPIRATION VS. PERSPIRATION

We tend to call someone a genius if they succeed far beyond their colleagues. But Edison's famous reply was, "Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration."

The actor George Burns was asked how he got to the top in his profession. He stumbled with a few clichés about being lucky and working hard, and then said, "What I'm trying to say is - if you are really in love with what you're doing - the failures along the way won't bother you."

It bears repeating: people fail at their business not because they're not good at what they do, but because they didn't apply themselves to good business practices. It's all woven together - the major operations and the detailed business side.

There's a prevalent misconception in the art world that "creative people are not good business people." You could not convince Shakespeare, Picasso, or Andy Warhol of that notion. Yes, the business side of your career can get stormy. But if you are in love with what you are doing, such squalls blow over and you sail on.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. Telephone: 1 800 624 0266 Fax: 1 715 248 7394. Web site: www.photosource.com/bank