When Things Go Horribly Amiss

Several years ago I realized that I was getting older and I needed to start transitioning from the commercial work I was currently doing to work that spoke to my passion. I went after work shooting for a local art gallery which also might provided me with the opportunity to display my work and to generate some feedback. I interviewed with the executive director and we came to an understanding that worked for both of us. I started documenting the installations, the artists and the programs; all worked so well I was given great latitude in what I wanted to accomplish and being trusted with the gallery camera.

Then one night I was shooting an event of mine for another nonprofit. I got extremely careless and put the camera down for a moment. A group of professional thieves were working the hotel, caused a diversionary rucks, dropped a coat over the camera and in that moment of carelessness the camera was stolen. I was sick to my stomach the police came and took a statement, told me that they usually find pawned somewhere and not to worry. That night in bed I came up with a plan to make good on having lost the camera by forgoing my pay for a couple of projects that were in the works.

Well the best laid plans came to naught as the director was really pissed, so pissed in fact that I was let go without being able to tell him about my plan on restitution. There was nothing I could do to make things better, when I ran into him at different functions he wouldn’t even recognize my existence. After my stroke and the years of recovery and slowly getting back into the arts community he still wouldn’t acknowledge me.

Then one day on FaceBook I figured I had nothing to lose and I ask him to be my friend. At the next function he was there opening his own gallery and he was very cordial to me and said that he saw we were friends on FaceBook. I replied that we always were friends only he didn’t know it and gave him a relieved smile. While maybe not the best of friend’s at least he now speaks to me and one day I hope to explain how I did have a plan to pay for the camera that I so carelessly lost.

So while using and losing someone’s equipment is not recommended for helping make or keep a friendship maybe just maybe you’ll be lucky enough to have that someone speak to you again. One can only try the best that you can, acknowledge you made a mistake and hope. Just figure out a way to maybe make things right as best you can. Don’t get mad yourself and cop an attitude and be prepared for the injury to heal itself and hopefully things will work out.