An effective photograph tells a story– when you look at it you are transported to a different time, a different place, and you meet a variety of interesting people.

How do you get to that point where your photographs are so effective they need no description? Many creative types, like Ira Glass have found out the hard way, that it takes a lot to be “good”. While Mr. Glass speaks in this video about the art of writing, his words ring true to anyone who wants to make it in a creative field- art, photography, writing, sculpture; this video applies to them all.  Thanks to photofocus.com for sharing this, we were inspired by its message in a big way, and we hope the photographers reading this can also find a great deal of inspiration in these words.

Ira gives this advice to aspiring writers: “The thing I’d like to say to you with all my heart is that most everybody I know who does interesting creative work went through a phase of years where with their good taste, they could tell what they were doing wasn’t as good as they wanted it to be … it didn’t have that special thing they wanted it to have … Everybody goes through that phase … and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.”

… and we think everyone could take these words to heart, especially those who strive to take great photographs.