The following article was written by Lisa Pellegrene, and was originally published on Patch.com on September 14, 2018.
Thomas W.P. Slatin discusses the importance of pursuing one’s true talents and abilities, and “staying true” in doing work one loves.
Thomas W.P. Slatin is a name that some know from social media, where he reaches hundreds of thousands of people in his online audience through his writing and photography. He is known by industry peers as having an “innate ability to bring life to previously abandoned places throughout the world.” He documents abandoned buildings, through his photographs and this translates into an “ability to breathe life into buildings and locations that would be otherwise forgotten,” according to industry peers. Thomas Slatin stated in a recent interview, “When I take a picture, I try to capture that moment, and I’ll know when I’ve done my job when someone looks at that image and tells me that they feel as if they were there in that moment while looking at that photograph.” Speaking of “breathing life” into his work, there is one occasion where this took on a very literal meaning, a building was restored directly attributed to Tom Slatin’s photography work. Recalling the story Slatin states, “I spent an entire day photographing an abandoned property simply for purposes of preservation, due to fearing that one day the massive structure, with its ornate Spanish style architecture and rich historical significance could be lost forever, or simply fall into such disrepair that it would not be able to be salvageable.” What resulted involved a developer who saw Slatin’s photography work online, and then this developer “became determined to restore it to its original state,” concludes Thomas Slatin.
In addition to his photography work, with a “fascination of documenting otherwise abandoned places,” Thomas W.P. Slatin is a writer. In accordance with his method relating to his photography, he “stays true” by staying authentic through his writing work also. Much of Slatin’s writing work is viewable on his website at www.tomslatin.com. Thomas Slatin describes his writing as “taking a real uninhibited look at my life relating to my experiences, my relationships, and especially my thoughts and ideas. I present them in a unique, almost journalistic fashion, reminiscent of an 80’s-era television show narrator.” By profession, he additionally couples his talent in photography and writing to assist others to develop completely customized web sites through his design work. “It has literally taken me years to perfect my skills, and it has evolved to the point where every single element is exactly where I feel it should be, and the websites that I design look great on a variety of devices,” as summarized by Slatin.
Perhaps most remarkable about Thomas Slatin’s work is his ability to “stay true,” pursing work he loves and writing about topics most authentic to him. Slatin’s advice to others, “I encourage all to pursue work that they love. The people who I know that are successful in life are the ones who refused to give up. In order to be successful, one must be resilient, and have a tremendous amount of determination and patience.” He concluded the interview with some insight, “my motivation to write is something that I feel as if I was born with. It is something that I feel strongly about and I cannot ever see myself not writing or taking photographs.” Continuing, after my father passed away, I was reminded that our time on Earth is limited. I find being authentic in all you do and staying true, is of utmost importance, it definitely is for me” concludes Slatin.
20 thoughts on “Stay True, Perspective From An American Writer And Photographer”
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Wonderful perspective real American born. Thanks for sharing
Its important to pursue ones dream and talent..that gives us the motivation to push harder in the face of challenges.. Thanks for sharing some details about your life
If talent is not guide it may turn something else. You are a great fellow. Thanks for this post.
It is a little wordy I think. It is okay though after all it is you sharing your life. I am no photographer but I can relate to you. In particular in having dreams. We all have that one way or the other.
Pursuing what you love and making money or a career out of it is wonderful. Not many people can do that.
Some people can’t pursue they’re dreams because of lack of resources. Not all are blessed to have a career out of their passion.
I agree. Nothing comes easy pretending someonend else thay you’re not.
This is why it is good to keep doing what ones finds exciting. Life on Earth is too short for living another’s dream.
Staying true in a passion you really love doing is sometimes quite difficult. You really are an amazing by always remaining true to what you have always envisioned in all your works.
Since I started visiting your blog I just like the personality behind it, you are so authentic in your writing and your photos are always unique and original. You are doing well.
Thank you very much for the encouragement! ♥️
Many have seen and congratulated you in your work. I would also encourage you to keep on with the good work.
We are most productive when we are doing something that we love. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
A lot of people are stuck doing things they don’t enjoy only to regret it later. It’s always best to stay true.
I am inspired by your story Thomas. You quit a career in medicine to pursue your passion. That’s the definition of staying true.
“The people who I know that are successful in life are the ones who refused to give up.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.
When doing what you love you can never get bored. You always have the fire to keep going.
Staying true to your job choosen can help you use better your talents, and makes a huge difference in the results that you can get at the end.
Great synopsis of Tom’s artistic ventures. I agree, that it’s very admirable that he captures places and moments in time so they’ll linger in our memories forever. I always enjoy looking at his photos and his insights on life.