Unique or YOUnique?

How many times do you feel like the "odd" one?  Me - often.  Even from birth, my parents insisted I be different.  Later, I claimed unique.  Nature is a great way to see the importance of being unique.

As a portrait photographer, my hobby is nature photography.  If I can't portray humans and their beauty, I turn my trusty "Big Daddy" Nikon D700 towards those that do not require a model release but demand you capture their fleeting beauty.

Texas roads in the springtime are a magnificent display of this fleeting beauty.  If you've never driven them from late March to early May you just haven't lived.  As far as you can see and  drive, the colors abound.  Looking a bit closer, I found some uniqueness hidden amongst them.

In early March, everything turns blue.  The pastures appear to be carpeted in the outrageous Bluebonnet.  But what if it isn't blue?  I found these white ones on the side of the road.  People must find them very attractive and instead of letting them "seed out" they had been picked the next day.  Sad.  Now, we have to hope there are dormant seeds for next year.

A couple of weeks later, the fields begin to turn coral and out pops  the Indian Paintbrush.  Now these are striking in themselves, but I found two of their unique treasures this year.

 

The pink and the yellow paintbrushes were so awesome to find.  A large group of the coral is spectacular, but I found a message starting to emerge.  Be different. Be unique.  Stand out.

By the end of April we are getting so anxious for the third most popular tradition that it's hard to wait for  those wild and crazy Indian Blankets.  The treat?  How about this one that refused the tradition of a dab of yellow on the ends with large amounts of the red/orange in the center.  Oh no, this one has it's own idea - be unique. Can you spot it? Easier to notice isn't it.

Keep in mind, I've seen bluebonnets every spring for every year of my life and I have only seen the white bluebonnets once, and had never seen the pink or lemon paintbrushes.  That's a bit unique.

All of this comes at a time when I am starting a new business where literally everyone can do my job.  Technology has made it extremely easy and affordable for nearly everyone to do photography.  I am thrilled.  But, if it's to be my profession I must be different, unique, odd.  I have to offer something treasurable that no one else can.  But doesn't most businesses?   I'd hate to own a major franchise where I could not be different or unique.

Guess this depends on your perspective, but for me, it will be an adventure to showcase my uniqueness in a way others appreciate and find treasurable.  This is so exciting and I hope you enjoy these examples, but more importantly, look for the unique.  Be confident as the odd one in a group.  Show your beauty as no one else can.  Offer something treasurable by being you.

Hmmm...unique or Younique?