Jeff Bogle has a mantra with his own photography: Quality from passion. It’s why he admires men like Don Julio Gonzalez and the creation of legendary products.
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We worked with our friends at Tequila Don Julio to write this post.
Quality from passion is what I’ve been actively seeking out in art & design, entertainment, cuisine and in every single aspect of life for the past two and a half decades. I admire people like Don Julio Gonzalez who brought their passion to the masses in order to create something legendarily great and now, in my late 30’s, a new passion is helping define me and set me apart with an old craft.I have never written, directed or starred in a feature film, never wrote or had a published a novel, and I haven’t opened a restaurant, painted a watercolor, designed a building or penned a song. A relative lack of experience has never stopped me from recognizing quality derived from intense passion in any field, regardless of if I have a working knowledge or a prerequisite taste for them. I can sense passion coursing through the veins of most any project, and it’s incredibly exciting to behold because when you have passion, you have everything.
Photography, like the culinary arts and filmmaking, is another craft I had never dabbled in, not until roughly two years ago when suddenly, just as in the origin story of Don Julio Tequila, a generous benefactor put their faith in me. Up to that point my wife had the lone finger on the button. It was I out in front of the lens with our children, but that was always more a matter of recordkeeping than of making great art. And then a leading camera manufacturer invited me to join an exclusive group of people charged with framing the world in a unique way with a range of cameras and lenses, and the trajectory of my life was forever changed. I think they saw in me a storyteller who works extremely hard and is honest in all that I do to bring positivity into a world that needs it more than ever.
My photography career began with absolutely nothing, save for the strong desire to put my own unique stamp on the world, as it would be seen from my cameras. Over the past two years, I have worked endlessly to do exactly that and it has not gone unnoticed. My photographs have been used in print ads, as images on mobile devices, and have garnered me press and numerous employment opportunities. This is only the beginning of the greatness I can accomplish with a camera in my right hand and passion in my head & heart for showcasing the beautiful world that surrounds us all but that is rarely REALLY seen.
My brief but successful photography life reminds me of Don Julio Gonzalez, the legendary man who started a tequila company from scratch with similar marching orders: hard honest work with a lack of judgment. He set out to make something uniquely great and succeeded. I invite you to watch the gorgeous Legend of Don Julio Gonzalez Video above, created to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos, and featuring the man Don Julio himself speaking from his final recorded interview. Hear him speak about his tequila’s humble origin and the power inherent in hard work, honesty and an intense passion for your craft.
Now ask yourself, what is your passion and are you being true to it every day? The story of Don Julio Gonzalez and his Don Julio Tequila is one of success through determination, belief and passion, and it can serve as a lesson for all of us men as we move forward with integrity and honesty in all that we do, regardless of what we do.
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Thank you #donjulio
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Image credit: Amaru Dai Kyoko / flickr