Helsinki Bus Station Theory: A Proven Path To Recognition In Any Business

What is the essence of the theory

In 2004, Arno Rafael Minkkinen, a renowned Finnish photographer whose work is featured in the most famous contemporary art museums, spoke to students in Boston. In his speech, he recalled his childhood in the capital of Finland. More precisely, about the central area of the city, where the Helsinki bus station is located. Not far from it you can see the Eliel Saarinen Central Railway Station, the National Museum and the National Theater of Finland, as well as other architectural gems of the city, built according to the canons of Art Nouveau. All in all, there is a lot to do with a vintage Leica.

Arno Rafael Minkkinen Photographer, teacher, writer, screenwriter, director. Awarded with the Knight's Cross of the 1st class of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

More than 20 platforms are scattered across the entire area of the bus station. Next to each platform there is a sign with the numbers of buses that leave from here. At the beginning of the journey, for at least one kilometer, all buses travel along the same route, periodically slowing down at stops.

And now a metaphor. Each bus stop represents one year in the life of a photographer. Therefore, the third stop is equivalent to three years. Suppose you have been learning the intricacies of nude photography for three years. Let it be bus number 21.

During this time, you have developed developments that you decided to show at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The museum curator asks you, "Are you familiar with the work of Irving Penn?" It turns out that his bus number 71 was traveling the same road. Or you go to the Parisian Galerie Mag, where you are reminded that bus number 58 - Bill Brandt - had previously traveled in the same direction.

The shock binds your hands: what you have been doing for three long years, others have done long ago. But life is too short to make no headway! Gathering your strength, you call a taxi to quickly return to the station and jump on the bus leaving from another platform.

This time, you plan to take color shots of people on the beach. You work again for three years and, after submitting your photos, again hear terrifying comments: “Don't you know about the work of Richard Misrach? What about Sally Mann?"

You fly out of the bus like a bullet, rush in a taxi to a new platform and a new bus. And this happens over and over again throughout your entire creative life: each new work is always compared with others.

What to do?

It's simple. Stay on the bus. Stay on this fucking bus!

Why? Give yourself time, keep looking for yourself without looking back at others, and a little later you will notice the difference.

Buses that start from the Helsinki bus station go by one road only a small part of the way, maybe a kilometer or two. Then they disperse and follow their own route. Bus number 33 heads north and bus number 19 heads southwest. Perhaps numbers 21 and 71, like a pair of birds, will still fly nearby, but soon they will be separated.

How to find your calling: Helsinki bus station theory

Separating roads will change your life. As soon as you feel the difference between your own and someone else's work, which you so admired and which you stubbornly looked up to all these years, know: the hour of breakthrough has come. Suddenly your photos will be noticed. Now you create on your own, with your own taste and style, and the difference between your photographs and what influenced them in the beginning becomes obvious. Your vision is accepted and appreciated.

And very soon critics will be interested in what makes your photographs different from those of Sally Mann and what you did at the start of your career. Now even old works that appeared 20 years ago are beginning to be bought for very good money. You have reached the end. It could be the end of your creative journey or the end of your life. Be that as it may, everything that you have done during this time is now in full view: imitation and honing of skills, discoveries, ups and downs, mature mastery.

Why? You didn't get off the bus.

Will persistence lead to success

Consistency is undoubtedly the foundation of excellence. Success is impossible without repetition and love of routine. However, the Helsinki bus station theory clarifies some details that are often overlooked.

Students spend over 10,000 hours in class. But do they become experts in every discipline they study? Of course not. Information is quickly forgotten right after graduation.
An office worker sits at the computer for at least a couple of hours a day. Over the course of several years, he will spend over 10,000 hours on email correspondence. It's hard to doubt his business writing skills. But can he create a novel? Most likely no.
Many people have been going to the gym for decades. Now their body and fitness match the shape and stamina of the best athletes? Unlikely.

It is necessary not only to do a lot of the same type of work, but also to revise it, correct and improve it.

Why you need to think about your job

The average student parses the material once. A good student revisits it over and over again, looking for details and discovering something new. An ordinary employee writes an email message and sends it outright. The best novelists revise the chapters over and over again, perfecting the text. The average gym goer mindlessly runs a typical workout every week. Elite athletes keep track of every rep, constantly improving their technique. Rethinking and fixing is more important than quantity.

Let's go back to the bus metaphor. Photographers who switch to a new route after a couple of stops still fill those same 10,000 hours. But they don't do the work on the mistakes. They waste time looking for a route that no one else has taken. Instead, they should look back and revise their old ideas - this is the key to creating something unique and unrepeatable.

By staying on the bus, you rethink and improve your work until you create something great. This is the only way your inner genius can manifest itself.

The formula "10,000 hours = success" is described by Canadian writer and journalist Malcolm Gladwell in his book "". It suggests that you can become an expert in a particular field by spending 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. It’s a long journey, but it doesn’t give guarantees if there is no critical analysis and balanced reflection behind the repetitions.

Which bus will you choose?

Each of us is a creator in one way or another. A manager who promotes fresh ideas. An accountant who plans every penny. A nurse who thinks about how to help a patient. And, of course, a writer, designer, artist, musician and any other creative person who shares his talent with the whole world. They are all creators.

Any person who moves society forward will fail. It's a shame that too often we react to setbacks by calling the taxi service, believing that the new bus will go smoother. Although, instead, you should linger and reflect on your efforts.

True, first you have to make a tough decision.

Which bus will you take? What will you connect your life with? What business are you willing to pore over for decades, constantly looking back and making improvements?

Nobody knows which bus is better. But, if you want to realize yourself to the maximum, you will have to choose only one of them. really difficult. But this is your choice, and you must make it. And as soon as you decide - do not get off the bus until the very end!