STAY ON THE BUS- IT IS A LONG JOURNEY AHEAD!

In June of 2004, Arno Rafael Minkkinen, a Finnish-American photographer, stepped up to the microphone at the New England School of Photography to deliver the commencement speech. He spoke about the Helsinki Bus Station Theory. Eh….but why is it relevant to me?? I had the same question my self, so I invite you to read on!

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The Helsinki Bus Station Theory

Minkkinen was born in Helsinki, Finland. In the commencement speech he shared a theory based on his Nordic hometown’s busy bus station and its operations—a philosophy that, in his opinion, made all the difference between success and falling short, serving as a metaphor in helping young, ambitious individuals discover their unique vision one day. Minkkinen went on to explain how several different bus lines depart from two dozen platforms at the Helsinki Bus Station, and each bus takes the same route out of the city, making identical stops at bus-stops—for about one kilometer.

He continued, “Now let’s say, again metaphorically speaking, that each bus stop represents one year in the life of a photographer. This means the third bus stop would represent three years of photographic activity. Okay, so you have been working for three years making platinum studies of nudes. Call it bus #21.”

Three stops later, riding bus #21, you have developed quite a portfolio. Then, you take your three years of work to a gallery, only to be asked by the curator if you are familiar with the nudes of other artists, who have been doing the same work for many years too.

Shocked, you realize that what you have been doing for three years, others have already done.”

“So you hop off the bus, grab a cab—because life is short—and head straight back to the bus station looking for another platform.”

This time you decide to plunge into another genre (taking another bus), specializing in another style, another photography approach. Three years later, the same happens. “So once again, you get off the bus, grab the cab, race back, and find a new platform. This goes on all your creative life, always showing new work, always being compared to others.”

?Minkkinen paused. He looked out at the students and asked, “What to do?”

“It’s simple,” he said. “Stay on the bus. Stay on the f*cking bus. Because if you do, in time, you will begin to see a difference.”

Stay on the bus

It is rather easy to see the mundane of one’s job, get disillusioned by competition, the clutter, and the chaos around.? However, the learning from the theory and the story above is this :

As you go through the trials and tribulations, the ups and downs, the long winding road of your vocation, profession or career, there are fewer and fewer people who end up staying in the bus.

The constant comparison with others can come in the way of our attaining mastery. Mastery – to know the subject, own the subject, and truly excel in it uniquely.

In the 2024 T20 world cup championship, we all recall the iconic catch by Suryakumar Yadav. This was a show of fielding mastery. However, Coach Rahul Dravid revealed that Suryakumar had taken 150-160 such catches, repeating the action again and again, during the practice sessions, and build this mastery over time.

Repeating an activity sounds simple enough. Yet why do we still see people job-hop, get tired of their passion crafts over a short time, and decide to give up and change course frequently, not having the patience to wait till their efforts see fruition? Many reasons to it, and broadly categorized into: A.) Need for instant gratification, and B.) Constant comparison with others.

Bottom line – Life is a long journey!

Here’s the thing: How you are doing in the early days of your new role, new organization or professional life does not paint a very clear picture of where you will be in the next few years. You could see people already doing well in areas that you are in currently. A comparison with them can derail you from your momentum and pursuits. However, we need to remember that it’s a long journey ahead. Where you start, and success you have (or don't have) today , is not a reflection of your future. When you pick a career choice, a niche, or a personal pursuit, know that it is not immediately going to grant success, fame, or your unique personal brand.

May the Helsinki Bus Station Theory serves as a gentle reminder to us to not be discouraged by early failure, for being a no-body in our early years of life pursuits, when we feel that we are getting nowhere! When we resist the temptation to jump into a cab and return to the bus station to look for a new platform, a new ride, with the hope that the next trip will be smoother, that is the beginning of our journey towards mastery.

Trust in yourself & Stay on the bus!

Commit to the hard work—because success tastes sweeter when earned with relentless hard-work over a long journey!