01:06
Abelardo Morell Highlight
Have some sense of hope, so that even when things are not feeling that great, you stick with it. You've got to work for a living.
About Abelardo
- Born in Cuba, his family fled to the U.S. when he was 14.
- Had a working-class lifestyle in Cuba but arrived in America with next to nothing.
- His family disapproved of his desire to become a photographer, didn't want him to stay stuck in poverty.
- Took odd jobs as a janitor, a doorman, but always had a darkroom and kept up his passion on the side.
- Says that achieving your goals won't (and shouldn't) be easy-he put 25 years of work in before he felt successful.
- Stresses that everyone is working for a living-just because he's an "artist" doesn't mean he's lazy or somehow "above" anyone.
- Likes photographing ordinary, everyday objects because they're "the things we all share."
- Glad he found success later in life, says fame and success at too young an age makes people "cocky."
