Studio.News. 12.22: Gratitude Counts
as observed and written by Jesse Janzen, Studio Associate
My favorite thing to tease Lawrence about is easy: his laid back persona vs his core self.
Anyone who knows Lawrence knows the staple Lawrencisms: the comfy red Converse (when flip-flops aren’t appropriate), the hang-10 hand gesture, the sunglasses, the “hola” and “let’s cruise” and “we can chill over here”, and a camera cart rockin’ tunes like we might all just stroll down to the beach instead. The embodiment of laidback.
But anyone who knows Lawrence also knows he’s a hurricane in a pressed shirt. 4 cup holders with 3 coffees. He’s talking fast, dancing, having a freakout, problem solving, and telling a joke - all at once. From his 5am launch out of the hotel bed until his collapse into a new hotel that evening the gas pedal is on the floor. The embodiment of high octane go-power.
This is also the thing I love the most about Lawrence. Working for someone has never been so much straight-up FUN. When it’s not dead-serious shoot time, we’re laughing through the whole day. And I’ve discovered what fuels Lawrence’s superhuman fathoms of energy:
Total determination to find the best possible shot from every angle.
True gratitude. Every day. For every project. And for every client.
Constant optimism. Lawrence's constant happiness is so loud and contagious it's alarming.
Problem Solved.
I mean this guy won’t stop squealing with giddy delight about his job and the people he works with. This is true. Every time I see Lawrence - and I see Lawrence A LOT - the first 15 minutes are always an avalanche of glee.
He’s bursting about the new edits, the scout shot selections, how a meeting went, a new project on the horizon, how his team pulled off a video shoot or portrait shoot or lifestyle shoot.
When I spoke to him about writing an emailer on gratitude, he monologued at full-voice for an hour. I reminded him I wasn’t writing a novel.
But the heart at the center of his outpouring is simple: Lawrence feels like a truly blessed individual. He gets to wake up every day and do what he loves with people he loves. Thank you for making that possible.