If I were to ask occasional creative co-conspirator Kimberley Westbury what gear makes her drool, she would probably start telling me about a new Mac or a pair of K2 Speedskates. Roby, our Creative Director, probably a Leica M8. Rusty and Ben, a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL or a set of Zipp 808's. Gabe, the iPhone. My father-in-law, a John Deere tank. My son, a PS3. My daughter, a piano. My wife, an Alienware Area 51 with Duo Core processor... or a Turbo-charged Beetle. Chico (the brandbuilder chihuahua), a tasty snack. Evan and Bear, maybe a lifelong supply of Corona Light, or an air freshener to conceal the fruity aroma of the new iMacs adorning their offices. Me, it's the Canon 70-200mm 2.8L lens pictured above this post, right now... or the holy grail of portrait lenses - the 85mm 1.2L -, though the latter will have to wait a few months. (The 70-200, however, is finally on its way. Woohoo!)

Maybe your gear-crush is a car, or a phone, or a pair of boots, or a sailboat, or a hand-crafted pen, or a Swiss chronograph, or a telescope, or a sound system that goes all the way up to 11. Everyone is different. Everyone has their own passion, where it be music, photography, online gaming, travel, sports, cooking, etc.

So my question to you today comes in several parts: What's your passion? ... And what piece(s) of gear have you been lusting after?

Or rather... What are your customers passionate about? What piece(s) of gear do they lust after... and what role do you play in making it available to them?

Are the people who make up your company as passionate as your customers about the products they design, manufature or otherwise provide, or... are they just sticking around because you're just a safe, decent-paying job?

Are your customers excited to walk into your offices and stores, or could they care less?

Are people excited to receive mail or packages from you, or are you just another logo on a piece of junk mail?

Do people associate you, your products, or your brand with anything they lust after - with a wish list - or are you just another name in the crowd?

All things to think about.

Mail and packages from Canon usually earn the delivery person a warm hello and a big fat glass of lemonade around here. That tells you something about the role the folks at Canon play in bringing one of my passions to life.


PS: And in case you've been wondering, yes, this lens has X-Ray vision, controls time and space, and even makes a mean Martini. (Yeah, it had me at hello.)