In 2001 I knocked on the door of the manager’s office at the then working grain silos in the VA Waterfront in Cape Town. I asked him if I could take some photos of the grain being loaded into the trains, the men carrying the bags of wheat to the trucks, and the people working in and cleaning the silos. Surprisingly, he said yes, let me in, and gave me full access to the then working silos.

This was an unplanned excursion and I only had about 14 black and white frames on my roll of film in my camera.
What I captured that day, some architecture, some portraits and some social documentary, are what I believe are possibly the only, and the last photographs of the working silos before they were converted into the Zeitz MOCAA museum and the Silo hotel.

When I found out, in 2013 that the Silos were to be converted in to the Zeitz Mocaa, I thought of the photos and reached out to the management team of the VA Waterfront who requested to view them – but no further interest was shown.
Disappointed but not deflated my next attempt, was made to the curator of the Zeitz Mocaa in 2017 highlighting the fact that these images were unique, historical, and archival, only to be met with silence.

Back to the Waterfront I went with the idea of an outside exhibition, and again, not much enthusiasm. Once again, the negatives of the images were filed away, out of sight, but not far from my mind as I knew these photographs were good, they offered something unique, and they would one day find their place.

Fast forward to 2024 – 21 years after the photographs were first captured. During a conversation with someone who works for the company who does the reservations for the Silo hotel, it was mentioned that one of the owners of the hotel is a lover of art.

Once again there was light at the end of the tunnel. Phone calls, emails, more phone calls, more emails, and sample images sent, a moment of déjà vu experienced, but this time with a difference.

Just this week 4 of the photographic artworks were delivered to the hotel to be hung on its wall.
My overnight success story took only 21 years. 😊

I don’t know the answer to the question, “how long does an overnight success story take?” but I do know that what it will include is, persistence, tenacity, adaptability, frustration, selling, exploring every option, and possibly sleepless nights etc.

However, if we are willing to endure these challenges, the feeling of satisfaction far outweighs the pitfalls and makes it all worthwhile.

This journey has added more than the feeling of personal pride. The experience and the lessons I learned along the way have increased my ability and experience as a coach and a trainer – as I can reference what I’ve been through to my personal interpretation of success.

Those overnight success stories you hear about are only the fables, the myths, and the fairy tales, because it’s only when you delve deeper will the non-fiction adventure really come out.

To view the pictures mentioned in this story please click on https://bit.ly/4d31yms