Brooklyn Beckham (first born of David and Victoria) is to study photography at a New York art college. At the risk of being accused of sniping, wouldn’t this have been a better idea before he published his photography book, What I See?
Of course, it was amusing when Brooklyn published his book of snaps (sorry, I mean, in-depth career retrospective) at the age of 18. However, while the book was too early, Brooklyn couldn’t be blamed. He’s just an excited kid, who had doubtless been complimented into doing it (“Wow, that out-of-focus shot is amazing!”).
Sorry, but I blame the parents. The Beckhams have as much right as anyone to love and encourage their children, but they are in a very rare and strange situation – where perhaps it’s not so much about teaching your kids to grab opportunities as it is about teaching them not to always grab them.
To give a couple of examples: film director Duncan Jones (David Bowie’s son) was in his late 30s when he made Moon. And, while Stella McCartney was slated for using Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell as models in her college fashion show, at least she went to college; she also stuck to refusing to use leather and fur, when, with fashion industry zillions at stake, the useful McCartney surname only goes so far.
Maybe the greatest lesson that celebrities such as the Beckhams could teach their kids would be knowing when to say: “No thank you, I’m not ready yet.” As it is, arguably Brooklyn has been cheated of having a “real” debut photography book, one published after studying and working at his craft, one that may not have been ridiculed.
Ultimately, for someone such as Brooklyn, no amount of cash or attention is going to matter more than knowing that they truly earned it.
