Happy 2018! If there is one thing I need to work on and get better at in the new year it's business! First of all, photography is a business... all art is if you want to pay your bills. For me it has been the most challenging thing I have ever done! I don't have a degree in business and It just doesn't come to me as naturally as it does to other people. For some people creating or running a business IS their creativity... that's where they shine. I am a visual artist, the day to day responsibility of running a business is just not fun or easy for me. I want it to be fun... but not everybody can do everything.
Seeing the light through it all.
I think having an agent and a producer on my team would be a huge help and would help propel my business to the next level. Until then, I'm on my own and I feel that every day. I actually feel isolated and alone trying to be a successful fashion photographer. It becomes frustrating and quite honestly wanting to quit is a common thought. But, then I realize that quitting is a pattern I have perpetuated my entire life, once things get hard or aren't working out the way I want it to, I quit. I also know that I love what I do and I just need to keep moving forward and trying new things. Evertually it will all come together.
I think the most important aspects of running a business is to work hard, be persistent and to always be willing to learn and change... which I am all of those things. Well, I could always work harder, who couldn't and maybe be a bit more persistent... okay, I'm not ALL of those things but close! As I said earlier my default is to quit instead of keep going and to be persistent. I think a lot of people experience this out of fear of failure... It's so much easier to quit than fail. With failure comes growth and change and this is the main objective of any business. So fail with pride, fail with confidence and fail in knowing that you just learned something important.
Another mountain to climb.
I am in the process of self reflection and reinventing myself this year. It is time to do things differently then I have in the past... as none of what I have been doing has panned out the way I planned and I seem to continue doing the same thing over and over. So this year, I am making changes, a reinvention of who I am as a person, photographer, writer and filmmaker. I will be getting back into film/video doing creative, person projects as well as writing scripts so that I can shoot them. Whether they are short films, a documentary or a possible full length feature. As I said, it is time for change, I want to move mountains. And if there is one thing I have learned, no one is going to come knocking on my door asking me to do any of these things! It is up to me to create and manifest all the things that I dream of. Hard work, persistence, positive thinking and dedication is the only way to make dreams come true. So I wish everyone a happy, productive, and successful new year!
Resources to help you with your photography business below.
If you are starting a career in photography or specifically wedding photography, below is a link to the website ShootDotEdit on "How to Start a Photography Business" It's a great resource filled with information to get you started. Click here to read the article.