This is for the misfits, the square pegs that don’t fit in society’s round holes. We don’t want the bright and airy brunches surrounded by flowers and champagne. We are the strong, black coffee in a camp mug while sitting on a mountain ridge with our significant other and dog, watching the sunrise.
You don’t have to be a small business or photographer to need this post. I think everybody needs a wake up call that we don’t have to follow the trends and be like everyone else to be happy.
We’re different. We are not the “normal,” and we need to embrace it.
I use to think that to be successful, I would have to be just like everybody else. I’ve had a “close friend,” tell me that I needed to change everything about me to appeal to my “ideal client.”
But you know what? Screw. That.
Over the last few years, I have realized that I can be myself, and the right people will come along. Yes, I have had to dump “friends” along the way, but that part has gotten more comfortable as I have realized that those who do not feed your soul, don’t belong in your life.
It is also HARD to stay in this mindset. I am proud of what I have built and continue to develop. It’s the being told, “oh, you’re just different than everybody here” or “you don’t belong here” from supposedly “community leaders” that I have to get over. And no, I haven’t entirely gotten over it, and nor will I ever. But I think instead of making it bring me down, it continues to push me to prove to myself that there IS a reason I am different.
This mindset had also made me realize that I need to stop putting energy towards relationships and social functions that don’t return the energy.
When I got into photography, I used it to help cope with the loss of my father and grew to love the medium. I never started it thinking that it would become a source of income. I did it to feed my soul.
Doing that I think automatically set me aside from others in the area. I started slow, shooting landscapes and wanted to learn how to work every button on the camera to figure out how it all works. That’s a little bit of the techie in me.
Only after years of playing with landscapes did I get approached to start shooting portraits. Even then, I was uncomfortable charging as I was still very much learning everything. A year or so down the road, my brother-in-law asked me to shoot his wedding. Luckily it was a small family event, or I would have backed out so fast. From there, it’s just taken off.
One of my greatest pleasures in all of this has been to help others in need. Wether its a local non-profit throwing an event, small business owners who are trying their best to grow their own business or the awesome couples and families I get to meet and capture their forever moment.
However, One of the hardest things for me has been networking and building everything. With not thinking this would turn into a business, I didn’t start anything until a few years after shooting weddings. With some capital in my bank account, I could afford ads, a proper website, and all the other “fun” business necessities. Not to mention the drinks I need to even attend a networking function. Go, go social anxiety!
I’ve been lucky to find a few ladies just like me that have helped me push myself to do all of those things and support each other when we need it. Also, it’s all my husband’s fault. He got me my first camera and continues to push me off the cliff trying to make big decisions.
I just recently stepped into my first ever headshot session! Thank you to the amazing Darina for making me so comfortable.
I have never been one to fit in. The “popular” groups overlook me, I don’t do cliques, I’ve never been into the current trends, and what people classify as “girly” and what I should be doing, I am usually found doing the exact opposite. Hiking, supporting our local breweries, cheering on the roller derby, and generally just having fun with life. So being an outsider has me constantly questioning if I am even doing the right thing if people actually like my work, or even if people like me. That’s my anxiety kicking in again.
Lately, it’s gotten me to think if all of that actually isn’t a bad thing. My work doesn’t blend in with others, so I stand out a little bit more, but it’s less appealing to those who follow all the current, trending styles. Learning that this is a good thing has taken a LONG time. Blend that with my social anxiety and my intovertness, and it has been a bumpy road.
But this year I made a pact with myself and I am going to stop second-guessing what I love to do in my art and to stop trying to force these interactions with people who are only out for their own good. Putting so much energy out there without getting much in return is so draining. Stepping back from “networking” groups and relationships that just don’t work.
And did it work? ABSOLUTELY. I spent more time outdoors adventuring with my friends and family. There was more time for me to step back and make myself see what is really important to me.
So, here I am. I bring a different style than what is popular. Thinking outside the box and bringing new, fresh ideas to things.
I’ve made WPPI (a conference for photographers held in Las Vegas) a yearly thing. Especially this last time when I went to a class that made me wake up to my style and that I shouldn’t mute or hide it like I’ve been told. Maybe I should listen to the speaker who was an editor for Conde Nast and numerous publications over other locals and the voices in my head.
I should embrace who I am and what I bring to the table. So you’ll see my social media coming out with my loves and passions. Probably more pictures of my dog than I should post, but he puts up with me and helps me with my anxiety in so many ways.
Just as I stated, I don’t do this to be a business; I do this because I love it. The business part is just a bonus.
That’s why you see blog posts of hikes I’ve been on or other adventures. If I go too long without my camera, I get a little crazy, and my husband kicks me out of the house to go on a hike. It’s my way to decompress, to shake off the stresses of everything, and to create. I promise myself that the year 2019 is the year of me getting back to the roots of why I do photography and why I love working with all the amazing clients that I have. Hint, hint to my clients, I now offer print credits with all of my sessions as I want you to print your portraits out to enjoy.
Of course I have to include my usual adventure buddy in here too. This is Han Solo. He likes hikes, long walks on the beach, and to chill by a campfire while his mom enjoys a local brew.
