The latest article in the photography news is about a one million dollar settlement between a wedding photographer and a couple. To make a long story short the couple felt that it was OK to bash on this photographer and destroy her business, all because they signed a contract that sounds like to me they did not bother to read. If you would like to read the story here is the link
So how does this relate to your success story? Well I bring it up because very rarely does a photographer actually win in court, or at least that is what the news would like to have us believe. I will be perfectly honest I am really not sure. I also bring it up because for the photography world it is a sucess story in a sense. Why? Well because the photographer won, and monetarily she was rewarded for following her contract and being a great photographer and business owner, however she also lost alot... Like her whole business and studio because of one couple. So for her this was a failure.
This case was a success for the industry, but a damaging experience over all for the photographer, yet I am sure she will tell you about all of her previous successes and what her proudest moments were.
When I read this article it made me think about a few things. Some of which I have already mentioned, but the main thing was, what is my success story? What does it look like? What do I want it to be? How do I KNOW that I have made it?
And the answer I came up with...... I DON'T KNOW. I realized that in not knowing this I was actually hurting my business, that I am just floating along and I have no solid purpose, no idea of what success looks like for me. Which explains why I have been feeling defeated and usesless when it comes to my photography. I have no idea what my success story is suppose to look like, which means I have no goals or idea as what I want to work towards. Crazy I know.
Once I discovered this I took some time and finally put together my success story. One that I can now focus my business on and start working towards.
My success story is to make this a profitable business, one that I can support my family, and use to travel. My success story is every smile and every client that falls in love with their images, and themselves at the same time. Not only is this about me, (which I know is selfish) but it also about the client. However I have also recently learned that in order to be successful in what you are doing you have to be selfish too.
What do I mean? For example everyone enters into a small business, and starts there own for what reasons? They don't want to work for someone, they don't want someone else setting their hours, they feel they can do it better, they want to show the world that they are someone and not dependent on others. In all of these examples it is for the person, and what they want. It is how they want their life to be, how they want to control it etc. There is nothing in any of these that benefits anyone but that person. So they are all for selfish reasons. Is there something wrong with that? No not all. In fact it can be a good thing. In being selfish it forces a person to focus on what they want and if to be a business owner is one of them it is going to force them to move forward, because if they do not, they are not going to survive. They are not going to obtain the things they want and they are not going to satisfy the selfish side of themselves.
I am sure that now you are thinking that I am saying that you have to be a selfish person in order to be a great business owner, but I really am not. Remember what I said in my success story and what it would look like. There is more to it than just me. This is because I am a person that likes to please other people as well. With that in mind it drives me in more ways than one. I want to support my family and not have to work a nine to five job, but I also want my clients to feel amazing. For me this is a win win situation.
Lets talk about it. What are your selfish reasons for entering business? What is your success story? Or what do you want your success story to look like?
Leave your answers in the comments below, you never know what you may say may help another person.
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Life- It can be a real soul sucker.
Life, well lets put it bluntly, sucks from time to time. It is never all roses, peach pies and sunshine, even though I am sure that there are a ton of use that either portray it that way in our blogs, or our photos, or even in our social media. How often do you make things sound like roses and such when really your life is just hell?
I am sure you are wondering why I am asking this, and yes there really is a reason.
I just went through it.
Here is a bit of the back story, the whole story is pretty long and quite honestly I am not sure that I can actually type it all out with out bursting into tears. If that happens I will never finish this post. So here goes with the short version.
Several months ago my step dad went out to do one of his favorite things, fishing. A storm came up, and flipped the boat that he and is brother in law were in. My step dad was unable to make it to shore. When my mom called me and told me what had happened it hurt, but it hurt more to hear my mother in tears because she is not one to cry.
Within a few weeks my mothers health began to just fall apart, she had a stroke, a heart attack and two surgeries, and I didn't get to talk to her on Mothers Day because of complications from one of the surgeries that left her on a ventilator for several days. She spent almost a full month in the hospital.
Fast forward about 5 weeks and I was there with her this time, and we were going back for two more surgeries in order to complete what they were not able to complete on the first go because my mom was to unstable at the time. Well the first procedure went well. Awesome! I could breath a little. Then the second one. The last words I spoke to my mother was "Now Mom no funny business in the OR. I will see you when you are done." No I love you or nothing (Which I now regret). Well my mom developed complications and they were severe. She had a major stroke, and this is one that she was never going to recover from. She never woke up. I made the most horrible decision of my life, and removed care from my mother, and held her hand and cried as I watched her slip away. When she was gone I died a little inside.
I will tell you I miss her like crazy, but there is something that I hang on to more then anything. My mom was so worried that I was not getting to take the time to photograph anything that she would apologize over and over. I would tell her it was ok, but she didn't want me to lose my touch. So she made it a point to take me out to see the wild horses that live in her area. I took pictures of them, but I really needed more then 200mm. We also went to one of the National Parks, and although she was not feeling up to hiking we stopped at all the sites and she would push me out and tell me to go and take those photos.
Even though she was not getting out and taking photos with me, she enjoyed watching me do something that I enjoyed. And now I cling to that. It makes every photo I take, every trip that I plan to go and take photos that much more important. It gives me a chance to think of her as happy, even if it was only for a few moments.
So life sucks. Believe me right now I feel like I know it better than anyone. But you still have to make it what you want it to be. There is nothing more to it than that.
Let your photography remind you of the times when life didn't suck so much, let it help you get back on the right path, and above all, never lose your joy for it. Sometimes it can be the only calm in the storm at that moment.
I know this has not been a fun and enlightening post, but it is one that I had to share. I promise not to be so drab and sad next time. However I hope that if you are reading this and life is sucking for you.... and your soul is fulling away due to the stress that
1. You know you are not alone
2. This gives you a chance to find a way to feel better.
If you have suggestions, or things you would like to learn about, please list them below. I would love to touch on a subject of your interest, and use it to expand all of our knowledge.
Until next time!
I am sure you are wondering why I am asking this, and yes there really is a reason.
I just went through it.
Here is a bit of the back story, the whole story is pretty long and quite honestly I am not sure that I can actually type it all out with out bursting into tears. If that happens I will never finish this post. So here goes with the short version.
Several months ago my step dad went out to do one of his favorite things, fishing. A storm came up, and flipped the boat that he and is brother in law were in. My step dad was unable to make it to shore. When my mom called me and told me what had happened it hurt, but it hurt more to hear my mother in tears because she is not one to cry.
Within a few weeks my mothers health began to just fall apart, she had a stroke, a heart attack and two surgeries, and I didn't get to talk to her on Mothers Day because of complications from one of the surgeries that left her on a ventilator for several days. She spent almost a full month in the hospital.
Fast forward about 5 weeks and I was there with her this time, and we were going back for two more surgeries in order to complete what they were not able to complete on the first go because my mom was to unstable at the time. Well the first procedure went well. Awesome! I could breath a little. Then the second one. The last words I spoke to my mother was "Now Mom no funny business in the OR. I will see you when you are done." No I love you or nothing (Which I now regret). Well my mom developed complications and they were severe. She had a major stroke, and this is one that she was never going to recover from. She never woke up. I made the most horrible decision of my life, and removed care from my mother, and held her hand and cried as I watched her slip away. When she was gone I died a little inside.
I will tell you I miss her like crazy, but there is something that I hang on to more then anything. My mom was so worried that I was not getting to take the time to photograph anything that she would apologize over and over. I would tell her it was ok, but she didn't want me to lose my touch. So she made it a point to take me out to see the wild horses that live in her area. I took pictures of them, but I really needed more then 200mm. We also went to one of the National Parks, and although she was not feeling up to hiking we stopped at all the sites and she would push me out and tell me to go and take those photos.
Even though she was not getting out and taking photos with me, she enjoyed watching me do something that I enjoyed. And now I cling to that. It makes every photo I take, every trip that I plan to go and take photos that much more important. It gives me a chance to think of her as happy, even if it was only for a few moments.
So life sucks. Believe me right now I feel like I know it better than anyone. But you still have to make it what you want it to be. There is nothing more to it than that.
Let your photography remind you of the times when life didn't suck so much, let it help you get back on the right path, and above all, never lose your joy for it. Sometimes it can be the only calm in the storm at that moment.
I know this has not been a fun and enlightening post, but it is one that I had to share. I promise not to be so drab and sad next time. However I hope that if you are reading this and life is sucking for you.... and your soul is fulling away due to the stress that
1. You know you are not alone
2. This gives you a chance to find a way to feel better.
If you have suggestions, or things you would like to learn about, please list them below. I would love to touch on a subject of your interest, and use it to expand all of our knowledge.
Until next time!
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