I started my business in 1999, which means this is my 27th year doing this as my career. I’ve been in my studio for20 years. I run an education company that has served thousands of photographers around the world. I’ve written two books, spoken at countless industry events and conferences, so by all accounts I’ve had a pretty successful career as a photographer.
And yet, at least once a month, I say to my husband, or my best friend, or my assistant and something to the effect of, “Maybe I should just quit and get a job at Starbucks.”
In fact I said something to that effect just this morning at my team meeting.
And I can’t be the only professional photographer who has moments of feeling that way. Right?
The reality is, running a photography business can be hard.
Even when things are going well, we do most of our work in isolation. We don’t have colleagues to bounce ideas off of, we don’t get feedback from mentors or peers telling us we’re doing a good job or making the right decisions.
And we sell our art, our way of seeing the world, which means we put ourselves out there to be critiqued and judged everyday and that is not easy.
So many of us struggle with self doubt… we question our talent, and our prices and our systems…. We ask “am I even good enough to be doing this “ It’s a lot.
So if you are feeling this way, or if any of this resonates with you, just know you are not alone.
I feel it too, all of it. and yet I’m still here, 27 years later.
And for me that is because even though being in business for myself can be hard, it’s also given me so much and honestly has helped me grow as a human in ways I don’t think I would have if I hadn’t chosen this path.
I always tell the photographers I mentor and coach inside of my certification program that being in business for yourself is a lot like being in therapy… it will make you face your fears, confront your limiting beliefs, and get over your blocks, and that changes you as a person… for the better I think.
I know I am not the same person I was 27 years ago.
My job has forced me to take risks… financially, creatively… it forced me to put myself out there, to speak up and speak out and be vulnerable. It’s taught me about the importance of boundaries.
It’s helped me look at my blocks around money, especially around asking for, feeling like I deserve it, feeling worthy, managing it. You know, I grew up in poverty and was actually on food stamps when I started my business so these money lessons, my stories about money and scarcity and all of that, my business has just really helped me grow in that part of my life.
It also gave me the freedom to live the kind of life I wanted to live, especially when my kids were little.
You know, I had to work, We needed/ need two incomes in my household, that is just the reality, and my photography brought in the money I needed to help take care of my family,while also allowing me to make my own schedule, to stay home with my kids, and walk them to school, and volunteer, and all the things I wanted to do.
And even now, they’re in colleges, they’ve moved out, but I still have flexibility in my life and in my schedule that I’m incredibly grateful for.
So, why am I sharing all of this today?
Well, I’m not 100% sure why, if I’m being honest.
I mean, I’m much more comfortable talking about things that I know I’m an expert at… I love talking about lighting and business and marketing and making money and all of that…
But I also think this is an important conversation. it’s really easy to craft and idealized version of ourselves, and there is so much of that in the world right now. It’s easy to look at someone who has the job or the clients or the life that you want and think well it must somehow be easier for them. I guess, I just wanted you to know that if you doubt yourself, if you ever wonder if you’re cut out for this, if you have moments where you feel like giving up and walking away, you’re not alone. I do too. We all do. We’re human.
So let this be your pep talk for today.
I believe that if you’re called to this work, it’s for a reason. You have something important to share and something important to learn. So stick with it.
And if you need help, or community, or just someone to lean on whose been through it all, know I’m here.
