Ahhhhhh — something refreshing about a new Thread for the new year, wouldn’t ya say?? I admit, I have missed this little weekly staple for the blog and I am so excited to get back to it. During my time off, I did a lot of reflecting and goal setting, reviewing lessons learned, best practices, and ways to make the business easier on me and my familia 🙂 After many a discussion and note making, I have settled on a few goals and changes for CDP in 2013 and I wanted to share them with ya.
1. “Time flies but you’re the pilot.”— The Script
I am notoriously bad about scheduling sessions and meetings all over the board, without carving out and sticking to time away from working. Really bad. I daydream of getting the whole house clean in one attempt, taking a day trip with the hubs, or stealing my 3-yo nephew for a day of silly, sporadic fun. I genuinely intend to do these things but can never seem to make them happen 🙁 I think my family and friends are ready for a response from me that doesn’t include “sorry, I have a shoot/wedding/meeting” that day :-/ In order to make that happen, we looked at the trends over the last few seasons and determined that we will only be shooting sessions on set days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Don’t worry, I will still be shooting on Saturdays too, but I am committed to taking one whole weekend off a month {woo hoo!}. If I am being honest, this set schedule kind of freaks me out, and making myself accountable by writing it here on the blog feels just plain crazy! BUT I know it’s a {necessary} step in the right direction that will help me be more efficient and better utilize my time. And that means better service for you! 🙂
2. “Find something you’re passionate about and stay tremendously interested in it.” — Julia Child
I used to bring my camera everywhere. All the time. People just expected me to have it in my hand. More and more, it got left behind when I wasn’t working and I really started to miss it. I missed shooting the ‘just because’ stuff. I love my job and I love photographing my clients, but in 2013 I am re-committing to “staying tremendously interested in it” and shooting more of the everyday stuff too 🙂 I hope you guys are ok with seeing a lot more of that, because I am really excited about sharing it!
3. “Saying yes to happiness means saying no to things and people that stress you out.” — Thema Davis
When I looked at ways to make my life and business easier, it all came down to what caused me stress and what made me happy. Boo stress. I think that if you are passionate about something and committed to seeing it through, there seems to always be a little stress involved — wanting the product/service to be perfect, the client to be happy. But the stuff that makes you feel like you’re going crazy, now that’s the stuff you have to say no to: unrealistic deadlines, over scheduling, projects that don’t fit my style of shooting, excessive traveling for the sake of a job… I’ve realized that I simply can’t do it all. In looking at the big picture, successfully deciding what to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to really seems to be the key to this whole goal thing doesn’t it? So saying no to stress means I am going to have to be more selective, stick to my guns, outsource when I can, and spend my time doing more of what makes me feel happy. I know my business will thank me! And hey, this way sounds a whole lot more fun…
4. “I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done.” — Lucile Ball
Taking chances and stepping out of your comfort zone — scary, but usually soooo worth it. This business of mine wouldn’t even exist if I wasn’t willing to consider throwing all of my fears and insecurities aside and placing a bet on myself. It has been one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made, so why not do more of that? I hope to take a few more risks this year and get involved in some projects that push me creatively, maybe a few more styled shoots, unique weddings, and themed mini sessions. I also want to do better at networking with other photographers and designating time to building those relationships {this seems like the hardest thing to do on this whole list!}. Sometimes I feel like the shy girl hiding in the corner when I have an opportunity to reach out to other photogs and make connections. I am horrible at it 🙁 I clam up and convince myself that super talented and popular photographer x will think I am ridiculous and totally wasting their time…but you never know unless you try, right? Lastly, and perhaps the biggest challenge of stepping out of my comfort zone, is getting in front of the camera. I desperately need to do new head shots and I desperately need family photos taken {after four years of being married, it’s about time to replace a few of those wedding snapshots around the house!}. None of these things make me comfortable but I am feeling a little flutter of excitement thinking about all that could come from challenging myself and doing a few things that could really give the business and me a boost 🙂
5. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” — Theodore Roosevelt
Boy ain’t that the cold hard truth. I’m ashamed to say that no matter how much pride I have in my work, insecurity still lingers. I think this is a common issue in this industry, one where we often gauge our worth by the number of features we get, how many clients we shoot in a year, whether or not we have a lot of ‘likes’ on our FB page, or how many people comment on our posts. I know this is one of the hardest goals for me to tackle because I am guilty of looking to others and measure my work, success, and oftentimes even my self. Fortunately, I follow a hand full of amazing photographers — some of whom I am lucky enough to call my friends — that remind me how important it is to take pride in every thing I accomplish. Even if that’s simply getting out of bed in the morning after an all-night editing session! And I happen to have one heck of a husband who seems to love every photo I take {and every post I write, hehehe}. That’s what I’m going to choose to focus on and celebrate in 2013: seeing beyond the imperfections. I know I’ll never be satisfied with what I’m doing and where I’m heading if I can’t appreciate how far I’ve come and all that I achieve…big or small.
So there you have it — this year’s goals, in a nutshell. I promise next week we will be back to the normal routine of random tidbits, Thread Tunes, and other nonsense 🙂 So for now, have a great day!
Love this post! Since the New Year started, I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching, writing, and thinking, and it seems that you have been, too! I especially loved how you worded this: “I think that if you are passionate about something and committed to seeing it through, there seems to always be a little stress involved.” That is SO true! That’s how you know you love something – if you think about it and worry about it and dream about it and lose sleep over it – can be exhausting, but all the stress usually yields awesome results, and your business is proof of that! Keep it up, and happy new year to you and Troy! 🙂
So proud of you Chelsea! I know it’s hard to balance your passion and your personal life so I wish you the best of luck! Doing some of that goal-setting myself for this year. Hope to see you soon! XO!