I’ve been in the business for over twenty years, and something I get asked all the time is: do you still love what you do? The answer is YES! Although it’s been a loooong photography career, I wouldn’t change it for anything. Even though my passion for photography is stronger than ever, I’ll be honest:
It takes effort to keep the spark alive.
Whenever you turn something you love into a job, there are bound to be moments of stress and overwhelm. I’m here to tell you that the dream of loving what you do is possible! Here are four things I’ve done in my own life and business that allow me to keep my love of my photography career alive.
1. Mix up Your Offerings
As most of you know, I started my photography career in weddings – and the burnout was real! Then, once I got into portrait photography, my world was taken over by newborn babies and fun family sessions. This has been my business now for over a decade.
Don’t get me wrong, I love working with families and getting my baby fix every week. But in the past few years, I’ve discovered something new about myself: I am very creatively inspired by personal branding sessions!
Adding this new offering has kept my passion for my craft strong and inspires me to think in new, creative ways. Plus, I get to work with some amazing people doing amazing things. By having a variety of offerings, my days are never redundant or boring. I have to keep my photo skills on point so I can capture the kind of imagery that is required for whatever I’m shooting. LOVE that!
2. Set Frequent Goals For Your Photography Career
Goals don’t need to be big things, like buying a house or having kids. Do you know what will get you excited to dive into your business and photograph every single day? Mini goals!
I’m a huge list-maker (seriously, there are about 4 notebooks on my desk at any given time). My lists always include short-term and long-term goals. These mini-goals are important to me because I have little achievements to get me through the week. These are things that are easy to check off so I can feel like I’ve accomplished something.
Setting mini-goals sets me up for conquering the bigger goals by giving me a head start on productivity. When the little things are checked off the list, I can dive into the bigger goals with my full attention.
3. Seek out Education and Skills
I talk a LOT about how important it is to continue your education, no matter how many years you’ve been in the biz! News flash – I’m gonna share it again!
From online courses to weekend workshops to full-on retreats and conferences, there is always, always something new to learn. I’m confident in my technical skills as a photographer, so these days I’m seeking out information about website building, Facebook ads, and everything social-media-marketing related.
Even though I’m not taking classes on how to shoot, the other skills I’m learning are giving me a million new ideas for transforming my business.
4. Find Inspiration for your photography career
It’s easy to find inspiration from other photographers but sometimes, it helps to find inspiration outside of your industry as well. The key to staying motivated in every area of your life is to seek out the things that make you feel inspired, creative, and happy!
I love to travel, collect records, dance, and take walks in nature with my friends. All of these things give me much-needed breaks from the studio and chances to rest and rejuvenate.
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