It's just then that life throws you a curve ball. It could come in any form, really. You find out you or your partner are pregnant, you lost your job, your car gets stolen, you GOT the job you always dreamed about but never thought you would actually get, you meet a stranger who has connections that open up doors you thought not only locked but far out of your reach, you are forced to move far away, etc...
After the storm has passed, you realize that the winds of change have shaken loose and blown away everything that wasn't strong enough to withstand the storm. You stand there wide eyed and shocked and totally disillusioned.
While you feel a pang of sadness for the loss of that comforting routine, you realize that being merely content was actually holding you back from achieving greater things than you ever thought possible. That your comforting routine was really just you telling yourself, "this is ALL I deserve, so I will be content with it."
Sometimes, it takes a storm to make you realize that there is more world, more possibilities, more growing to do than your comforting routine would have had you believe.
For a long time now, I have been comfortable just to create images. Creation is where my passion lies, whether it is writing a book, painting, drawing, sewing, baking, photography, crafts, and the list is endless. So, because photography allows me to create, I was content just to photograph whatever anyone would let me take pictures of.
I got to exercise my creative vision, people got images they loved, and everything was good.
Until I realized that there could be more for me out there.
I want to be completely transparent with you, here.
I priced my services at what I thought people would pay, not what I honestly believed they were worth.
I created packages that were similar to other photographers in my area because I thought that no one would pay what I would need to charge in order to make a profit. Because the truth is that right now, I can't even pay myself.
That's right.
I run a business but I don't even get paid.
Where did I ever get the idea that way okay? What made me think that I didn't deserve to earn a wage from my job?
So I offered the minimum service at the minimum price.
I will not be doing that anymore.
I don't want to simply mail someone a disc, or send them a link to their gallery. I want to sit down with my clients, and present them with incredible prints so that I can see the look on their faces when they see the amazing moments I've captured for them. I want to watch women's eyes light up when they see, through MY eyes, how beautiful they are. I want to give my clients the absolute best service, the highest quality products, and ALL my attention.
Finally, I want to photograph the things that I am passionate about.
What does this mean for my business and my clients?
This means that there are some genres of photography that I will no longer be shooting. Not because I don't enjoy the images, but because if I am going to offer clients my best, I cannot devote my time to things I am only mildly interested in photographing while there are other photographers out there who specialize in those genres and shoot them beautifully.
I will not be accepting as many clients. This is because I want to devote my time and attention to each client I work with as if they were the ONLY client I am working with.
My prices are also going to rise. This is because I do not want to be a conveyer-belt business. In order to make ANY profit and still continue to learn, grow and expand both as an artist and as a business person who wants to give her clients the absolute BEST, I have to earn what my services are WORTH.
This wasn't as easy decision for me, because change is uncomfortable, and changes like this are scary as hell!
But the storm has blown through and shaken up my way of thinking drastically. I want to give the people who trust me with their images the best of my time and the best product I am capable of creating.
So as I sweep up the wreckage, I am keeping in mind what I am going to build, and how splendid it will be.
I hope you will stay with me through this change, because what is coming out on the other side is going to be amazing!
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