In the final part of my four-part series, I want to focus on one person who can make or break your photography business: you.
It’s hard to believe it’s already July. 2022 is coming to an end and now is a great time to look back over the past six months to see how our businesses have grown, as well as review our 2022 goals to see us. where you might need to adjust your strategy. For the 16-20 tips, I decided to focus on personal growth and development because the hard truth is that success in business and in life begins with how we see ourselves and what we do. We believe we can. While some of these last pieces of advice may seem cliché or existential, everything here is based on my personal experience. Sincerely thank you Richard Waine for all his help in creating this series of articles.
16. You Must Believe You Can Do It
Around 2017, I had a career crisis. Even though I already own a successful business, have a part-time job as a college professor, just finished my PhD, own a house, and a nice family (in other words, I living in the “dream”), I feel empty. inside, it was like my career was at a standstill, and my decision to study music was a big mistake. There are other factors that I don’t need to talk about here, but when I was younger in college, I chose music over photography, even though both are more or less equal passions in my life. . And now, I find myself, more than a decade later, feeling like I missed the boat and regretting my life choices.
It was around that time that I started learning about portrait photography. I remember telling my wife that I wished I had pursued photography as a career instead of music, and I felt it was too late to change anything. I was engulfed in feelings of doubt and regret, mixed with bouts of depression, and did not believe that I had the talent or ability to be a great photographer. It was like a dead end and like it was too late to start over.
A lot has happened between 2017 and when I opened my photography business in 2020, but the dramatic change started with my mindset. It wasn’t until I started believing in myself as a photographer and as an entrepreneur that I started to succeed. At some point, I realized that I could accomplish anything, as long as I was willing to put in the time and effort to learn the necessary skills.
If you don’t believe you can become a successful photographer (or anything successful), you’re right. You will do everything in your power to create the reality you already believe in in your mind, so my advice to you is to listen to that voice in your head very carefully and firmly. make sure it doesn’t sabotage you. We all struggle with negative thoughts and lack of confidence, but successful people learn to recognize negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. More than that, they plan for short-term and long-term goals and vigorously pursue them, despite recurring negative thoughts.
In 2020, I’m just a few days away from selling all my photography gear and giving up. I’m glad I didn’t, and although I still have a lot to accomplish with my business and career, now I’m doing things I didn’t think were possible in just a few years. before. And, if I can do it, so can you!
17. Find a Mentor
The key to success in any industry is finding a mentor that you stick with and whose work inspires you. In my personal journey, mentoring has been an integral part of my growing up. When I finally decided to go “all” and make photography a career, I took every opportunity to study with my mentors. I attended many photography workshops, and spent countless hours being criticized and watched others be criticized as well. I photographed as many friends and family members as possible to hone my skills and grow as quickly as possible. If you are feeling stuck as a photographer, lacking focus and direction, my advice is to find a mentor, and make sure he or she will be very successful as an artist. doctor and a businessman.
18. Learn to accept criticism
Finding a great mentor is the easy part. It’s harder to hear and do what they say, especially for those of us with big egos. And honestly, photographers are possibly some of the most egotistical and self-important people on the planet, in my experience even worse than musicians, and that said. up a lot of things!
In the years I have studied with my mentors, as well as in mentoring others, I have noticed three basic types of people. There are people who listen and accept constructive criticism, who see it as their job to improve their work the next time they shoot. These are people who grow at an exponential rate as photographers and sometimes in just a few months they produce amazing work, better than many people who have been photographers for decades. .
Then there are those who listen to the criticism (recognize, they hear, but don’t) and immediately explain all the reasons (excuses) why the mentor is wrong. I have seen it many times in mentoring sessions. These are the people who interrupt and say “I know, I know, I did X for Y” or, “My client made this mistake or was wrong with them so I couldn’t get the picture right”, or, “I don’t see what you’re saying and disagree. “They always make excuses and don’t listen or apply the wisdom given to them. Because of this, they never grow.
Finally, there are people who cannot accept any criticism at all. These people are immediately offended by the slightest criticism and attack those who are trying to help them, many times with personal insults or by insulting the work of the mentor. In short, they can’t hear, because they already know everything. Ironically, the most successful people I’ve met and worked with in photography and music have always been the most humble, always noting how much they have to learn.
If you want to thrive in business and in life, learn to accept criticism and become your own strictest constructive critic. When accepting criticism from others, just make sure they have your best interest in mind and want to see you succeed. Also, ignore all the other trolls and critics who just want to tear you apart. They can fly kites, as my grandmother used to say.
19. Take a day off
For those of us who are entrepreneurs and self-motivated, it’s hard to hit the off button. I’m constantly planning content, reading business books, editing my website copy, and at the same time, I’m testing multiple apps to see who’s commented on and subscribed to my various platforms. I realized that I was on fire and needed to change something.
Then it hit me. Scheduling one consecutive day off per week isn’t lazy, and it has helped boost my productivity. This is because our body and mind need rest in order to function at the highest possible level. If you never hit the off button, you’ll soon be in trouble.
On my days off, I often leave my phone and computer behind to be with my family. On my last day off, we went to an art museum, and I loved looking at paintings and sculptures for a long time, observing how they made me feel. I couldn’t believe how happy, calm and joyful I felt after leaving the museum with my family. I feel renewed. I also recommend meditating, reading, or just going for a walk in nature, unmotivated and without trying to force your mind to think about your next business move. Ironically, I also find that going out for a day with my camera is an extremely relaxing and renewing day. When I do this, I have no agenda or goals, except to enjoy the art of photography in nature or stroll through a busy city street. It is extremely therapeutic.
20. Whatever You Do, Don’t Give Up!
My final piece of advice for 2022 is simple: don’t quit. Whatever else you do, don’t give up. I have and continue to have many struggles, failures, hate and trolls in my life, both online and in person. This is part of the process of success, and the people we most admire always experience failure, often just before they achieve their greatest triumph. The next six months of 2022 are up to you to do what you want out of it, and as I said at the beginning of this article, the only person who can stop you is you.
Thank you so much for reading part four of this series. If you missed other articles, click to read part One, part twoand one third.
