May 15, 2020
Friend, can I tell you a secret? For years in this industry, I felt I was not good enough to help others. As a small business owner, there are things I didn’t do perfectly. Things I wanted to do to level up my photography. And that stopped me from wanting to show up for others. I had Imposter Syndrome to the 10th power!
That constant feeling that I would be “exposed” for just not knowing enough was overwhelming! I spent the majority of my years in this industry getting really good behind the lens and creating images that my clients could love forever. But there was this whole other side that sometimes had me sitting in front of the computer for hours only to have accomplished one single task. If I wasn’t photographing a client, editing amazing images, and sharing them out, I felt lost.
My husband has heard me cry so many times over the phone while admitting to him that I felt lost and confused as to what was next! I didn’t know how to run a small business. I just wanted to take pictures! But I had heard over and over again that if I didn’t take the time to learn how to run a business, that failure was just over the horizon…and failure just wasn’t an option.
So I dove in and spent years investing in my own education. I still have a lot to learn but what I have done is gotten out of my own way! I’ve learned that for some out there I’ll never be a good enough photographer, smart enough in business, skinny enough, confident enough, pretty enough, well spoken enough, whatever. But, I am enough for me! So I decided to let go of all of the things that had held me back from doing this two years ago.
So I started to write. I wrote down all the things I knew how to do in business and photography. All the things I knew someone else could grow from. I wrote for hours until I had filled pages and pages with learning content. Then I took all of those things and started to map them into content buckets. You see, I was a learning & development specialist in my earlier life. All of those years of coaching and educating finally started translating into my photography passion.
This has been in the making for years. I knew how to do it, I just didn’t know how it would be received. But today, I tell you I care more about helping others than the few who might be cackling at me from the sidelines. So here I am…showing up scared, not sure if this will work the way I planned, not sure if the content will be as awesome as I thought it would be when I wrote it out, not sure if people will really want to hear from a girl like me….but I am doing it anyways!
If you’re looking for an opportunity to level up your photography or business game, why don’t you join me? In just one week, I’ve built a community of over 100 photographers who are so excited to improve their skills and their businesses. Click the buttons below to join us. We’d love to have you!