I read this quote in a wonderful book I purchased recently:
"If the plan doesn't work, change the plan but never the goal"
It made me feel SO much better. This year, and probably every year going forward, will present it's challenges. There will always be something that potentially will stop us from achieving what we wanted to. In other words, plans are forever changing, which I'm sure you've experienced.
My plans in 2021 were to drop my hours at work if I could, or look for part time work in order to focus on Calton Photography. My aim was to do this in August 2021. But in April 2021, we found out that our home, that we were renting, was to go up for sale and we had a chance to either buy it, or look for a new place.
That was my first hurdle, would we find anywhere?
When looking, prices had rocketed, and a similar home was at least £300 more a month. So it was quite depressing. However, we ended up living with family for financial reasons so that we could save for something more permanent.
So, two weeks later we'd moved into my sister-in-law's annex, next door to my in-laws, in Wisbech. This presented, not only a challenge of space, but a challenge of work and if we were saving I'd have to stay in full-time work to get the best chance of getting a mortgage.
As you can imagine, it was great in one sense, but I was gutted for Calton Photography as this wouldn't be able to be my focus for a long time now. Or so I felt at the time.
After a few months, when it had sunk in I thought, "I need to get my buzz back". Autumn was approaching, and I love this time of year, so I thought if I can channel the love for Autumn into photography it'll give me a well-needed boost. If you shoot what you love, it will show.
Step 1: Find Your Buzz
After gaining some feedback via Instagram Polls about what people would be interested in, I decided to run a mini session day. Mini sessions are shorter, more affordable photo sessions, all done on one day, one after the other.
I decided to run this in Peterborough, in the height of the Autumn Leaves, so I could get
photos in for those Peterborough-people that wanted them, but without all of the driving. Plus, it might reach an audience that previously could not afford my photography sessions. See my post on how this all went, it truly got me my buzz back: https://www.caltonphotography.co.uk/post/autumn-mini-photoshoots-october-2021-peterborough-cambridgeshire-calton-photography
Your buzz will not only keep you going, but will rub off on others. No one wants to be around a "Negative Norm", so you will attract people with your positivity.
Step 2: Say No
After the wonderful high this gave me, I said to myself that I will only shoot what I truly feel proud to shoot. This meant saying no to things I didn't truly want to do, anything that churned my stomach, or that would make me a lot of money but I didn't truly love.
Trust me, it's worth it. Not only do you enjoy what you are photographing, but it shows in everything you do. Your client's will know if you've not put your heart and soul into something for them. So saying no can be a win-win.
Step 3: Get A Diary & Set Goals
Have you ever got to a month in the year, perhaps where it's October already and you really wanted to do some Autumn Shoots, but now you have no time to advertise it, no time to plan it and you're kicking yourself?
Keeping up your mojo is key. My cousin bought me a diary for 2021 and it really helped. My 2022 is already full, not of bookings, but of pencilled-in goals and plans. Things I WANT to shoot. I've filled in some key dates and it looks a bit like this:
January: Newborn Model Calls - to increase my portfolio
February: ? something couple related if time permits
March: Motherhood Mini's? Would be a cool idea but I'm already running a Maternity Offer
April & May: Blank as I'm beginning to look for houses!
June: Blank due to pre-existing plans
July: Summer Evening Beach Deal - I want to do some beach photoshoots whilst I live closer to it.
August & September: Back to School Mini's - cool idea if my home studio is set up. I've wanted to do this for a few years so why not get organised now?!
October: Plenty of Autumn Shoots, because they're just wicked.
November: Winter Mini's...depending on whether I have a home studio or not. Perhaps I could hire somewhere for the day.
December: No Plans
I've achieved January's goal, but I'd been planning it since November! This has helped me because I constantly have something to work towards. It helps to keep that buzz going and overcome the mental barrier of "kicking yourself".
Remember though, pencil these things in as plans can change so quickly.
Step 4: Believe that You Are a Photographer
This sounds odd, but say it. Out loud.
I now tell people that I am a Photographer before I tell them I work in admin too, even though it's not my main source of income at the moment. If you don't believe it yourself, can you expect anyone else to? This will help to overcome the mental hurdle of self-doubt and build your confidence in yourself.
Step 5: Avoid Comparison
This can be a total vibe-killer.
Do you follow lots of similar photographers on your social media feeds?
Has it ever made you feel inadequate or killed your buzz?
You CAN control this. Simply unfollow them. It's within your power NOT to compare yourself to someone else. You are different to them. Someone else's fully booked week might mean they have 1 person booked in. Another persons fully booked week might be 5 people booked in.
Remember, social media is a highlight reel and should be viewed with that in mind.
Step 6: Adapt & Be Flexible
Although it's awesome to have a plan for your entire year, or the next few years, remember that plans can change.
Realistically, nothing goes exactly the way you'd planned, and that's okay. Circumstances will differ. In my experience, you can't really plan much. All you can do is ride the wave, and keep that goal in mind. If your goal is set, you will take steps to achieve it no matter your circumstances at the time.
My goal is to become predominantly a Newborn Photographer, but also a Family Photographer. This will always be the goal now. But whilst I don't have a studio, or my dream equipment or time off in the week I will work a weekend, or book annual leave, to get there. Once I have a house, I can adapt again. The process is constant.
Step 7: Don't Give Up
If this is truly how you want your life to look like and you feel that you would regret giving up, then don't. Follow these steps and you will get there.
Sometimes, running your own business can be a very lonely place. It can be easy to think "should I just stick to my regular job, it saves worrying". But think about how good it will feel in a year's time when you've achieved even just one of your goals.
Start small, set a goal to write a blog post once a week or show up on social media. Or even just start by getting a diary and seeing how your year could look.
If you ever need any help, or want to tell me your goals, or if I can help with my experiences then please get in touch! We can help each other.
Happy goal setting.
Meg x
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