Getting Ready for Something New

Am I crazy?

There are days, many days in fact, that I'm convinced I'm crazy for trying to do it all. 

I'm a pretty busy creature.  Three kids under six, a full time job, a happy and healthy marriage, homeschooling...all of these things are SO important and they take SO much work, but they are SO worth it!  I love being a mother, and I love my family more than anything. 

But I also love my craft.  I love that ethereal "between time" that happens when I'm behind the lens and I just "click" with a client.  I love getting lost in beautiful images as I post process a session.  The big reveal, when I can finally unveil a client's wonderful images, makes me absolutely giddy.  Photography makes me so happy.  It fulfills me in a way I've been trying to find, career-wise, since I was old enough to hold down a job. 

Like anyone, I struggle to find balance between all the aspects of my life.  More often than not, my passion for portraiture gets left in the dust.  As a mom of little bitties, this is pretty much okay with me.  But soon - and much sooner than I'd like! - my kids will be older, more independent, and less needy of Mom hovering over their tiny lives.  When that time comes, I plan to step away from my current career and rock my camera full time.    

Success is scary...

I'll admit it: I'm afraid.  I mask it well, but self-confidence has always been once of my weak spots.  As a creative person, this is often the kiss of death because I don't have that necessary touch of arrogance to keep me going when it seems the whole world is out to get down on my work. 

For a long time, I've been terrified to behave like a true business woman.  If I treat my business like an expensive hobby, well, then failure doesn't hurt as much, right?  WRONG.  Failure hurts no matter what.  And it's unavoidable!  If you're doing anything in life, and doing it without failure, you're never going to grow and improve.

Last month, I had an epiphany.  I realized three things.  One, I want to be a photographer for the rest of my life.  Two, I want as much time as possible (much more than I get now!) to spend with my family.  And three, I want to be able to give my photography clients the best portrait experience of their lives! 

Shaking things up...

 

To reach my goals of helping support my family with my photography, I realized I'd have to turn my business model on its head.  Talk about facing fears!  I recognized that I would have to charge more, work less, and make every client experience 1000% more fantastic. 

I am in the process of making SO MANY exciting changes, and I can't wait to scream them from the rooftops.  Every single change that I'm implementing to my business processes is designed to pamper, excite and wow every single client.  

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be sharing all the exciting new developments with you all.  From exquisite new products, to the new welcome packet, to the amazing new Session Premiere with an absolutely delicious dessert...there are tons of great new things to talk about! 

I hope you're as excited as I am, and I hope you'll join me back on the blog later this week for the first "unveiling" of awesomeness!