Since I can’t get coffee in real life with every person who reads this blog, I’ll write about what I’d tell you if we grabbed a cup of joe together. You can join the conversation in the comments, if you feel so inclined<3
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I’m copying and pasting these words right from a note on my iPad. At midnight last night I had a bit of a breakdown and quickly grabbed it to type out what I was feeling. But now I’m second guessing if I should be this honest on my biz blog, especially as this relates mostly to my business. I feel like I need to. Please know that my guard is down and I feel very vulnerable.
I hate to compare, because as small business owners know, one year can be awesome and one year can be not as much. But I’m a comparer. I can’t help comparing. I have 6 amazing weddings booked this year. Amazing couples and amazing venues and amazing love stories. I’m so thankful for them all. But, (there’s always a but), last year at this time I had twice as many weddings booked and that fact has been worrying me for months. I’ve heard from a lot of photographers that this seems to be a slow year, or maybe they are trying to make me feel better.
Because of this I’ve been in a really weird place business-wise the last couple weeks. Well, months if we’re being honest. I’ve had many rejections, which is normal in this business, but I have also had some triumphs (like enough confidence in my work to say no to working for free). With the gradual-but-promising growth of my lettering art biz, I’m becoming even more excited, confused and lost at the same time (I feel like I’m Taylor Swift writing a song). I love both things and I want to do both things, but do I take steps to streamline them together, or simply keeping thinking of LFR as a side thing? And if it does keep growing, how do I build these two seemingly different businesses at the same time without losing quality of both? Like I said, a little lost.
With all of this, I am really wondering if this (less weddings, more lettering work) is somehow a sign from God saying ‘I have something different planned for you this year. Something you can’t even imagine.’ And so my plan is to take care of my 6 amazing couples that have trusted me with their wedding photos, and pray that God will show me, in his time, what else he has in store for SRP/LFR in 2015.
I want to be honest with you, putting my ‘low for the industry’ numbers out there is really scaring me and I hope people don’t think I’m less of a wedding photographer just because, for some reason, I am not fully booked for the season. I’m crying thinking about it. I don’t want to post this. Ah. But realness is realer than fakeness, so here we go.
<3S
Stephanie! Wow. I really love your willingness to be open and vulnerable here on your biz blog. Just you even mentioning that you were nervous to post this made me totally feel like I get a sense of who you which is part of being a small business owner, isn’t it?! If I wanted to hire a random, no name photographer, I might go to “photographers-R-us” but I don’t. I would rather find someone who I can relate to and I feel gets me. The only way I would know that I can relate to you, is when you’re this open so…bravo to you, girl!
As another small biz owner, I can totally relate. It’s hard sometimes as we’re always toting that line of professional/personal. I gotta say, I applaud you with this post!!
As for what you should do – I think you already know the answer…:) Whatever fuels your fire. And what’s that saying, “Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.” Zig Ziglar !! Excited to see what’s next for you!
Thank you for your amazing comment Dominique!! Thanks for your encouragement:)