I don’t often share- wait a minute.. let me phrase that. I never share the mentoring part of my business because it’s never anything I intend to market for.
In my most exhausted state of being and getting the studio up, I had a few mentoring requests for this this year. One of them was local to Austin, tx. Aidee is one of the most sweetest people ever. She truly is a light that will shine on this world with her creativity and art and most importantly her way of being. I was so honored to spend time teaching her. I don’t know how I managed to snap out of my new business start-up coma, but she entered the studio and I felt a burst of energy. Basically, we rolled up our sleeves and we got to work. This goes to say that I’m not a photographer who “workshops”. I live and breath my work with portrait photography everyday. In fact, even in the middle of opening a second business photography is STILL the vessel that allows me to maintain everything else while I’m in the “unknown” stages of starting up. We had no investors, no small business loans, no money to borrow from anyone to get Cityhouse off the ground. Okay… well actually we got a 5K gift from my dear husbands mother who is just amaze and we are so grateful! But it was a hard long journey to save and figure out how we could manage this idea. And people, I didn’t even build the space, can you image if I did that too?! Building the brand, doing the marketing and getting the space functioning was already a huge task in of itself. For those who have sent sweet messages of “you’re killing it with Cityhouse”- I beg to differ, Cityhouse maybe killing me ha! But it’s been incredibly worthwhile so far.
The truth is building a creative business is hard freaking work. Work that deserves rightful pay. And this goes for whether you’re a photographer or you’re calling speaks to another genre of entrepreneurship. Each day I walk out of the door is a trade for the safe and comfortable. You take a gamble and essentially trade in a 9-5 for a 24/7 in many cases. You wear many hats and often those hats don’t fit anyone else but you especially if you are a creative. This is why I mentor. This post isn’t about the starting up of Cityhouse as much as it is about the photography business. Taking about money is uncomfortable. But I want people/creatives/photographers to know that running a profitable business IS possible. Even when the market is saturated, even when it feels like everyone is giving away their work for peanuts or asking for someone who isn’t an “arm” or a leg”…. (what does that mean anyway? Since when are people selling arms and legs these days?) You don’t have to be insta famous to be relevant. You don’t have to do IPS to be “legit”. You don’t have to have to market only to luxury clients. You can live in a small town and make it work. And you certainly don’t need six figures to measure your success- if that’s NOT what you’re after. These are the lies that are sewn and the traps that keep photographers comparing their versions to others. You need to know that you are allowed to have XL dreams and dreams of maybe just having some extra pocket change, but you have to turn a profit to be in business. It feels icky to say/hear that, but businesses are businesses not charities. Success as a business owner means doing business the way that works for you while STILL being able to make a profit in my opinion, and then letting that set the precedence for the work you can accept to do for others. Whether your goal is taking off with your family each summer to Europe, saving up for your child’s college fund, buying a new home, adding to your household income, or being the bread winner. YOU DESERVE THAT. There is a unique algorithm out there with your name on it. It’s designed to help you achieve your wishes for the things you need, want or hope to have money to do. Because things like keeping a roof over your head or as mundane as putting gas in your car each time you leave- cost money. It’s just that simple. And spoiler alert, you don’t get to keep it all. A huge portion goes to that great state you live in. Your inquiries may not understand, but your bank account and the IRS know otherwise. There are many days and months all of my hard work doesn’t match in dollar signs. But there are also days and weeks and months and sometimes years things work in my favor. Fortunately the bad times have been saved by the times I stood my ground and keep pushing forward regardless. I try to teach photographers that they are running a business and not a charity. Had I been running my business like a charity, Cityhouse would be non-existent today and honestly I can’t imagine my life without the studio home I’ve built and the people I get to share it with. For every inquiry I’ve had to turn away, for every late night marketing my work, writing blog posts, for the crazy fall season that hits like a ton of bricks it’s all worth it *if* I do right by it. My goal through mentoring other photographers is about re shifting the way they see photography as a business and separating the fear of money and art. Whether that’s through creating pricing that aligns with their financial goals or showing them how to create a marketing plan that spins year round. I want photographers to know that there is room for the talent they want to share with the world and that they too can make an amazing and fulfilling living do it. Because guess what? Why yes, even I am still doing this 10.5 years later.
