When You Become a Creative Entrepreneur, and You Feel So Alone

When I started as a photographer, I was working a full time job in higher education, but had started taking photos on the side just for fun. Initially, it felt like I was on cloud 9. I had people coming to me left and right to take their photos. And it was the first time I wondered— wait, can I be a creative entrepreneur? Can I make money doing this? This feels like it could take me somewhere! So, after some burnout with my full time job, I quit and made my first attempt to become a bonafide photographer.

But when I quit, I moved to a new city and all of a sudden, I knew no one. My network was gone. And so was my business.

I was desperate for other photographers to teach me their ways and share with me how to be successful. I met with a few really cool photographers for coffee (secretly hoping they’d ask me to come work with them!), but was always too scared to ask them if I could assist them or second shoot for them or even just shadow their sessions. It felt like they had so many tools that had led to their success, but I didn’t know how to ask them to share those tools with me. I felt sheepish and silly after every coffee date with the very photographers I wanted to be.

Sometimes it felt like they were all holding out on me. Like they were hiding some magical trick that was helping them bring in more clients and income, but they weren’t willing to share that trick with me. And I became bitter. I didn’t want to ask them for advise and I didn’t want to network or ask to shadow them, because it seemed like they weren’t wanting to hand out the key to their hard earned money.

In hindsight, I see there were a lot of questions I could have asked and a lot of ways I could have networked with them to grow as a photographer. I just didn’t know what those were.

Fast forward eight years later, and I’m Full Time live’n the dream baby. But it has not been an easy road and I feel like I’m at a point where I want to BE the mentor I needed when I was starting out.

I want my mentees to not feel alone like I did. SO, I’m launching a Level Up Photography Workshop.

This workshop is, essentially, something I WISH I’d had from all those photographers.

It’s hard to walk the photography entrepreneur road alone, especially as a creative who is both growing as a photographer AND as a business owner. You are desperately wanting others to take you seriously while also struggling to take yourself seriously as you battle with imposter syndrome and the fear of failure. When I first started, I always felt so discouraged and alone. I threw a lot of pity parties for myself. And I don’t want you to have to do that. I want you to feel encouraged and empowered. I want you to know what to expect as you enter this really beautiful and wondereful rewarding career. I want you to see your ideal client in your inbox, asking you to photograph their family, wedding, brand, or event. 

I want you to really believe that leveling up your business is worth the shot you’re shooting and I want you to feel so confident in the next steps. 

I want you to sign up for my photography workshop because it’s the step you’ve been dreaming of taking for so so long.