Opening a business is no walk in the park – unless I suppose you’re starting a dog walking business, but y’all know that aint me! Transitioning from my secure job as an engineer to my artistic and somewhat chaotic career as a photographer has been more like a rollercoaster in the park.
What if it fails?
entrepreneurship is not something I ever considered doing; in fact, I took ONE Entrepreneurship class in college for my business Minor and I left that class saying NO WAY. That’s not for me.
I like security & stability too much, I couldn’t possibly handle that kind of unknown… not to mention the insane amount of work, coordination, and education that goes into taking off on your own. How do I do the taxes? did you know there’s a difference between marketing and sales? What if the market is saturated?
What I was really worried about is… What if it fails? What if Invest my time, money, and hopes and dreams into a business venture for it to fall flat on its face? What if people don’t value my service? what if the industry is saturated? what if I have to hear I told you so from some well meaning relatives? It was a hard pass from me; no questions about it.
Fast forward a few years to the beginning of 2020.
I had been working in Heavy Civil Construction management for a few years, being a photographer was largely just a hobby and something I did for fun, I guess it could have qualified as a “side Hustle”. But I was finding that the corporate grind that I worked so hard to bust into (few women come to work in Heavy Civil Construction..) was leaving me feeling unfulfilled and guilty as heck as a mother. Sure the work was kind of neat, but I found that I was living on the praise of other people for breaking into the field… not for the joy I was finding in it.
What will “they” think?
Then the pandemic hit and I was sent home to work from a small desk in my master bedroom. I loved the flexibility of it, but was still thirsting for something I could really be creative with and really OWN. So I picked up my camera again. I thought, maybe this could be something more than a hobby… but I was weighed down by the same concerns I had in college. Plus the idea of not using the degree I worked so hard for, and entering a field that didn’t seem as impressive was a hard hit to my ego. An engineer sounded so much more influential than a photographer. So I put it down again. and repeated this cycle about a million more times.
Fast forward again to 2022. In the end, or beginning I suppose, it came down to necessity. I decided it was a necessity to get more time with my kids, to do something creative that makes my heart happy, and the rest… will sort its self out.
after all… The higher the risk, the sweeter the reward.
Oddly enough, deciding to own my new identity as a photographer, resulted in almost immediate headway. When you take your self seriously, everyone else will too.
In March I; shot three sessions, launched a website, booked my first big wedding, and put three more sessions on my books.
Have you ever been in a season like that? where you know that what you’re doing now isn’t quite working but you’re afraid to make a big change? nervous about taking the leap? worried it might not work? Whether it’s a new job, a decision to have children, move to a new state.. sometimes we get comfortable in the known even if our hearts are called to something more or different. I hear ya, I have used every excuse in the book possible to convince myself to just give up on this deal and stick with what I know & what is stable. I want this to be your encouragement to do it though. I firmly believe that as soon as you jump, you’ll find the wings you need to take you where you wanted to go all alone.
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