Since I wrote the article 10 Things I Learned About My Photography Business, I thought it was a good time to reflect on the changes I've experienced running my business. I love every aspect of my business and I have learned so much about myself in the process. Within the last year, I learned to better skills I already have and develop new ones. Because of these changes, I learned to appreciate myself more for both my strengths and weaknesses. I love all sides of me and hoping for continued growth as my business grows with me. Here are 5 ways my photography business has changed me.
1) Communication
I learned to be a better communicator in my business. The mass majority of the business is communicating with the client from start to finish whether that's a phone call, in-person meeting or directing them to pose.
I have never been prone to talking much especially in my younger years. But I started to appreciate the skill and quite frankly enjoy speaking and selling my business.
The opportunities to speak in my business has made me a better communicator all around. I'm much better at small talk or giving presentations. I find I secretly like giving presentations and hope to do more in the future.
I love that I am growing and getting better at communication every day.
2) Managing Money
Organizing my receipts and doing monthly reconciliation has made me surprisingly like accounting.... to an extent! I still like photography. But I am much better at handling expenses and managing the money coming in and out of my business.
It feels quite empowering to have money management skills. Great business owners have always said to know your numbers. I couldn't agree more. Knowing where I stand financially and if I can afford an expense is very important.
3) Building New Skills and Expertise
I spend some time in between photoshoots to learn new skills. My most recent class was a posing class by Lindsay Adler. That was probably the best posing class I've seen. The class is available to watch on Creative Live. I highly recommend it to any photographer or anyone that wants to know how to pose.
I enjoy learning new skills to build my arsenal of skills in my business. It is fun and exciting. I love learning! I also love how it is changing my perspective on my photography. I start to see things differently and areas to improve my photography in ways I didn't think were possible when I first started.
4) More Creative
Being around photography or doing more creative editorial photography shoots makes me more creative. I can see a shot in my head or a concept more clearly now.
This is also translatable to any situation in my life. I have a problem? I can see a creative solution to it. It's much easier to think more critically and creatively.
I learning to appreciate the creative side of my brain more each day. I tend to be very hard on myself and try to find areas of improvement that I sometimes don't stop to appreciate what I have achieved so far. I am slowly learning to slow down and appreciate everything.
5) Secret Social Butterfly
I am an introvert at heart and there is nothing wrong with that. When I was much younger I would have considered myself a loner. I kept to myself and didn't talk that much.
Since I speak more in my photography business I feel that I am a secret social butterfly. I thrive on speaking to people. I love meeting new people and hearing about their experiences. I love finding out what makes them tick and what type of humour makes them laugh.
I am enjoying being a social butterfly and in this time of social distancing, I can't wait for its end so I can chat people up.
How have you changed in the last few months? What haven't you achieved that you are hoping to tackle? Share your thoughts below.
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