This past weekend AG and I traveled down to Boston, and while we did plenty of sightseeing (pics to come!), the main reason for the trip was so I could attend theFIX, a presentation for wedding photographers by Jasmine Star.
(Sidenote for non-photographers: Jasmine is an American wedding photographer, and one who has been hugely influential in the industry. I’ve been following her online for years, watched all of her online workshops, bought her magazine the day it was released, saw her speak at WPPI just last month, and then traveled to Boston again for this, so suffice to say I am a fan.)
In Boston we talked about the struggles we all face in our personal lives and in our business; the difficult decisions we need to make to do what’s right for us and for our businesses. We also had time to mix and mingle, and I was glad to meet up with my friends Jill and Shannon-May, and meet two other NB photographers, Randi and Carla. I also got to meet a bunch of photographers when we met up for pizza before the event, and catch up with the lovely miss Ashley Goodwin, last seen in Vegas. In an industry that can feel isolated, secretive, and judgemental, I am so glad to be finding people who are choosing to make friends and make connections. Instead of feeling the struggle alone, I can surround myself with people who love the same things I love, want the same things I want, and feel the same things I feel.
Between this and WPPI, I have been on a campaign of education the past month or so, and the key themes that have united the speakers I’ve seen are simple:
1. Be yourself. Believe in yourself.
2. Convey the value of your personality and your service.
3. Be ready, willing, and able to change.
4. Work together.
5. Articulate your goals to achieve your goals.
These are themes that are going to apply to everyone, no matter what kind of business you’re in, or whether or not you’re in a business at all. For me, I’m at a place in my business where I know I have a big change coming up – I’m excited to share it – and in this awkward in-between phase, I’m absorbing as much information as I can because I want to come out the other side a better, stronger person, business owner, and photographer. I think most of us have struggled with feeling like we’re not good enough, smart enough, interesting enough, or lucky enough to succeed in whatever we’re doing with our lives. The message I’m getting is that just by being ourselves, we are enough. We can only achieve the goals we dare to set for ourselves.
I look as haggard and melted as someone who has been walking all over town in 20 C weather would, but Jasmine looks and smells like a rainbow. More pics under the cut!
