Today like on many occasions in the past, I’ve spent time thinking about the direction I’d like my business to go in. Up and forward seems like an obvious answer, yet my main concern isn’t my success, but the mark I leave with my clients, the experience I offer them. Is my work meaningful, something my clients will cherish for years to come, is it real and does it tell a story, their story. Photography has changed drastically over the last years and the only means of comparison I have, are the worn images from my grandmothers albums, some of which are 60 years old, if not older. Less importance was given on location, clothing and “props”, people and their reality was all they had at times and there’s nothing stronger than a good dose of reality.
While speaking to a friend the other day, something she said stuck with me, “Once we’re gone whether it’s sooner rather than later, all that’s left of us are the memories people have and if we’re lucky, some photos to tell the story of who we were and what we did in our lifetime; without those we’d cease to exist and capturing what’s real, people as they are, is what it’s all about. What we do is so important, yet it seems to be forever questioned.”
In between life, work, children and believe it or not sleep (!) my thoughts sometimes go a little deeper and I think of exactly how I’d like to run my business, of how I’d like to capture other people’s day to day life just as I capture mine, presenting them with nothing but their lives, their reality, simple but honest.
When I daydream it seems to be more about the past than the future, I dream about living a much simpler life as they did 30 years ago. Where FB didn’t exist and the world didn’t know what everyone else was having for dinner or how many times “Joe” had gone on the potty. I dream about the hours we would spend playing in the middle of the street during summer and even after our parents had called us in for dinner, all we could think about was going back out to run and play some more. I dream of having more time for everyday life, to ensure my children have an amazing childhood like I did, filled with mad experiences, family and fun. Of course trying to capture every moment, as the older I get the quicker time seems to go.
Finding the balance seems to have become a catch phrase in the industry, perhaps it’s a catch phrase for all of us. Whether it’s balancing time between family and work, balancing time shooting what you love and what you do for work, or whether it’s giving in to clients and meeting their needs instead of yours, it always comes down to balance. As much as I know I’ll never find the perfect balance, the place where I can say I’m 100% happy and satisfied, I’d like to find a balance I’m proud of, the balance of doing what I love and have others loving what I do.
If I stop to think about how much my business has grown over the last 2 years and of the steps I’ve taken to get me to where I am, I do feel like I’m going in the right direction. The people who know me well also know that I don’t have much patience and often seek to “have it all” as quickly as possible.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, especially in the past 6 months, is that my business IS me, and as I grow and move forward along this journey, so will my business. There’s no right or wrong, if it was meant to be, it will happen.
