Yesterday on Instagram I did what I would call a “confession post.” That’s not really a normal thing for me. I often find it difficult to “learn out loud,” for fear of, well…looking like an idiot! Who want’s that? No one! But even I know that at any given time, there are multiple people feeling the same way. Maybe if I put my stuff out there, someone else won’t feel alone, someone else will be sparked to new action!

So I posted a confession and this is it…

August was so crazy I barely acknowledged my birthday, and September is a minute away! I’m going through my fall mental sweep, an annual happening either out of necessity or design (I’m not really sure). It consists of me making lists of what I need to do by the end of September, by October 15th, by Thanksgiving and in January.

OMG stop, right?

September is my last crazy busy month of the year, so there is a lot of balancing. It’s the crest before I get to just ride the wave into the holiday season. But I know something about 2017 that makes this September feel more like an ushering in to a new magical season in my life instead of a circus juggling act.

2017 is going to be a year of focus. Photography has been a joy in my life and I love it, but I have been in situations that drained me. I was drained because I was committing to things that weren’t “authentic” to me. I was allowing myself to be pressured into projects and even taken advantage of. In some cases I was working harder for other businesses than for my own, with little or no return on my effort and time investment. I had magazines offering to include me in a story if I paid for an ad (aka content marketing based on the size of my checkbook rather than my merit) and a business using my photos to advertise another photographer.

In my defense I was trying new things, looking for my niche, and looking to forge genuine relationships with clients and businesses. These unfortunate events gave me a greater insight into the wedding industry, an understanding of what people know and, more importantly, don’t know about photography as a profession, and in turn a guide for considering future projects.

2017 is going to be better though, because I’m giving myself the permission to say no. The power of no will give me the freedom to FOCUS…to focus on the clients who love me, the businesses as excited to work with me as I am with them, and to focus on my creativity and growth as a photographer.