Back in December, I stumbled upon Me Ra Koh’s website in one of my nightly photography-related Google searches. I was immediately captivated by Me Ra’s photography AND her story of how she grew into her now amazingly successful career, so I kept clicking. Photo Recipes…finally some useful information for me – a newbie to my DSLR – about HOW you did that…yay! Confidence Workshop…sign me up! (Just need to figure out which bank to rob in order to afford it.) Okay, Me Ra…you’re bookmarked! And then, click…a page that described the 2010 SOAR! Scholarship. As I read these words -- “SOAR! is a scholarship award program that not only changes the lives of three women, but breathes hope and encouragement into people across the nation. The SOAR! Scholarship helps three women each year to make their dream of building a photography business come true” – my salivary glands kicked into high gear. Hey, this is for me! I thought. Sadly, I was too late – by the time I found the information about the program, the application deadline was literally the next day, and let’s face it, you don’t just “throw something together” when making your case for why YOUR life should be changed. BUT, in the beautiful spirit of the program, Me Ra and the SOAR! folks are making good on that “breathing hope and encouragement” thing, and for those of us who applied and weren’t selected, or who just plain missed the deadline, we’ve been invited to follow the journey of the three amazing SOAR! recipients as they blog about their experience AND to participate in the business building and photography exercises as well. So here I am, jumping on the bandwagon (albeit a little late) with the first business coaching exercise.
You can view the entire exercise description here, but the gist of the exercise was to spend some time focusing on “What Is SO” in your business – not on what is NOT. I’m one of those who tends to see everything I don’t have, everything that isn’t working, all the challenges…and then I freeze. I don’t move forward, and in not moving forward, I tend to move backwards. Oy…. Fortunately for me, I’d already recognized this about myself and at the beginning of the year, as I put together my lengthy list of New Year’s Resolutions (or, more appropriately “Action Plan 2011: My Shortcomings”), I’d decided that when faced with a challenge, I’d start trying to see within that challenge the opportunity that was headed my way. This exercise seemed to dovetail with my new attitude (which I’m still only sporadically putting into practice), and here I present to you: WHAT IS SO in Christa the Photographer’s World. Try it for yourself – it’s easily transferrable to whatever your reality is, and I know I’m going to head to bed tonight feeling pretty darn great about my reality!
Talents & Skills:
- The ability to see in photographs
- Adaptability; the ability to master new skills quickly
- The belief that if I try hard enough, I can do anything I set my mind to
- Creativity; a love for “making” things
- A passion for storytelling
- Emotional intuition; an ability to take in a situation and understand the feelings and emotions driving a chain of events
- Business sense which will come in handy when setting up business systems, marketing, pricing, client communications, etc.
- Technical savvy, especially related to Photoshop, setting up a website/blog, building tracking spreadsheets, etc.
- Entrepreneurial tendencies
- The ability to connect with kids and relate to them on their level
- A love of learning and an ability to find the resources to take me to the next level
- The belief that I am right where I need to be in this place in my life
- The past experience of having fallen flat on my face, so I’m no longer so afraid of failure
Money:
- Knowledge that I need to begin building a budget for my business and some frame of reference for how to do this
- Understanding of the difference between a “need” and a “want”
- $0 business debt and an expressed goal NOT to acquire debt for this business -- EVER
People:
- My incredibly supportive family who are excited about seeing me live my dream, starting with Kirk who has made a point of stretching himself to help make this happen for me and my father who understands photography and can give me tips and pointers, talk gear with me, and appreciate my work from the standpoint of someone who knows what it’s like to be behind the camera
- Friends who are excited about my new career and are willing to share their time with me to help me build my portfolio
- The wonderful women I’ve met through the SOAR! Forum who are so willing to share their experiences, successes and failures
Systems:
- Nikon D90
- Brand-new laptop and external hard drive for storage
- Photoshop Elements
- An online proofing solution
Agreements:
- An agreement with Kirk that he will bear the brunt of supporting our family financially while I pursue my new career and a Master’s degree
Mission Impact:
- I don’t just want to capture pretty pictures; I want to capture the hope in a couple’s first embrace as husband and wife, the innocence of a newborn, the overwhelming love that makes a new mama’s heart feel like it will burst, the palpable exuberance of a toddler, the mischievous camaraderie between best friends, the peace and acceptance that comes with growing old together, and even the silence that connects all of these things in the circle of life. I want to tell other people’s stories, and through telling their stories, I want to write mine so that our children will grow to know that life is PEOPLE and life is GOOD.
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| Julia playing in her "hidey hole" |
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