Inspiration

As a freelancer, how do we go to work each day when we aren’t “going” to work?

Truth is, we have to stay plugged in to stay on track. 

Use our industry resources to keep as actively involved as if you were punching the time card.

“I noticed that the photographers we work with that we see getting rehired again and again are great problem solvers. They find creative solutions and freely offer their perspective and opinion in a way that instills confidence in the client. We often see when a big project of importance comes around, the agency art directors will want to speak with us from the very beginning, and it becomes clear that their level of comfort and confidence is with a trusted creative partner.”

Guest Post: Executive Producer, Michael Horta

Some photographers get the job over and over. The client keeps going back to them. Why is that? How do we do that? They want a problem solver, they want a partnership. If someone can bring up issues that the client might not even know of yet and become a resource to them to make their job even better to make them look better than they even are, they will hire you. Learn how to be their partner in this, not just for that one job, but the long term.

The one job requirement for our creative careers is that we continuously stay inspired. 

To be a creative means you have to be creative. Mix it up, try new things, and even when they fail, who cares; you are following the buzz that will take you places.

How do we stay inspired? The main part of our business is as creatives we have to keep the creative juices flowing. We can’t just get stuck in the ways that we already know. This is a constant throughout your career. Try something new, shake it up, even schedule yourself for it. Try something new on this date, every month. It doesn’t have to be a success, but think about things you haven’t tried before. You don’t have to know how it’s going to end up, to begin.

The best way to do better at our jobs is to know where we stand now. Look at what isn’t going your way and own it, use that info to get better instead of wasting your time blaming anyone/anything else. 

The best way to grow and stay successful is to know where we are right now. It’s a little hard in our bubbles to know where we are when others don’t really tell us. It’s a bit awkward to get that information from people in the industry. We have to look at the things that happen that might make us angry. Like blaming the trends of the day, or clients, or budgets. The more we blame the less we’re looking at what we need to be looking at in order to grow. When we’re competing against someone for a job, can we find out who gets the job if we lost? Can we look at their work and see they got it because they’re better at that. Do I want to get better at that thing? Do I need to work on that?

Q:

Do you think that Clubhouse has value? I’ve just recently joined and it seems to.

A:

I’m seeing CH as a major player in our industry so might as well get involved now. Looks like a great platform to join others for education and inspiration. It’s also an opportunity for photographers to step up to the plate and develop a topical discussion on CH for their own marketing. Join the ride and get on there! Hey, photographers can be so isolated, so anything that can help us open our doors and hear what it’s like for others can always be helpful.

My sixth-grade art teacher Ms Johnson said, “if someone copies your idea, that means you had a really good idea.”

The same goes for treatments.

Don’t hold back because the only way your idea won’t be used by others is if you never get the job.

There is a lot of apprehension from putting your secret ideas into your treatments because you may think the client may steal it and use it with someone else. That’s really not how it works. A client is going to hire a photographer based on their treatment and of other things. You might inspire them. But even if you share your idea and then they use that idea on another shoot with another photographer, what are we going to do? We can’t stop them. You have to give all of yourself to the treatment: every idea you have, the locations, the whole production, the schedule, and how you would make it all happen. If you don’t share all of your ideas you’re not really showing who you are and you probably won’t get the job.

Doing the RESEARCH on potential clients is the difference between allowing your career to be guided by the calls you receive vs. shaping your future by going out there to get the clients you want.

We are moving on with the new year and one of the biggest, most important things to do is research. It is difficult. It’s a way to educate ourselves on the clients we want to get to bring our careers to the next level. We must keep a good database and keep researching on LinkedIn. We have to know who to contact, who to engage with and who to stay in front of. It’s really simple, but difficult. Research and contact people on LinkedIn. It can’t be like a mass email kind of feeling from you. You have to use their name and add a note. It takes time, but it’s probably the most important thing to do if you want to advance your career.

Let’s get started here. 

BRING IT 2021!

What is your top list of clients you’d love to work with?

If this new year can be anything, it can be our way of getting back on our own track. 

Before we get started back up again in our busy lives, we have to reset our direction in the way that we want it to go. We often get so caught up in the search and the hunt for jobs and we get busier and busier and we’re not thinking where we want to take this. It becomes where are the jobs taking us. We can’t let that business take our focus away.

Successful businesses are open to growth. So much of our business doesn’t change when we can’t see outside of our own routine. 

Happy holidays!