Working Hard or Hardly Workin'?

I'd like to think I'm working hard, but depending on what I'm doing, that can look very different from day to day.

In this business, like any other, there is a fair amount of learning that is required to stay with or ahead of the curve. Monday turned into a learning day for the most part thanks to a seminar DVD that showed up in the mail. It is one of several methods I use to keep current and growing in this craft. This installment of the touring seminar helped me in getting a better idea of how other professionals interact and instruct their clients as well as deal with issues of marketing and brand consistency. Of course there are also many gracious friends and family that have also offered very valuable advice in these fields as well. I like polling several sources just to see what different perspectives are, how they work, and if they'd work for me.

Speaking of the business side of things, another source of information (photographer groups on facebook) posted a link to another mini-seminar video that dealt with the troubles creative professionals can have conducting it well in order to stay viable. It was actually for design professionals but the concepts and issues translate well to photographers as well. Aside from some prominent course language it is a very helpful video made by Mike Monteiro. The title gives away it's most offensive and prominent word so if that is particularly offensive to you, don't watch it. The main gist of it is to always write up a mutually beneficial contract before you start work so expectations are clear, don't be afraid to fire clients that don't value your work or try to take advantage of you, and also that it's a good idea to lawyer up so that you are protected. The winning strategy was actually stated as:
- Contracts up front - Get one written up before starting work.
- Internal allies - Develop a good relationship with someone in your client's company
- Advisers - Get a lawyer to work with, they'll go to bat for you and get you paid.
There were also a number of other great tips like making sure you're courteous and attempting to maintain relationships even if there are some hiccups in the process of working things out. In any case, I found it informative and a bit of a comfort that creative professionals have rights too, even though we sometimes tend to be treated less than that due to the subjective nature of our work.

It is definitely difficult to transition from a hobby that is done simply for the love and enjoyment to a business where sustenance must be procured out of it. There's a reason the term "starving artist" is so widely recognized. Thankfully I am not starving (yet) so you can just hold on to those cans of beans you were about to donate. :)

Aside from educating myself through the many wonderful resources available online and through friends, I've been working on some senior portraits and flushing out some other projects as well. I'm not sure when I'll be able to share more on that but one will be a medical business and the other is a local boutique. I hope they both pan out as it would be fun to work on both commercial and fashion-related projects!

Aside from all that, there have been sunsets caught and sunsets missed, interestingly decorated cicadas, and surprise gifts of roses from a friend (thanks Gayle!). Even beyond that, all the way back to semi-business-related topics, I've been asked to play (drums) with Paul Emerson at the Nutty Brown Cafe for a benefit that will contribute to WaterNow, an organization working to help provide clean water to people in developing nations. It's coming up on May 29th and for just $10 you'll get 10 bands including Courrier and Todd Agnew. In any case It'll be the first time I've gotten to play a full set there and should be awesome. Usually I'm taking photos of the bands there, not playing in one of them on stage. So yes, very cool things are happening! Stay tuned for more from this wild wacky world of Austin Texas...