It’s February and my inbox has been filled with so much love. I mean it! I love getting emails from excited clients, potential clients, and other photographers.
I’ve quickly learned that young photographers all have one thing in common: they’re hungry to get there. I most certainly was when I first started out– and even now! Two years after starting this business and I’m still hungry to get better and grow more as an artist and businesswoman.
But let me be quite clear: You will never get there. Where ever you think “there” is or whatever you think “there” looks like, it’s not about “getting there”. Getting there isn’t the point of “getting there”. As an artist and a business owner there is always more you can do to be better. But it’s not about being the best in the business- it’s about being the best version of yourself you can be. Not everyone is gifted or created the same way- therefore there are billions of different ways people can do one thing. Let your uniqueness be the thing that sets your apart!
Below are a few tips that I’ve learned through my two year journey that anyone can apply to their business or lifestyle to help them grow and develop themselves or their client experience!!
1. Figure out how you want people to feel because of your influence
Often these are called “branding words”. They’re usually three to five words that describe your business or art. When I first started out I wanted my photography to be light, airy, and timeless. After awhile, I realized that those words were what I wanted, but not what my art was. Those words changed so much in and over the course of the year as I developed my craft and my client experience. Now the five words that I want to describe everything that I do (photography, art, writing– and even my Instagram captions and Facebook status’! ) are radiant, timeless, authentic, intentional + confident. I want my artwork to be filled with these things but most importantly, I want people to feel these things because of my influence on their life.
2. Be consistent
One of the most important things to do in any business or trade is be consistent. People can’t follow you if they don’t know what to expect! Consistency is SO essential and can quickly be boiled down to the same service over time. Many people automatically attribute red lipstick to Anna Filly Photography. Why? Because I mention my love for a confident red lip a lot. This is especially true with blogging– The quickest way to build followers is to blog once or twice a week on the same day! That way people know when to look for your posts and when to expect them !
3. Be authentic
No really. I mean it. Be YOU. Don’t be the fake version that you think everyone wants to see. Be real. Be the version that wakes up some mornings and craves chocolate chip pancakes, but denies them and goes to the gym instead….and then tell me about it on instagram! People crave authenticity on so many levels. They connect to it. If you have a secret obsession with cats- voice it! One of my sweet friends LOVES everything with a cat on it and now every time I see one I think of her. The quirks connect us to people. I recently voiced online that I was eating clean, and since then I’ve had sooooo many conversations about it. It’s held me accountable and connected me to people. Even my potential clients! Be authentically you- even if it scares you. Your future you will thank you for it. Your business and art is a reflection of who YOU are, so trying to reflect anything else will simply get you frustrated and everyone following you, confused!
4. Learn your strengths and your weaknesses, don’t run from them
When I first started out I thought it was prideful to know what I was good at. Ohhhhh that’s the farthest thing from the truth! It’s wise to know what you’re good at, and it’s wise to know what you’re not! Learning our strengths and weaknesses is SO important. Wanna know the quickest way to figure yours out? Take a close friend to coffee and ask them to list three of each. Before they even get started prep yourself to not get offended or emotional to what they will say. What they have to say might be different than what you expect! Then, go to coffee with another close friend and compare your lists! Start becoming more aware of yourself and play up your strengths. For instance, I really love people. I love getting to know them, one on one time and building relationships. Therefore, I play that strength up in my business! My clients get a personable and unique experience based specifically on who they are, because I care about who they are! One of my weaknesses is that sometimes, I talk waaaaaay to fast. Luckily, I’m learning to slow down. But, learning of this weakness has been the perfect opportunity for me to listen to my clients and what they want, rather than talk my way through things!
5. Enjoy the Journey
The whole reason you’re here, doing what you love is because you love it. And you’re good at it. So enjoy that. Don’t base your worth on the number of “likes” you get or the amount of commenters. Instead, do what you love because you love it. Enjoy the journey that growth has to offer. Revaluate why you do what you do, and do it often! Create for the sake of creating. The longer you do what you do, and allow yourself to fail, grow and persevere, the better you will become. It is SO exciting for me to look back as see how my personality, art, photography and writing has changed over time. The only thing that will allow us to get better is time, and time is something we don’t have much of, so enjoy every step you take along the way!
XO
AnnaFilly
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