Happy Valentine’s Day!
January got away from me with a residential move and end of the month busy-ness with work. There really is never a perfect time to move but I was grateful for the slower start to January to prep for the move, and then the busyness amidst the transition for income!
I’m back with this month’s newsletter on Valentine’s Day. Growing up in the US, Valentine’s has always felt a bit more romantic in its leanings. I prefer the broader celebration of love and friendship as it is celebrated in so many other countries. It is literally, el Día del Amor y Amistad in many Spanish-speaking countries.
Below is an audiovisual project I did for the fantastic CCSF Sound for Cinema class I took last year. It is a personal Valentine’s Day story that reminds me that love and business require taking risks.
Pursuing photography and being in business for myself is a constant practice in taking and managing small and big risks. No matter the size or how measured, each risk can feel scary in its own way. Day to day, my work can feel routine but when something feels scary or uncomfortable, I pay attention. Things that feel scary for me:
when work is slow, checking my bank account!
spending money for my business and wondering if it's the best investment of available funds
starting new personal photo projects, which is often accompanied by my doubting their worthiness
sharing work that is different than what I’ve done before
submitting estimates/bids to new clients and wondering if I’ve asked for “too much”
having vulnerable or hard conversations with clients and colleagues such as asking for more budget/higher rates, negotiating contracts, following up about payment, and getting feedback on work
I pay attention because the fear is usually associated with feeling vulnerable and not knowing what the outcome will be. Fear often signals an opportunity to stretch myself and grow personally and professionally in a variety of ways: people and business skills, the creative and technical aspects of being an image maker. Regardless of what the scary thing is, when I acknowledge and work through it versus avoiding it, I am always rewarded for the effort.
When I shared the above project via social media for the first time last year, I was apprehensive and nervous because it is neither photography nor videography, and it is a deeply personal story about someone I love. Nonetheless, I shared it—with the encouragement of some friends, which always helps! I wanted to tell the story of adopting my grampa and to share something important to me, which is perhaps the heart of fear and having the courage to take risks—being confronted by a subject that matters to us and has the potential to impact our future in a significant way and acting upon it: asking someone on a date, asking for a raise or more money, taking the leap to pursue a passion as a career. Ultimately, I had nothing to worry about sharing my story; I received so many kind responses from people who follow me on social media.
Me and grampa, connecting over books, as usual
Generally, I have become more comfortable with taking risks inside and outside of my work but there is always some new challenge waiting around the corner. If I ever stop feeling challenged or scared to do something, I'm probably not pushing myself enough to learn and grow! Speaking of scary, I'm going to stop revising this blog post ad infinitum and finally hit "Publish"!
Here’s to more risk taking, and doing something that scares you, even if just a little bit. As always, thank you for giving my blog a bit of love and attention! Wishing you a Lovely Day of Love and Friendship!