For the past 14 years, I’ve been a wedding photographer. Capturing couples & weddings became a true joy and passion. It became my identity and when things shifted, I wasn’t sure who I would be if I stopped being a wedding photographer. I went through a lot of life in a short amount of time, marriage, baby, depression, anxiety, the whole gamut. Slowly but surely, I became aware that being a wedding photographer forever wasn’t in the cards. So what next? I felt lost, confused, and insecure. My bookings dwindled and I felt like I was constantly trying to scramble up a mountain only to fall back down again. It was exhausting & took its toll emotionally. But I can confidently tell you that I no longer feel that way. I’m even more passionate and in love with my photography business now than I was at the beginning. How did I make a change? Keep reading.

I recognized I needed to change.

You know that feeling when you’re watching a movie and the main character realizes he or she needs to change? It’s like, “Oh my god, this is me! This is happening to me.”

And then you feel like an idiot because you’ve been in denial for so long that it took a fictional character for you to see yourself clearly.

Well maybe it wasn’t a movie, but I sure had that moment(s) in 2021. I was listening to The Mary Marantz podcast & it hit me square in the forehead. I needed to change. It had been years of struggle and discouragement and her podcast filled my soul with a yearning I couldn’t ignore. Something had to give. I couldn’t keep running up this mountain. I needed something else.

I pivoted my business from weddings to brand photography.

I was a wedding photographer for 12 years. I loved being a part of people’s big days and I learned a lot about what it takes to make them special, but with the birth of my son, my passion started to wane. The long days, the weekends, the toll on my body. I knew I couldn’t continue this way forever.

I had to learn a new set of skills and change my mindset and business model completely if I wanted to succeed in this new industry. The first step was getting over my insecurity about not knowing enough about branding in general.

I dove in head first and started to learn all I could. I watched youtube videos, I read blogs, I followed other branding photographers…but it wasn’t enough.

I sought out help & hired coaches.

One thing that helped me to feel confident in my business and myself was seeking out help. I hired coaches to help me get clear on my brand voice and my business goals, as well as learning how to ask for help from people who were already successful.

I did the work.

The last key point was doing the deep work. After a lot of tears, being encouraged, and tons of great ideas from my coaches, I had to sit down and dig deep. To move forward, I had a lot of questions I needed to answer for myself. I took the time to envision what I wanted my life & business to look like in the next 10 years. I let myself dream and from there I planned. That planning has brought me so much clarity & understanding.

I’m still learning every day about my business and how best to run it. But I know for sure that without going through the hard insecurities & doubts about my abilities as an entrepreneur and small business owner–and without challenging myself–I wouldn’t be where I am today: confident and ready to serve and love my clients even more!

My confidence has grown tremendously and so has my business!

Here I am a year later, confident in my business and my brand. I have clarity on who I’m for and who I’m not. My confidence has grown tremendously and so has my business! Press Tab to write more…

My confidence comes from knowing that I have a clear vision for what I want to do, how to get there, and the plan for my business.

Conclusion

If you’re feeling insecure, the best thing you can do is take action toward building your confidence and helping others. You don’t need to be perfect or have everything figured out before taking steps toward achieving goals that matter to you. In fact, it’s often those who are willing to take risks who end up having the most success!

P.S. If you too would like to feel more confident and have clarity in your business & brand check out my 1 on 1 coaching program The Branded Breakthrough!