Great ideas aren’t found, they’re built

While it would be nice to have some magical intervention for inspiration…

…it takes more effort than hoping and wishing to move an idea forward.

For the first few working for myself, I was on a seemingly endless search to figure out how I wanted to shape the business. 

Who do I shoot? What do I offer them? 

I found the majority of my time was spent looking up other photographers and taking notes on their services and offers.

While thinking to myself, “well, I can do that…” I would use their work as a model, and find folks to shoot to replicate what they were doing.

The work I did over a decade ago looks nothing like the work I do today with speakers. It was all over the place, and old portfolios prove it. 

This mish mosh of work went on for over 2 years, and in that time, paid gigs were few and far between. 

Truthfully, it was very few and very far between…and I was left dumbfounded, frustrated and resentful. 

Not exactly a magical mix of emotions, folks - I’m sure you all can relate. 

Eventually, I came to the conclusion that the answer to my question was not going to come from dumpster diving through other photographers’ work. 

I needed to look from within. 

And so, I sat down in front of a blank screen and took stock in my video and photos experiences behind the cameras. 

I determined the types of work that I wanted to create. Then, with the help of colleagues, an audience that had a need for this type of work was identified. 

Then came the creation of the various offers that laid out all of the pieces involved in each. By the end of this process, the branded lifestyle portrait service was born. 

It wasn’t found…it was built. 

And that was the start of my magical journey working with experts who transform the lives of those they serve in one way, shape or form. 

And that’s why this quote hangs on a wall in my apartment. 

It serves as a constant reminder anytime I look to think about what’s next. 

This phrase motivates me to get my head out of the clouds and focus on a blank page to work out the kinks based on my experiences, expertise and the needs of those I serve. 

It also serves to remind me that when it comes to innovation and iteration, the best person to lean on first for the answers is myself. 

It’s a lot more reliable than crossing my fingers in the hopes that I’ll stumble across the answer randomly while skimming through the internet. 

I’d rather bet on me, anyway 🙂