Challenging the mindset being self employed & celebrating the wins.

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of reflection. Something I listened to whilst mucking out recently said, “remember when you wanted to be where you are now?”

It’s something I’d completely forgotten about. The thing with being self employed is that we spend a lot of time alone and a lot of time in our own heads. We definitely need to think about the way we speak to ourselves as we most certainly wouldn’t speak to someone else like that.

It got me thinking that when we become so perfectionist like and picky at the details. That we really ought to celebrate our wins too and give ourselves a pat on the back.

Also in a podcast by Rhea Freeman (the small and super charged podcast) whilst interviewing Martha of Martha Brook (I know cool name right?!) she said how they celebrate the businesses birthday as they too can get bogged down in the everyday and don’t near enough celebrate the wins enough.

Which I think is a great idea and one I think I’ve only celebrated once since I started in 2011.

I really love what I do. I do however feel like if I want to make it better I’m need to keep doing new things and improving others. I think especially in the creative market. Yes, granted nothing is original and everything is a copy of a copy but here, you really have got to do your very best to step it up and think ‘outside of the box’.

I started this business because I enjoyed creating. I had a very basic but did the job, camera, I loved seeing things differently through it and I adored my horses and the community that came with it.

It just began naturally really, being on a relatively busy livery yard and making friends at competitions, I didn’t find it too challenging. Also I was dirt cheap price as I was only 15 and had been doing photography for about five minutes!

I struggled to understand how my friends and other students throughout the backend of school and throughout college and… even uni! Didn’t know what they wanted to do. This was not a critism. It almost made me question was I too young to make this choice and feel so certain and set on what I wanted to do and be?

Mid way through school I knew I wanted to be an equine photographer, from the ages 15-18 I experimented with weddings both photography and videography but it wasn’t for me and I don’t think I’ll do another wedding again, despite being asked on the regular. Which is sweet, that people have faith in me despite me not sharing one wedding photo in the last 6 years.

Recently I’ve been discussing problems we face being self employed with friends. Loneliness is a huge factor, although I’m lucky I have a team for the big events. The majority of my work is alone.

Although I am definitely an introvert, I am still human and I do need to actually go out for none work purposes and get a side to life that isn’t work. For a good while I’ve treated my job as my life because, I am so lucky that I enjoy it that much. This year since making my 2020 calendar I have realised my work / life balance is definitely out of sync. My new years resolution is to separate the two and keep them balanced, I think this not only will help my state of mind but will have a huge huge impact on my work for the better.

This year has for sure grown me as a person, as each year does but I feel from 23-24 years old things have really changed. I’ve really stepped up my accountability. If I want to be better for my client’s, I need to do that for myself first.

Work and life have a huge alignment; you need to keep this balanced. Which no, isn’t always possible but staying accountable for your actions is damn good place to start. I have definitely noticed a difference.

I know it’s only early December but do you have any resolutions? I would say mine is counting from now though!

Thanks SO much for reading my first blog. If you liked it or would like to share your thoughts with me please do so over on Instagram @marthalilyphotog and share to stories or dm me. I’d love to hear from you!

Martha x  x

 

 

 

2019/12/09