COACHING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

If I weren’t a photographer, I would be a teacher.
Funny thing is, those two things aren't mutually exclusive, as I've come to discover in recent years.
Teaching has always been part of who I am. It's how I was raised. Sharing of knowledge has always been an integral part of who I am as a person, and it is as impossible to remove from my core as photography and art are.
At some point, photography became everything to me. All my other projects lay in a corner and collected dust, and so did my opportunities for teaching.
Yet, it was still present in the little things. An answer to a DM, free of gatekeeping and holding back. A willingness to give all the knowledge I had to others who some would consider my competition.
I do not have a competitive bone in my body. So much so, that when I hosted my workshop in my then-local state of CT, not only was it at a "competitor’s” studio, but the majority of the people there were my nearest colleagues. And still I shared freely.

Why am I sharing all of this?

Well, so many photographers fall victim to the mindset that we are in competition with each other. That our knowledge should be held close. That our prices should plummet downwards to match those of our nearest competitors. Yet, the biggest, most well-kept secret is that if we lift together, grow together, rise together, we, as a craft and as a community, become stronger, more robust and able to handle the different societal swings ever-present. This also means that we should learn together and from each other. And this is why I offer coaching. 

Over the course of my career, I've always felt like the odd one out. Never quite resonating with the systems, the way of marketing our business, and the offerings that were taught. 
The words sat wrong with me. Like a coat that wasn't quite fitted to my size. Told to offer luxury, change in self, boutique experiences. None of which felt like the personal brand I wanted to convey. 
As I always say, I do not offer a luxury experience; I offer an intimately human one, and I cannot change the way people see themselves. 
So many of the words rang hollow and felt ill-fitted.

When I struggled, it was a “mindset and self-value” issue. I should just believe in my worth more, raise my prices, and the rest would follow. But what of the endless hours spent feeling like a failure with no to little support? What about the practical issues that got in the way, like family life, immigration and other things that couldn’t possibly be regarded by one universal system? What about the different cultures, currencies and locations that offered variables impossible to consider in one sweeping, international motion?
What about different personalities, goals, measurements of success? 
Safe to say, I felt wrong, and comparison stole away my joy, along with the style that made my work recognisable as my own. 

Of course, mindset matters, but it isn't the end all be-all solution when looking at why you’re struggling in your business. Charging your worth is absolutely vital, but that amount will change from location to location, country to country. Not to mention level of experience, goals, needs, wants and desires.

Big, universally sweeping motions won't help build small, highly personalized brands.  There are so many variables to take into consideration. Sure, there are methods that can be implemented, frameworks that can be used, but in order for you to feel fully connected to your own business, brand and for the work you produce to remain individual, things have to be modified to suit your unique situation. 

Some people thrive with plug-and-play systems, and more power to them! But I have had endless streams of photographers DM’ing me after podcast episodes, videos, posts and talks, telling me how much they feel seen when I talk about my own struggles fitting into systems that do not fit me as a person, artist and business owner.
They’ve told me of guilt, pressure, shame, anxiety and fear, simply because the systems did not work for them due to many different issues that got in the way.
They’ve told me of countless courses they have purchased yet never watched, to try and patch the holes in their business. 
They've told me of burnout and regret. 
Of dissatisfaction and feelings of invisibility, being met with the same words as I: “You just need to work on your self-value more” or "Just up your prices". 

It isn't as easy as that, and as a result, many of us experience severe burnout. Some, it nearly kills. Some spend years recovering their nervous system, while others abandon their art and change course entirely. 

This is why I want to coach photographers. I want to help them build a business that feels not just financially sustainable, but emotionally so. 

Yes, yes, I know. Everyone and their aunt offers coaching and mentoring. So why is this different? ⁠
It might not be. You might have tried everything, and I have nothing to teach you.
In which case, that's absolutely wonderful, and you won't need me at all.
This is not for you.⁠..⁠
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So what qualifies me to teach you... well... anything? ⁠
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If we forget about the fact that I've been a photographer for right around 15 years and have quite the experience building a business from scratch, not only in one country (where I wasn't born, mind you), but on two different continents. All the while still trying to stay true to the art I want to create.

I am the type of person who does not settle, especially when it comes to my livelihood and my creative practice. ⁠I refuse to not love what I do. And I did not become a small business owner to buy into the same hustle culture that makes so many people sick from stress. Especially artists.
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This means that I've tried an array of different methods to become successful. I've failed hard. Succeeded harder. Failed again. Burned out. Experienced all the highs and lows of trying to build something that ultimately was not aligned with who I was as a person. ⁠

And then I rebelled. ⁠If you can call it that.

I believe with every fibre of my being, that it is possible to run a business that isn't just a copy of someone else's, with entirely different life circumstances than your own. ⁠But a business that is intrinsically your own.

I believe that a creative, small business should be tailored to who you are and the life you're living. It should work for you, not the other way around. ⁠

⁠It should take into consideration your mental health, family situation, your culture, and all the other small factors that often get neglected when we try to implement big, universal systems.

Coaching with me means gaining clarity on your goals for you, for your art, and for your business. It means taking a deep, long and often, very hard look at what you're already doing, removing what is failing and implementing what feels aligned.
It's a deep dive into where we can help you improve your structure, your art, your marketing, your messaging and hopefully, what you consider success.

It's not a quick fix. It offers no guarantees. But it is honest, deep and potentially very impactful.

Are you curious to work with me? 
I know, I am curious to work with you.