no pain, no frills, no bullshit: a bunch of disclosures on a rainy day

I've been dabbling in small business workshops and webinars lately, learning this and that, funnels and cycles and strategies and tactics, and all of it fairly meaningless without the one thing, which is the real reason why I got into photography as a career in the first place. 

The one thing? None of it means anything unless your heart's in it.

You see, I was a good researcher, "successful" by whatever measure you fancy, I got consistent funding, I published (lots in my last 3 years, actually), and I was starting to make a small name for myself in my small field. That's the preface, but the reality is that I was always hoping. I was taking the "fake it till you make it" adage for a decades-long test-drive. Maybe if I spent enough years, published enough papers, made enough friends in the field, took on enough students... maybe then I'd begin to be truly into it. To dream up grant ideas in my spare time. To write papers just for fun. For the love of it.

That day never happened.

So when I made this photography business, I told myself I wouldn't do anything that didn't feel right, or failed to make it through my bullshit filter. Maybe it's unnecessary, but I'll say it once, now, so that it's clear the rest of the post isn't meant to be totalitarian or indicative of what other people should be doing - there's nothing wrong with X, Y, Z, if it works for you. But there's also no reason why you should do X, Y, Z, if it doesn't work for you. (this, by the way, applies to many areas of life. take parenting, for example). I couldn't care less if something made somebody rich and famous, or gave them peace of mind, if it doesn't give me peace of mind. These aren't wishy-washy feelings, either, or if they are, they're to be trusted. That's what I'd learned from my past.

That's the reason I don't do in person sales, for instance. If you love my photographs and want me to print them for you - I'd be thrilled and proud to do it. But if you have other plans, that's really fine.

I won't charge for individual digital files, either. Not when I've spent three hours with your family, and now your memories sit on my computer. What's the point? The memories are there and you might as well enjoy them. I'll just include that cost up front and hope the value in the investment is clear. And probably you won't receive fancy packaging from me, with lotions and a pretty bow. In a recent workshop, I jotted down the speaker's words, "it doesn't matter if you like it, it's whether the customer likes it", and just as quickly I mentally deleted them. It does matter whether I like it. I'd say it's my naivete, and that I'll change with years of experience in business, but I doubt it. I've learned to trust my instincts. Instincts don't change over the years. They're our guiding beacons in times of uncertainty. And I have this blind faith that following the beacon will be good, will be the right thing, the thing that allows me to feel proud. Instead of frills, what I hope to give you - and what you're ultimately paying me for - is strong photographs, because that's something I'd expect, too, if I were me. :) 

Look, I'm a no frills person. My philosophy about life is simple: love & integrity, friendships & family, experiences, and community. Those things trump pretty much everything else. So as long as I can pay the bills and not lose myself somewhere in the process, I'll be content.

So... maybe you already saw my previous post about painless photography. Maybe there's a theme emerging here. I won't be who I don't want to be, but who I want to be is worth pursuing to me (sorry Dr. Seuss). Perhaps my motto then should be: no pain, no frills, no bullshit.

Below, a photo of two dogs seen on Princess Street, Kingston, ON.