Sorry, Exposure Doesn't Pay Bills

Fellow photographer, board member and most importantly my friend Ron Gould shared this video with me and the rest of the ASMP Midwest board the other week and I thought it was great. So of course I'm sharing it with you here. Working for myself as a photographer, as well as an advisor to photography students I could be a billionaire with all the "its good for the portfolio" requests I receive. I'm always blown away that people are still expecting something for nothing...I digress because that topic could run a blog on its own. So enjoy and let me know what you think.

Amir & Amaya Photoshoot

I had the opportunity to photograph my five year old cousins Amir and Amaya for their 5th birthday. They could have selected any photographer in the world and they chose me. I am grateful. Amir and Amaya were so adorable, and super easy to work with.  I had such a great time!! I have to give a Humongous thank you goes out to my dear friend stylist Marcelous Daniels for taking the time to pull clothes and style them. It really made the day special. If anyone knows me they know that I am a big family person so I was just happy to see them!! Here are a few of the images that were some of my personal favorites.

Thanks for reading.

To the Next Level..

“Good Things Come to Those Who Hustle”- unknown

In my last post I spoke about 2012 being the year like never before and brainstorming on the action that is going to have to take place for that to happen. I am determined to have my year hold true to this and build my CREATIVE EMPIRE!

So what ideas have I come up with to make this happen? Well oddly enough in my personal brainstorming discovery session, I realized I have to DO THE WORK PERIOD. Its not rocket science but when life happens and you have your hand in a lot of pots it is difficult to make sure everything you want to achieve.

So I have devised a plan of what I am going to do to take things to the next level. If you read business blogs then none of these “actions” are new but they will become active in my life as its time to step it up a notch or two or three LOL

My plan:
I’m picking 2 personal projects and working them until completion.-Thanks so much to Kesha Bruce and her master plan consulting on this one. I was able to tell her everything that I was working on and we chopped it down to small goals that will all lead up to the bigger picture. Much like what I do for the students that I work with but its totally different when its my own art, as my friend Lynn Renee once told me “its easier to tell someone things you should be doing yourself” that is so true. I need my own accountability partner.

I’m starting an emergency fund! - I have always invested my money, but it has been random, and without reason! I was like hmm I like Science and Technology so let me send some money off to invest in that. I didn’t really have a plan. Back at the beginning of winter I signed up for Dave Ramsey’s Financial PeaceUniversity at my church and it was awesome! So this year I have began to start saving for my emergency fund, and please join me in praying that once its completely funded that I don’t have to ever access it LOL

I have an unofficial advisory board- Birds of a feather stick together right? I am pretty lucky to have friends and colleagues whose grind is just as hard if not harder than mine to bounce ideas off of, but this time around and on a more consistent approach Im going to set up meeting with folks who I think are at top level (def more top level than I am) to check in with to get an outside perspective and make sure that I am staying on the right track! Basically this is a group of people that I don’t go out dancing with over the weekends, and thinking of fake names to give to the random man who has somehow managed to dance with me for about 3 songs, and now has me tied up in the corner professing his love for me. (Although everyone is invited to come!)

I think that’s a great start! What things do you have in mind to take you to the 2012 !