ShainaLeePhotography // Coaching Session

Shaina reached out to me a few months ago regarding needing help with some questions she had on her Squarespace site, and a few back and forth emails eventually turned into her booking an in person coaching session with me. I was over the moon excited that she lives in Connecticut and so we were going to be able to do the session in person rather than over the phone or Skype. 

The Monday afternoon was perfect and we were able to sit and chat in my house and talk all things business and photography over lunch and cookies. I knew immediately from her online presence that Shaina and I would get along great and I was so excited to dive deeper into the questions she had about turning her wedding and portrait photography business into something that will contribute to her family for years to come. 

Afterwards we went out to my front and backyards to do some headshots in the wonderful afternoon light. 

Shaina, it was such a pleasure to spend time with you and to get to know you better and I can't wait to see where you take your business next. With the passion and drive you have, I have no doubt that you will be able to reach every single one of your goals!! 

Go leave Shaina some love at her website, facebook or instagram! 

9-5 does not = Failure

It's ok to have a 9-5 job, I promise. 

I'm departing slightly from my usual nerdy teaching posts to talk about something that I've seen happening in our community. Granted, we all run in different circles and so you may not be as aware of this as I have been depending on your current "circle", but if you spend any amount of time hanging out where other small creative and online business owners hang out, you might have noticed it too. 

Your "dream" isn't really a dream unless you ditch the 9-5. 

And I'm here to tell you friends....that's a big fat lie. 

Somehow we've all bought into this notion that life isn't life and we can't enjoy it and live out our dream if we are handcuffed by a 9-5 job. Where in the world did this come from??? Wasn't the dream from a while back to actually HAVE a job that would allow you to support yourself and your family? 

Now, I'm not saying it's a bad thing if your goal is to quit your 9-5 job and support yourself 100% though your own business. What I AM saying is that it's not the ONLY thing.

And I feel like (to an extent) our creative community has forgotten this. 

Sure, there is beauty and something to be learned from those who give it a go and make it work (thanks Tim Gunn) in full time small business entrepreneurship. But there is also beauty and something to be learned from those who juggle two different gigs, or a gig and being a full time-mom or two full time gigs and being a mom (or dad!) 

Your story may look so incredibly different from their story, but that doesn't mean your story is wrong. 

Let me tell you a little bit of my own story....

For anyone who doesn't know the backstory on how I became a photographer...it kind of happened as a result of pure circumstance. I don't have stories of me carrying around a camera everywhere I went as a 5 year old. I didn't dream of being my own boss or capturing love stories while I was slaving away at a corporate job. 

I received a Master's Degree in Human Resources from the University of New Mexico in 2004. I worked my way up to what I would consider a fantastic job at T-Mobile as Human Resource Business Partner throughout the next 8 years. I taught a few classes at UNM and also at Bellevue College on Organizational Behavior and Performance Management. I loved what I did, I was good at it and I aspired to do more especially in the area of teaching. 

Then the Army moved us to California. To a tiny little town with no "big" HR jobs. It wouldn't really work for me to work remotely. I wasn't horribly depressed about this but I was a little trepedatious. What in the would I do now? 

Backing up a few years....I got my first pink Canon point and shoot digital camera when I was planning a trip to Japan in 2007. I loved that camera and enjoyed taking photos that focused on interesting compositions rather than just pointing and shooting. 

5 years later as I sat in a friends house in California, jobless, I looked at her new-ish DSLR camera sitting on her kitchen table and thought, "Hey I have all this time now, I should learn how all this photography stuff actually works!" 

And that was the start. That was the birth of Cinnamon Wolfe Photography. I devoured every resource available. I read and read and read and read some more. I got a Canon t3i and practiced all the time. I practiced on some friends and started thinking....I have a business background...is it that impossible to think I could actually turn this into something? 

And I did.

Or, I am?

I guess I will always be...turning it into something....since owning your own business never really slows down or stops. You need to continually grow. Continually learn. Continually deal with things that get thrown at you (moving your business across the country anyone?) 

Why do I tell you this story? Because sometimes (actually maybe a lot of the time?) I wish I could just go back to that cushy 9-5 job. 

Yes, I said that (well, wrote it if we are being technical) out loud. 

I know of someone who actually HID the fact that she had a 9-5 job from industry friends (FRIENDS!!!) because she didn't want to appear like she didn't have enough of her stuff together to be full-time fancy. 

I know that personally, I have struggled with feeling like if I ever have to go back and "get a job" that would mean I am an utter and total failure at life and everyone else around me would be "living their dreams" while I had to "go back to work." 

That literally makes my heart want to cry. 

There is NOTHING wrong with having a job that pays your bills. There is nothing wrong with having a job and a creative business "on the side". There is nothing wrong with ENJOYING BOTH. 

We all have different goals and aspirations and dreams. Some of that may include being a full-time entrepreneur and some of that may include doing a full time job and another part time job at the same time. We need to be able to give each other (and ourselves) grace to be who we are and pursue what we think is best for our lives. 

I didn't choose to become a full-time photographer...it happened by accident. We are in a place right now where I don't have to pursue a different full time job outside of what I do in my business but let me tell you there are certainly times when I would rather just go to work and do my work all day and then come home and read a book! Or watch TV without feeling like I should be "working on my business". 

Because let me tell you friends, it doesn't stop. Its ALL you, ALL the time and there really are no breaks. It's hella hard to give yourself the ability to have some down time or off time because social media is screaming in your face that you will.never.catch.up with what so-and so is doing. 

But here's the thing. You don't HAVE to catch up. You don't HAVE to do what they did. You have your own wins and successes and even though you might think this is silly...there are people out there thinking they will.never.catch.up with YOU. 

To every single person who has a "corporate job" or a 9-5 and they think that it's dead-end and horrible....or even those who feel like in order to be seen as a "success" or "legit" that they have to give that job up.....I'm here to tell you, your DREAM doesn't have to be the same as everyone else's.

Entrepreneurship is flat out hard and not everyone who starts down the path will end up in the same place. Evaluate what you really want to accomplish and WHY you want to accomplish it and then take action to get you there. If that means you keep on thriving in your day job, then by all means...rock it out and don't let anyone else make you feel bad because of it. 

That's it friends. If you have read this whole post, I can't thank you enough for taking the time. And I hope that some of this was an encouragement and inspiration for you to really understand what it is that you want to do and the path you choose to get there will always be your path, not someone else's.