Recently I sat in a room full of brilliant women talking about careers and dreams and goals. One after another I heard hopes of changing the world through activism, spreading joy, and setting a strong example to others like themselves. When our formal presentations were finished, talk turned to social media. Gone was the language of dreams and hopes, of confident goals and paths forward. Instead, an air of questioning and pleasing replaced that confident conversation. The language changed to self-doubt and subservience.

In our goals for our careers, it is simple to say I will do X to achieve my dream, because we recognize the power that we ourselves possess to make those dreams a reality. But in the realm of social media and marketing, we believe we are subservient to the greater population.

Much of this ingrained belief comes from entitlement issues online. Not long ago I fell sick and was unable to keep up with social media for one full week. I ceased all communication and didn’t touch my phone. When I finally picked it back up, read my emails, saw my DMs, and took a breath, I was shocked. I received emails and messages from all types of people with a similar message: we expect an explanation.

Certainly, there were well-wishes and genuinely concerned people, but even so, the underlying message (and sometimes overlying), was the same: a demand for information. This happens in big and small ways, and sometimes it is the small ways that are the most destructive.

We post an image on Instagram. We hear instant feedback, sometimes in the form of silence. We share an opinion, and we instantly know how people feel about that. This alone is not the problem. The problem is that we, as the sharers, begin to feel that that however someone reacts to our provocation (even if it is silence), is the right way to react. We feel that their reaction validates our contribution.

WE FEEL THAT THEIR REACTION VALIDATES OUR CONTRIBUTION.

This is how we learn about entitlement through social media. Because our careers, our income streams, or (and this is the heart of the issue) our self-worth are tied up in how people react to our social offerings, we become beholden to how people interact with us online.

And it is the acknowledgment of that relationship that pushes us to explore how to tide the ebb and flow of social media in our favor. We study charts and graphs, take classes, hire mentors, obsess over SEO, and for what? To find the best time to post online, in the most engaging way.

But really, all we’re doing is finding the most effective way of being beholden to someone else’s desires.

When I sat in that room of women all sharing “tips and tricks” for social media, myself included, I recognized the deep emptiness that had entered the conversation. Why, when we talk about our dreams, do we speak so confidently about what we will do to make them a reality, but when we talk about marketing those dreams, we demurely ask how we can serve others?

My social media strategy, if you can call it that, is an intuitive one. I do not study numbers or charts. I don’t care when the best time to share on Instagram is, or what type of post does best, or how to create cohesion in your gallery. Once, I cared. But a lesson, deep and nourishing, crept in at some point:

You can get people to follow your work. You can get people to take notice, you can post at all the right times, you can build a successful business by doing “all the right things”. People do it all the time.

But you can build something real and lasting if you let all of that go.

There is a way forward through authentic and intuitive social media marketing.

It’s called trailblazing. This is my social plan:

1. Care about what you put out so deeply that others care too, no matter what time you share your post.
   
2. Speak about what you care about so deeply that others are compelled to speak back.
   
3. Stop worrying about if you will offend or put off or alienate with your work. You will. GOOD.
   
4. Let your passion be the light that brings people to you. Not gimmicks. Please not gimmicks.
   
5. Let people go. If you lose followers, they were never meant for you.
   
6. Stop using the word follower, it’s yucky.
   
7. Start conversations that you want to have. Don’t start a conversation if you don’t want to have it.
   
8. Find your purpose in everything that you do and share.
   
9. Never let the reason for sharing be to satisfy a statistic (ie: when you should post, what you should post, how you should post).
   
10. Let your legacy fill your marketing strategy.

Go forth and conquer, Passionates.

In many ways, the dream of being an artist is the dream of being self-employed. Often when we think of working artists, we imagine a jet-setting life of all-the-time creativity. Sometimes that’s true, but statistically, that life isn’t the norm – not by a long shot. Being a full-time creative is about being a businessperson and entrepreneur. It’s about knowing how to manage yourself, how to diversify, and how to live within the confines you set for yourself.

Let’s break that down:

• How to manage yourself
• How to diversify
• How to set boundaries

These are the pillars upon which successful artists build their businesses. 

My career, which has spanned nearly 10 years of successful “artisting”, has consisted of adapting as I go. Realizing what works and what doesn’t, fast and with smooth transitions, is the life of an artist. 

Here are my top 10 tips for becoming a successful working artist. Or, for working for yourself in general.

1. Set boundaries. The self-employment life is alluring, largely for the freedom it will grant you. Especially if you come from a more structured job, it can feel all at once incredible and overwhelming to suddenly have no boundaries. The people I know who are self-employed have an insane work ethic. They know how to prioritize, how to set goals, and how to create structure. 
   1. Find your most productive 4 hours of the day. What time do you work best? Figure that out first. If your most productive hours are from 6am-10am (like me), prioritize those hours. Set your most difficult and, if we’re honest, least attractive goals for that time. You will feel naturally more energetic to get them finished. 
   2. Don’t let “norms” get in the way of you doing you. A lot of people I’ve mentored feel bad if they hate getting up early. My advice? OWN IT. If you’re a night person, utilize that time to get your work done. You don’t have to fit into a stereotype, and you’ll find yourself much more productive if you simply choose the times that are right for you.

2. Set goals. In this case, I don’t care if you’re not a goal-oriented person. If you’re not, it’s very likely that you will fail at being self-employed. You need to develop an amazing sense of forward momentum to be self-employed, and particularly as an artist. Your mind needs to be able to think in three ways:

1. The past – note what tactics work and don’t work, but be willing to move on fast. Analyze every decision you’ve made and don’t make the same mistakes twice. Even when you find yourself making great choices, try not to rely on repeating them. Always move a step forward.
2. The present – know what you want to accomplish day to day. 
3. The future – this is where you can let your big dreams shine. Think about the dreams that you wish your business would embody. After you’ve thought them through, start to set long-term goals to achieve until you fulfill the largeness of the dream down the line. 

3. Manage yourself well. Managing yourself has a lot to do with goal setting and organization, but it has equally to do with mindset. It is your job to figure out how you work best (alone or in a group) and where you work best (from home, in public on a laptop, or in an office).  

1. Set up the workspace you will thrive in. Don’t skimp. Many people, especially visual artists, are deeply influenced by their surroundings.
2. Set up a ritual. Light a candle, put on background music, have tea or coffee, etc. Find a routine that brings you peace. For example, every time I light the candle in my office, my brain knows to settle into work mode. Every time I play a certain playlist of songs, my brain knows to settle into editing mode. It’s great to have comforting sensory cues to dive into work. 

4. Diversify, diversify, diversify! I don’t know a single artist – literally, not one single artist – who makes their living through one revenue stream. This is how I’ve made my money: print sales, licensing images for book covers/album art/website design/movie posters, commissioned images for individuals/bands/authors, writing books and articles, teaching workshops, motivational speaking, sponsorship and partnerships, and hosting retreats….That’s 8 categories, and a total of 14 different ways that money might come into my life.

1. How can you diversify? Think of the ways in which your passions can be profitable. I’ll share a more in-depth version of this topic in the future. 

5. Plan, list, calendar, go. “But Brooke, I’m not a list person.” I. Don’t. Care. One thing all self-employed people have in common is they run a tight ship. Either they hire someone to take care of these things for them because they know they don’t excel at it, or they get better at it. I was not an organized person. Some would argue I’m still not. But I have learned how to be a list/calendar/planner person. 

1. Get a physical daily planner. You might balk at this, but my experience is that if I write it down physically, it feels more pertinent and important. It sticks in my head better. I am absolutely addicted to crossing items off a page. 
2. Sync an online calendar. I use Google Calendar for my appointments. I have reminders set to email me 20 minutes before my meetings. I write copious notes about said meetings in the calendar event. I sync my calendar with my husband and a friend who helps me out when I need it. 
3. Make a long-form to do list. I also use the Google suite to do this (tasks in the email client). I keep my everyday items that I want to accomplish in my daily physical planner, but I keep my long-running to do items in my more permanent list in Gmail. These items include things like: Emails to follow up on, people to pay or request payment from in the future, prints to ship, etc. Things that can’t be done today, but need to be done soon.

6. Get your email under control. Seriously. Are you listening? I used to be the worst at email – it would sometimes take me months to write back to people. I lost jobs, contacts, and respect by operating this way. Then I hired an assistant, and things got better, but still weren’t perfect. Then I lost my assistant, and I took over again 100% alone. Guys, I work entirely alone. I have no help. IT CAN BE DONE!

1. I have a 48-hour email policy. To be honest, it’s more of a 24 hour policy as I almost always respond on a daily basis, but I do take weekends off, so times can vary slightly. Choose a time frame that works for you and stick to it like your career depends on it. Spoiler: it does.
2. Choose a time to write your emails. I write my emails first thing in the morning. I feel most refreshed then, most eager, and it is the beginning of my peak productivity. I thrive off of getting emails done first thing. It makes me feel mega-accomplished and I love that I can essentially ignore my inbox for the rest of the day. 
3. Write email templates. I get a lot of emails that are essentially the same requests. For example, every single day I get an email from a school student who wants an interview for an assignment. There is no way I could answer all of those emails in the way they want, so I made a template. I send a generic, although very helpful, response to everyone. It essentially says thank you, that I’m busy, and it lists a bunch of links to interviews I’ve done so that they can find what they need there. 
   1. Think about what emails you get that you could streamline. Is there a generic response you could copy/paste to them? I save my templates in my email drafts folder and use them as needed. Another template I use frequently is for print requests. 

7. Artists, keep charts. I don’t know how you feel, but I feel a deep, intrinsic repulsion to excel spreadsheets. In all honesty, I really don’t love keeping them, but I so appreciate that I do. Before you even get your business up and running, or if it already is and you need to check yourself, implement the following:

1. Print Sales Spreadsheet. I keep a detailed list of all the images I’ve printed, where they are (with me or a gallery), if they have sold, when they sold if so, what edition the print is, what size the print is, what paper it is printed on, and the title of each image. Set up this spreadsheet asap and you’ll never lose track of your print info. I use Google Drive for all of this so I can access it anywhere, anytime, from any device (pending internet). 
2. Licensed Image Spreadsheet. Similar to above, I have a sheet that tracks what images are licensed (the terms, the date, the image, etc.). 
3. Income tracker! I’m the worst at this one. Anyone else feel a little yick when it comes to money tracking? My aversion is terrible. It’s not attractive. You know what is attractive? Getting paid what you’re due. Track the money you are owed, and ask for it, too. 

8. Create pricing handouts. When I say handout, I mean digital. For example, I have a pricing sheet for my prints that I can pass on to buyers, galleries, and design agencies. It’s a simple JPG that I email to anyone asking that states my print information, sizing/editioning stats, and prices. If you want to make money, chances are you’ll have to state a price. Making a price sheet is a great way of showing someone that you already have prices established and they will be less likely to haggle with you. 

9. Find a healthy reward that motivates you. It’s easy to get your emails finished with the promise of cookies afterward, but we can’t very well eat a bunch of cookies on a daily basis. Find a way to motivate yourself that is healthy for you. I have three main ways of motivating myself. One is to go to the grocery store. It sounds weird, but I LOVE grocery shopping. It’s one of my favorite things to do out of the house. If I have a task I’m particularly dreading, I take myself out after to do some meal planning. Either that, or I go for a hike. The second thing I do to motivate myself is a little thing I call “nice cream”. I am sweet obsessed, but too much sugar makes me feel sick. So, I make nice cream (spoiler: it’s just frozen banana, cocoa powder, and oat milk). The third way I motivate myself is to watch TV. I’m a total sci fi lass and I love getting to vegetate for a little while after doing something I don’t like. Find your own motivators! 

10. Do you know what every successful entrepreneur that I know has in common? They know their value and how they provide value to others. If ever you lack motivation to create or run your business (and yes, it will happen), make sure you know the answers to those questions. Write down what value you bring to the world. Refer back to that answer often. Make your answer a natural part of you. You’ll have to take breaks – that’s normal – but it’s good to go back to your why. 

Your Immediate To Do List:

1. Choose the time of day you work best. 
2. Write down your biggest goals of the future and save them in a place you can access regularly.
3. Write out all of the ways – no matter how far fetched – you could make money from your craft.
4. Get yourself a physical daily planner.
5. Set an email response goal for yourself.
6. Type out any email templates that would be helpful.
7. Establish your firm pricing and create a handout for it.

Would you like me to host an online seminar about this? Comment and let me know if it would be helpful!

My business was built on the foundation of happiness. I’ve spoken about this before on Promoting Passion, especially since joy is the foundation on which our lives should be built. When I started photography I had no desire to make it a career. Only when the realization presented itself that it could be what sustains my life did I intentionally begin to pursue it. I was “naïve” and “young” and “didn’t know better” – all of these descriptions that those “older” and “wiser” and more “experienced” used to describe me (and still do).

I didn’t approach business traditionally. I rarely asked myself “What will make money?” and then decide to pursue that. I did it backwards in a way that made others uncomfortable, perhaps because they never took that risk themselves, or because it was a truly risky thing to do. Instead of seeking money, I sought joy. I asked myself what I would do every day if I could, and I devised plans to make that type of work benefit me.

I had no idea if it would be good or terrible or really horrible. It was all of the above at different points. But mostly it was good, and sometimes great, and often very blissful. I am not motivated by money – I never have been and daresay never will be. I judge my wealth by my happiness. Thank. Goodness.

I do, sometimes, need a reminder to stay on that happiness track. Sometimes I veer off. We all do. We often don’t even realize it. We say yes to a few too many things our hearts aren’t in and then we find ourselves side-tracked and unhappy.

This year I’ve spent 100 days at home and 81 on the road, if I’m doing the math correctly at the time of writing this. That means that almost half of my time has been spent away. I love what I do, but I don’t always love how it takes me away from home. I am very attached to the sense of home and a feeling of closeness to my love and my space and my down time and my cats. It is more a part of me than you will ever know. So this year has been hard in that regard. I said last year I wanted to travel less. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work like that. I can’t simply say I want to stop and then stop. I took more and more jobs because they seemed so lovely at the time, but now that I’m booked through November I’m feeling pangs of regret at my constant YES-ing.

I had a real breakthrough a couple of weeks ago when a friend said “I thought you said you were going to travel less!” – a phrase I hear all the time. But for some reason, hearing it that time, I changed my response. Usually I’d start to unintentionally place blame elsewhere – “Oh, yes, but then X came up and I’m doing that…”, or “It’s just so hard to say no!” or “I’ve always wanted to visit X place!”

All of those responses are perfectly suited to place myself out of control of my own life. I wanted to take it back and make decision for myself.

The next day I got an email: a convention I was meant to speak at changed dates suddenly and they wanted me to confirm my attendance, even though it was smack in the middle of two other huge trips. I wanted to say yes so badly. I felt physically sick at saying no. I love the people running it so much. But another part of me, the part that I don’t let come out very often (and the part my friends are always telling me to nurture) jumped out. That part took care of me and looked ahead at my happiness. She said no. She said she had to take care of herself.

Suddenly another email came the very next day, and again I said no to the opportunity. I’m not turning everything down, but I am making sure that I don’t suffer next year. My experiences are rich, much richer than I ever would have imagined they could be. But they are draining, and my joy fades, and while I can keep a smile on my face while I travel 40+ hours alone in one go, frequently, and I so truly see the light in all things, I suffer. My body hurts, I feel less sharp, I miss home. I miss home. I miss it so much.

This is the year of taking back my life. Of saying yes when I feel that glow of inspiration well inside of me, and of saying no when the opportunity doesn’t make me soar. That is so hard. I am a people pleaser. One of my biggest flaws is my constant desire for affections. But sometimes personal health comes from social sacrifices and telling people no when you want to give them a big hug and say yes.

You will understand. I know it because I know us, this amazing community, and no matter if you are introverted or extroverted, shy or not, physically ill or mentally, we all have something we need to tend to. We all have moments we should have said no, or wish we said yes. Or, that we wish we had said yes to different things and no to others.

Do you have a hard time saying no?
Do you ever feel trapped within your plans?
What was the last big change you made to create more space for happiness in your life?

I’m in the process of moving, so I’ve gone through each room in my house to see what stays and what goes. After all, moving will be much easier if I know that I actually want everything that I’m packing. Somewhere between lamenting over old photographs and packing a suitcase of old clothes for Goodwill, I realized the metaphor in the process of “out with the old, in with the new”. One might argue that I am a chronic metaphor-er. I see them everywhere and I revel in deep thinking about seemingly mundane things.

This one really stuck, though. What if, I thought, we treated the chapters in our life like moving from one house to another. What if we only brought along the best parts of ourselves and left the rest behind?

Chances are, if you are a passionate person desiring to live life as fully as possible, your chapters come and go very quickly. You find something you want out of life and you go for it…and then something new appears. My life shifts constantly. I attribute this constant shifting to my desire for a stationary and calm existence outside of my passions. I love being home, having routine and being able to settle. My brain, however, is constantly working. I never stick with one passion flow for very long. I amble from one photograph to the next. I want to make films and the next day I start writing a book. I love an active brain.

If that is you, or if you can stick this metaphor out, I think it can really help.

Imagine you are cleaning out a room in your home. You have 3 piles: Stay, Go, Unsure. We all have the unsure pile, don’t lie! What if right now you looked at your life critically. What activities do you pursue, what does your career look like, how are your relationships, etc.? Start to think about each piece of your life as an object you can put into a pile.

If you come across something in your life that you know is toxic, put it in the GO pile. If you cherish something in your life, put it in the STAY pile. If you are unsure about something, ask yourself if it serves you and your ultimate life goals…and then categorize it. No indecisiveness. Gut reactions.

Sometimes we realize certain people don’t serve us, or a career pursuit isn’t turning out to be what we had hoped, or even that the things we surround ourselves with don’t bring us joy.

Sometimes we realize that things we didn’t put a lot of emphasis on are actually more helpful than we realized, or that a certain passion deserves more attention.

Life evolves so beautifully. We can enact change whenever we want to. Let this article serve as a shifting moment. Start to categorize your life and start making piles. You may even pull out note cards or post-its to write on so that you can physically move them into piles.

I’ve done this exercise myself and wanted to share it here so you can see exactly how I put this into effect. I used YELLOW post-its for STAY, RED post-its for GO, BLUE post-its for ADD (meaning I want it to become a yellow post-it! They are things I don’t do enough of and want to do more of).

My list could easily continue…

STAY: Retreats, Promoting Passion Convention, inspiring video games, mentoring sessions, nonprofit work, yoga…

ADD: Discovering new places, creating a new fine art series, trying new techniques, regular poetry writing, talking to strangers, making a documentary…

GO: Frequent interviews, wasted free time, driving when walking would suffice, fear of social engagements…

Try this exercise out and let me know if you find it helpful. For me, even though a lot of this is something I know instinctively, it helps to see it written out. I look at my red post-its and I actively remember to do away with those things that don’t serve me anymore. I see the yellow post-its and I feel good about decisions I’ve made. I see the blue post-its and I am motivated to do more with my life.

Tell me, what are you STAY, GO and ADD lists?

Did you find this exercise to be helpful? Share below!

I have made some active changes, like walking to the grocery store instead of driving,
filming more of my creative process, and reading 50 pages of fiction every day!

I did some purging, like scraping away old Facebook groups and making a donation pile of gear.

For my STAY list, I made some changes, too! I added a SPEAKING page to my website so that my
motivational speaking services are actively promoted. Hoorah for taking control!

Let’s get really honest really fast here. I consider myself a good business person. I make decisions swiftly and effectively most of the time. I have strong ideas with a lot of follow through. But the reality is that being a good business person isn’t all about gavel banging and big ideas; that is just the fun stuff. I’m good at the fun stuff. I can take pictures for days, post on social media endlessly, find topics to write about on my blog, etc. etc. etc…

But that isn’t the GRIT that it takes to run a successful business.

Let’s define successful business. I don’t just mean a “working” business, or a “bringing in money” business, or a “getting by” business. I mean a business that runs smoothly, is profitable in the ways that it wants to be, and treats clients in the most respectful way possible.

I started my business when I was 22 years old, and was 21 when I started laying the groundwork for it. I was very naive. I had no experience in running a business or in business at all. I never even bothered to take a class in college despite having that available to me (Oh what I would do differently now!). I would say that I entered into my business selfishly. Not in every way, but in some ways that ended up being really detrimental to my work. The number one way I messed up from the get-go is thinking that I didn’t have to do anything I didn’t want to do. Let me explain.

My stubbornness in wanting to do only what pleased me was really good in some ways. It allowed me to focus like a lightning rod on the tasks that brought me joy. That proved to be helpful in starting a very specific business that eventually grew in only those aspects. I wouldn’t do that differently at all. I would never go back and accept odd jobs or different types of photography sessions because that was not my passion and therefore not my pursuit.

What took me six or seven years to learn was how to separate what I want from what my clients deserve. A business requires two types of respect: respect for your clients and respect for yourself. I had respect for myself, enough to only do what I loved. I lacked in respect for clients. I did what they asked for the most part, but I did it in my own time. I lacked respect for other people’s time, and in doing so, didn’t respect my own time.

For years and years I told myself that I simply got too many emails to deal with it. I wouldn’t respond to people, or I would take months to get back with people. It cost me money in jobs, but far more importantly, it cost me relationships. My attitude was that I was above it all – that I could respond whenever it suited me and I rarely thought about that person waiting. (Well, I might be exaggerating at how bad I was, but still, it wasn’t good!). I decided at some point that I wanted to change my behavior so I hired an assistant. She helped a lot and I was able to mostly stay on top of my work. It was a wonderful 2 1/2 years. And then that ended, and in October I found myself alone again working as a business of one.

Come December 1st I knew I wanted to make a change, and I didn’t want to go back to my old ways of being unreliable. I liked the feeling of being in control of every aspect of my business. In that way it felt the same as doing self-portraits. I love being in full control, so why not in business as well as creativity?

On December 1st I reformed. I became a totally new business person. I made these significant changes:

1. Email Labels. I have had email labels for a long time, but I really got to using them properly. I made two folders, one called “Fresh Greetings” and another called “Pending”. Every time I would receive an email I would put it in Fresh Greetings, and when I answered it, I took it out. When my Fresh Greetings folder was empty, I knew I had finished my emails. My Pending folder is for emails that couldn’t be responded to yet.

2. The 24 Hour Policy. I decided I would not let any emails go unanswered for more than 24 hours. I carved time out every single morning for 20-30 minutes to knock out my emails. I am a morning person, so I use my best energy on tasks that aren’t as much fun as taking pictures or writing, etc. So, my best 20 minutes are spent emailing. Further, as emails come in through the day, if I am conveniently at my desk and can answer, I do. I don’t let it linger. I used to think I would look too “uncool” if I started answering people immediately, but it is better for everyone.

3. I shifted my attitude. I used to see emails as annoying or time consuming. Now I see them as neither. I look upon the sender with genuine love and appreciation that they took the time to email me. I want to give them that same respect by sending my heartfelt thanks to their message, or to give clients the respect they deserve with a prompt reply.

From December until now I have completed a photo a day challenge, spent a full month traveling, and am selling my house. Busy, right? Even in that chaos, I haven’t gone more than 24 hours without responding to an email. Further, in January alone, I received 3 emails from clients thanking me for being so easy to work with – for making decisions quickly and for responding immediately.

I stopped the toxic behavior I was exhibiting. If there was a decision to be made, I used to put it off for weeks if I was unsure. Now, I make it immediately. I don’t wait and let it linger, I simply search my soul and say what I feel is best. Sometimes it means outright turning jobs down, or taking them, or telling people to hold off for a better time. Sometimes it involves answering interview questions right then and there, and other times I simply can’t at all. This new way of working has revolutionized my time.

The downside is the increased desire to check my phone and make sure my inbox is cleared, that all decisions are made etc. So, the next step in my business reform is to lock my phone up after a certain time of day until I wake up. Productivity should only be taken so far. How far? As far as you can take it to be on top of your work while not letting everything you do need a productive excuse. Read more about that idea in this incredible article.

And it isn’t just emails. It is everything. For example, I have a tax day on the first of each month. I organize and categorize my receipts. I backup my files once a week. I follow up with people by creating events on my calendar to remind me.

The big change I made was IMMEDIACY. I always thought that was crazy. I thought people who were on top of their emails didn’t have a personal life, or were addicted to their phones. That doesn’t have to be true. I spend most of my days without a phone in front of me. I try to be in the moment for whatever I am doing, truly committed. I have found that I have more freedom – with my time as well as in my mind. I no longer stress about getting back to people. I no longer worry about if I’ve missed a deadline. And while I do suffer from thinking even more about my work now that I’m on top of it, I know that I can change that as well and not let the immediacy of my business bleed into my personal time.

Yes, it could all crumble and I could slide back into my old ways. But so far, so good. I’m 4 months into working alone again and I have never had a more smooth running business.

Want more details or to share what works for you? Leave a comment!

I am arranging a small mentorship for anyone interested in this topic.
A totally-free, just-because-I-love-business, Skype session with about 10 or so people.
To turn YOUR business around and to help each other grow!
Want to join? Let me know below!

This was a tremendous year of growth or me and I can’t help but feel like, even on this second-to-last day of the year, I am still learning lessons that 2016 wanted to teach me. For example, I started my morning before the sun rose climbing a mountain with my love, remembering the importance of connection, vulnerability and bliss.

Here is a look at my highlights from the year:

PERSONAL

• You can never know your impact on someone else, not fully. I was reminded of that during some personal hardships that I will not detail, but taught me how to grieve, how to be stronger, and how to more closely embody empathy.
• I realized that I have too much, and that I would rather downsize, sell my house, live a more minimalist life and be debt-free completely. 2017 should be interesting in that sense!
• I lessened my “victim” response. I started to react to situations from a stronger, more decisive place that allowed me to feel less like a victim and more in control.
• I traveled to: California, India, Wisconsin, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, New York, Pennsylvania, England, Florida, Illinios, Peru, Colorado, and Washington, several of them several times!
• I started doing yoga and hiking 3-5 times a week (though still thought I might die climbing Machu Picchu in 90 minutes flat!).
• I finished writing my novel!
• I got to meet the Doctor Who cast IN PERSON. Enough said. I can die happy now. My husband is the greatest!

  • For those inquiring minds: Matt Smith, Alex Kingston, Arthur Darvill (and watched John Barrowman speak…phenomenally inspiring!)

ART

• At the end of 2015 I had a brutal portfolio review, the gist of it being that I’ll likely never be a serious artist, my images lack depth and meaning, and that a solo show in NYC would be unlikely. I wallowed for 2 hours and then conceived of a new series, complete with many layers and meanings, that I began working on in December 2015. By September 2016 I finished the series, booked a solo show in NYC to debut that series, won a grand prize award for it, printed it, and the show opens in early January. I do not, in any way, say this to brag. I say this to prove that someone’s opinions of you should never define your future. Take control of what you do and you will control your life. I see myself as the kind of person who doesn’t win things, who doesn’t come out on top – very much an underdog mentality. But I am starting to change my narrative.
• I partook in a December self-portrait challenge that I allowed to consume me. It brought me out of a slump (personally and professionally) and added half a dozen new images to my portfolio when I thought the year was finished. Challenge yourself to create. It can never hurt. Never.
• I know I put finishing my novel in the personal category, because it was a massive personal triumph, but I put it here, too. I learned this year so much about commitment through the 30 day self-portrait challenge, finishing my novel, and finishing my series. I can say, without much doubt, that I lack natural talent in many ways – but what I have is commitment in abundance, and that makes all the difference. I learned how to outline plot and characters, how to structure a novel, and how to let go of something so personal. My husband will be proofing my novel in January and then it’s off to my darling Editor.

BUSINESS

• Big changes happened this year, as I will continue into the new year with a drastic lessening of help in my business. At first I was nervous until I started doing everything on my own. I realized that I had grown up a lot since I felt I needed help. This year I learned how to set guidelines, goals, and a great routine to allow me to achieve my objectives. My routine: emails, creative time, daily business goals, writing, yoga, cooking, and snuggles. Always snuggles.
• I finished 100 weeks of Promoting Passion videos and started a 10-video series called White Wall Wednesday (most likely TBC in 2017!). They are all on my YouTube where you can subscribe to get new content!
• I started two “pay-what-you-can” challenges that have allowed me to create content from home and share it with others for whatever they want to pay for it. This allows those who can’t participate in other events to have a chance. The 20 Day Portfolio Renovation Challenge is still open for registration until tomorrow evening! Begins Jan 1!
• I auditioned for a TED talk and didn’t get it. This was the biggest blow of the year for me in business. It is my greatest dream. But I’m not done. I will work harder for it than ever before, hopefully finding a conference theme that is more in line with what I do.
• I designed a portfolio case to produce and met with several prototype companies, but as of yet cannot afford to personally fund the project. I will continue to pursue this in 2017.
• I hosted my 2nd annual Promoting Passion Convention! This year saw an increase of participants, incredibly inspiring speakers and educators, as well as the most authentic, genuine connections. It was a glorious sight, that is to be certain. I can’t wait to share the video with you!
• I directed two music videos! They were mostly for fun, but taught me a lot about film and I can’t wait to do more!
• I photographed this kick-butt opera singer in London and then got to see the pictures on a bus. Super awesome moment!
• I finally embraced Instagram!
• <Insert exciting thing that I can’t share until the new year>

CHARITY

• The Light Space had it’s first successful year running!!! TLS is a practical photography training program for survivors of human trafficking in India.
• I raised over $13,000 for The Light Space through the pay-what-you-can challenges as well as the Promoting Passion Convention!
• I raised over $2,000 for Blossomy, my partner organization for TLS.
• I donated to over 25 charities this year for causes I believe in greatly.
• I started the process of turning Promoting Passion into a nonprofit! More on that in the new year!
• I began teaching self-expression workshops to underprivileged communities here in the United States.
• Thanks to new equipment donations, I’ve got a whole suitcase of new equipment to take to India in just 5 DAYS!!

I am beginning 2017 with a flight to NYC to attend my show opening, and then I’m off to India and Thailand to teach 4 workshops for survivors of human trafficking about photography and self-expression. I’ll be gone for 3 1/2 weeks, and when I return, I’ll be diving into so many exciting projects!

Thank you endlessly for a year I will treasure and continue to learn from. It is thanks to you that I have a business that I love, a community that I cherish, and notably, together we are changing the world by helping charitable efforts.

2017 is going to be a year of power. That is my dedication. However I choose to grow, help others, change, or shed light, I will do so with as much power as I can. In doing so, I can only hope I will find others who are radically dedicated to living in their power.

HUGS and LOVE,
Brooke

This year I’ve taken a very active role in trying to make my business something I’m proud of. I love thinking about business because it is an extension of who I am. I choose to see it as branding and marketing, though both in non-conventional ways. When I say branding, I really mean figuring out who I am, who I want to be and how to manifest that. And when I say marketing, I simply mean building a community. So this year I chose to do more for my business, but sometimes I get frustrated with how theoretical it can all become. Learning about oneself and having goals for business are very important in a successful career, yet sometimes I just want a few concrete steps that I can take to make my business more successful.

When I went on this mission, I became a lot more responsible in the process. I found motivation by wanting to be my best self not only when presenting my business to other people, but also in how I ran it behind the scenes. These are the five ways in which I started to transform my business…things anyone can do to liven up their work life.

1. Visually interesting documents.

When you can show a client what you do and the information associated with it, instead of telling them via text, it will be more memorable, show that you put time and effort in that part of your business, and it will look great for branding.

2. Photograph your work in print.

If you are able to create a nice visual presentation of your accomplishments – whether it is photographing a magazine feature, a gallery show, a session with a client for BTS material, or something else entirely – you are sharing part of your process, and your success, with whomever is there to look at what you do.

3. Answer your emails.

I used to be terrible at emailing. I would lose emails, wait months to get back to people, etc. If it’s bad, I did it. But then something happened. I had one of those selfish, aha! moments. I began emailing people for various reasons – to tell them I admire them, for charity projects, to do business – and I wasn’t getting responses back. I felt lower than the ground I walk on. I felt like they thought my time didn’t matter. And that is a horrible feeling. So now, as a courtesy to others and to make myself more sane, I respond to my emails (if possible!) within 48 hours.

4. Create personalized products.

I’m not just talking about business cards, though that is a perfect example. Anything from personalized stationery to wax seals, greeting cards and more. It can be really fun and make someone feel special if you send them something personal with a purchase.

5. Diversify your content.

Don’t limit what you do to one social media site or one way of communication. Share video, behind the scenes material, and finished products on various sites like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc…The more ways you can show who you are, the more likely someone is to connect with you.

Will you try out any of these recommendations, or perhaps you have an idea that you practice to make your business more successful? Share it below!

Is there anything in the world that is more comforting, reassuring, and kind than showing someone love and receiving love in return? I can’t think of a single more important thing to focus my energy on. Far outweighing business and fun, love is a category all it’s own. Focusing on it, even acknowledging it, can drastically help with all areas of life.

How often do you apply love to your business? First think about clients. Most of us have heard of the five love languages – if you haven’t, it’s a quick study. Think about how you like to receive love, and think also about how you like to give love. What makes you feel most safe and fulfilled? How do you know that someone cares about you? Once you understand the five love languages, you are better prepared to face business.

Clients are people just like you or me. They want that extra feeling of security and, ultimately, love when they invest in a business. Therefore, it is up to us business owners to give it. One way is to understand how you best give love and use that more in your business. If you give love by giving gifts, figure out an extra special something to include in each sale you make. If you give love by words of encouragement, perhaps write a note to the person who is investing in your business.

Or, take it one step further, and see how you can incorporate more than one love language into your sales. Figure out how to show someone you appreciate them by showing them love.

What is your love language? How do you like to receive love? What makes you feel most secure and happy?

How do you give love? Is that different from how you like to receive it? Do the people in your life tend to fall into one category or another?

What practical steps can you take to show more love to those who make your life possible?

For me, it is not just about business but about my personal life. I have a terrible tendency to focus so much on what my dreams are that I neglect the people closest to me. I have been making a sincere effort to analyze those around me and understand how they like to receive love, and then give it – not in grand gestures, but in everyday ways that make life a little bit sweeter. And what I find, in return, is that the people around me are just a little bit happier, and I am too.

We inherently look for excuses to not do something that scares us. We dream big and we dream often, yet we do not always act on those dreams. So many people, including myself, will say to dream well, yet the second part to that equation – making it a reality – is equally important. Dreaming with no conviction – we suffer from this too often.

1. Stop using BUSY-NESS as an excuse.

We are all busy. I complain about it too much. In truth I am grateful, yet still I make empty wishes that I wish I could slow down. The truth is, so many of us seek busy-ness. We want to keep moving and changing and growing. And the product of that way of thinking is being busy: finishing the tasks we’ve already started and dreaming up new ones. Don’t allow being busy to stop future growth. All that can lead to is stagnation.

Find a time, even if it is only one day a week, that you dedicate to future projects. Maybe you wake up one hour earlier, or go to sleep one hour later. Maybe you eat lunch at your computer instead of at a cafe, and you take the time to draft that email you’ve been so scared to write. Set goals for yourself, and write them down, and re-write them often. Don’t let yourself forget.

Routine is an amazing thing, but figuring out how to break that routine to try something new can be even more powerful. Pick a time to dedicate to a future project, make sure you write down exactly what you need to accomplish so you don’t waste time, and then do it. By scheduling time and writing down your specific tasks, your mind will get to work in sorting out details before you ever sit down to do it.

2. Put your personality into it.

I get asked often how to draft an email to a gallery. It is a great question, since there aren’t exactly guidelines out there with exactly what an artist should say. The funny thing, though, is that no one ever taught me how to do that. I can’t say if I’m doing it right or not! So why do I mention it, then? Because the only thing I know how to do is to ignore the assumption that there is a “right” way of doing things. I work on the idea that my personality and genuine urge to move forward is all I need to do just that.

No matter what the venture is, who I am writing to, or what I need, I state my case simply and with my sincere voice. I write how I would speak, and I speak how I would want to be spoken to. I try to be relevant, and kind, and genuine. I end every email with a smiley face. Why? Because that’s me – take it or leave it. It has worked pretty well so far, and for those it hasn’t worked for, then perhaps they weren’t meant to be in my life anyway.

We don’t always know how to be “correct” or “professional” – so don’t! Just be yourself.

3. Seek advice from those you trust.

Here is a really personal example of something I am working on right now. Next year my goal is to host a convention. I’ve got the venue picked out and a lot of details coming together, but I felt stuck and unsure of where to go. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing, or do something too quickly, or simply make the wrong choice. So I picked out 3 people in the photo industry that I trust and I went to them for advice. And the advice they gave me was priceless.

I went into those meetings knowing certain things about myself – for example, that I already had a set way of doing some things that I wasn’t willing to compromise on. I never recommend seeking advice unless you know 1) what your questions are, specifically, and 2) what your opinions are. Once you know those things, it is easier to not be swayed into doing something that you aren’t happy with.

4. Observe others.

So going on this convention example, I have found it very helpful to observe how other conventions are run. I have been on both sides of the spectrum, from speaking to attending, so I can understand what makes a convention run smoothly and what does not. For example, I don’t like having too many options at a convention, and I don’t like being overwhelmed by a huge amount of people. As a speaker it is awesome to have someone there helping you each step of the way so you aren’t lost or in over your head, and it is really nice to have a dedicated space to be when you aren’t speaking. All of this has been learned from simply observing – not judging, as all choices are made for a reason – but discovering what works best for me.

5. Assemble a team.

It is okay to ask for help – in fact, it usually makes your big projects even more successful. Knowing who to trust and how to help them do their part is a big plus in achieving more in the future. I’ve started working with three trusted people in my life to move forward this big project, and I can’t wait to have our first meeting. Delegate and be specific in your needs and wants. Say what you mean, and don’t hold back in sharing your expectations.

This week I tried something new when I did a lighting test. I set up two bare bulb strobes in my living room and instead of using the flash, I used the modeling lights. I hung a black piece of fabric tied to two kitchen chairs sitting on top of my dining room table. I set all of that up in front of a big glass sliding door for natural light as fill. And then I took some shots! I was dressed normally, not meaning to do a shoot, but I really liked the quality of light and wanted to see what I could build.

I changed into a new costume dress that I recently acquired and took the same picture as the test, only this time I was getting into the “Alice” character. I was shooting with only 4 feet of space between the backdrop and the window, so I photographed my head, shoulders, arms, body, legs, etc…in separate shots. In post I put them together, found a background I liked, created a hole in the ground, and chose cloud shots with lighting to match.

It was quite a new process for me as I usually don’t do so much compositing and especially because I don’t use lights! But it was awesomely fun. I don’t know that I’m necessarily set on doing this from now on, but it does encourage me to experiment a little bit more with light…though I think I still prefer my normal style of diffused, soft light. Trying something new will always lead to one of two things: a new way of doing something, or confidence in how you don’t want to do something. Both are equally important!

Missed the first Q&A? Here it is!

The picture here was snapped on a disposable camera while hosting a retreat in the UK this past August. It was such a perfect representation of how I feel most of the time – quiet and reflective and happy, so I thought it would be good to share during a post that’s just me being me!

I have questions for you also, and I think a lot of people can benefit from hearing the answers.
Here are some questions that I’d love for you to answer below (any or all):

1. How do you come up with your best creative ideas?

2. What is one piece of advice you have been given that you cherish most?

3. What is one thing that you do everyday that makes you happier/healthier?

Still have a question?
Ask in the comments and I’ll do my best to respond!

 My next creativeLIVE class to learn more about image compositing!