By preparing yourself to succeed, you take away the frustrating parts of running a business or being creative. So instead of having an idea and then trying to do it all at once, consider what can be done beforehand to make the actual implementation of the idea smoother and more efficient.

One easy example is cooking. If you go to the grocery store and think everything looks good, then get home and have no idea what to do with it, that can be a problem in many ways. The food goes bad, you lost money, and you’re stuck with a ton of rotting veggies…or at least that’s what happens in my home. So instead, go to the grocery store only when you have a recipe, buy what you need, and when you get home, prepare the food. I don’t mean cook and eat it necessarily, but if you bought fruit or vegetables you might consider chopping them up and putting them in storage containers for when you are ready to cook. Then, all you have to do is open the containers and throw the ingredients in.

Another example would be exercising in the morning. A lot of people like to wake up through exercise, but it can be daunting to be groggy and tired and to be confronted with a 3-mile run. So instead of waking up and having to prepare yourself, make yourself excited the night before. Lay your favorite workout clothes out so you don’t have to look for something to wear. Make a smoothie and put it in the fridge the night before so you have a treat to look forward to. All of these things will help with the motivation to follow through with something when that motivation might be lacking.

So, how does this relate to a creative endeavor?

These are 5 things that I am personally implementing in my life to prepare myself for success:

1. Keep a journal of creative ideas accessible at all times so that if you are inspired, you don’t have to try and remember your idea. You are always prepared to write it down. I keep a document in Google Drive so that I  can access it anywhere, and I also keep a notebook with me when I can. And heck, if I’m on an airplane and haven’t got a book, I write on the puke bag. Oh yes. Not recommended.

2. Have necessary contracts and pricing already worked out before you go into business so that you don’t feel tempted to compromise your worth or principles. My biggest hiccups in business have come from not having a streamlined structure for pricing or for doing business with clients. The moment I set a contract in place and firmed up my pricing for all of my services, I was able to complete my email inquiries twice as fast and with the peace of mind in knowing that I didn’t mess anything up.

3. Set 30 minutes or more for yourself per week to do what you are passionate about. The worst thing anyone can do to achieve success is to get burnt out, so even though life can be hectic and it might seem like there is just no time for inspiring yourself, I believe that is the worst mistake anyone can make. To not allow yourself free time to be inspired is to trip yourself up later down the road.

4. Clean your equipment before you come close to using it. This is similar to the food analogy above. If you are a painter, have your brushes cleaned well before you have that creative spark. If you’re a photographer, have your memory cards clear before going on a shoot. If you are a writer, make sure your desktop is clean so that everything is organized. Doing these things well before you are going to use your tools will help to make the creative task that much more enjoyable.

5. Write a rough daily schedule for yourself and put it up on a wall in your work area. You don’t have to follow it strictly, but it will help to keep you paced, focus on what is important, and be productive without multitasking. My daily routine is below!

I hope that these plans for success have helped…

What will you do to prepare for success?

Brooke’s Daily Schedule

6AM-7:30AM

Stretching/Yoga/Meditation

Breakfast/Grocery Shopping

7:30AM-10AM

Admin Work
(social media, emails)

10AM-12PM

Writing
(novel, self-help book)

12PM-1PM

Lunch

1PM-2PM

Ambitions
(documentary, convention, motivational speaking)

2PM-4PM

Admin Work
(presentations, emails,workshops, travel, file organization)

4PM-7PM

Creativity
(editing, shooting, writing, video production)

7PM-9PM

Dinner

This 2-day, 16 hour workshop goes through the ins and outs of finding your personal style, voice and story while applying creative techniques for shooting and editing. From inspiration exercises to five hours of shooting in a beautiful (and potentially haunted) location, to a full editing session and business lecture, we’ll go over how to be inspired to shoot creative scenes, edit those scenes, and potentially sell them as well.

Cost: $975 per person. Breakfast and lunch is included for the first day and lunch for the second day.

This class will…

– Provide exercises for inspiration and style building
– Show many different creative shooting techniques
– Focus on storytelling as a way to identify style and sell your work
– Provide a full editing tutorial
– Give an in-depth look at image compositing
– Give a  business foundation for selling art work

Please check the website to download an information packet with full schedule or to sign up!

1-Day Business Workshop in Phoenix, AZ on June 28, 2014

This 8 hour workshop takes the mystery out of business. From the art of selling photography to marketing, branding, social media, pricing, and style building, we will go over how to take your business up a notch by becoming more self-aware and constructively critical of your brand.

When I started photography seriously at the beginning of 2009 I thought I had picked up a fun hobby. One year later, no one was more surprised than I was to find I was quitting my job to pursue photography full time. One year after that, as I predicted, I had the beginnings of a business but no cash flow whatsoever. Things had to change, and I started to take a serious look at who I was as a photographer and how that translated into business. My business has been growing each year, and now that I feel secure that my business can support my lifestyle, I want to pass on what I’ve learned to you.

Cost: $475 per person. Breakfast and lunch is included in price. Prepared notes will be given to each attendee to take home regarding best business practices.

This class will…

– Present exercises for finding your style and branding that style
– Analyze marketing strategies
– Conduct an overhaul on social media to see what really works
– Take the mystery out of pricing
– Offer 1-1 meetings for building your business
– Clearly outline goals and deadlines for the success of your business
– Discuss best business strategies for saving time and increasing productivity

Please check the website to download an information packet with full schedule or to sign up!