on life & running a business - and why I sometimes suck at both :)

Oh, hey there any blog readers that haven't deleted me from their RSS feed just yet...

I know, I KNOW - "Shannon, its been almost 3 MONTHS since you've blogged anything. How lame can you possibly be? Don't you know the interweb is where its at and I need constant, if not daily reminders that you and your photography exist?"

Heres the thing, kids - the 2nd half of 2010 was... unexpected. Almost everything about it was pleasantly unexpected, but when you combine about a zillion "unexpecteds", it turns into a whole ginormous ball of overwhelming and at some point somethings gotta give. That something, in Shannon land, unfortunately, was blogging.

The first, and probably most influential "unexpected" was the discovery that our little family was about to grow by 1. "How exciting!", you say? Yes, indeed, NOW, at 7 months prego (with a little GIRLIE) I am very excited. At the time we found out, still working a part-time job and shooting full-time, smack dab in the middle of an insanely busy wedding season and pulling 2am editing sessions almost every night, oh yeah, and with a 15 month old little man at my heels (not to mention a hubby who needs a little TLC every now and then) - a little more "holy ish, this is BAD timing".

Besides the all day nausea this pregnancy has brought along, it's also produced a horrendous case of "baby brain". I'm terribly forgetful, and at the end of the day, basically brain dead. Its getting better, but during those first few months, being insanely busy as it was, at the end of the day I simply didn't have enough brain power to write 5 words, let alone an entire blog entry for every single wedding & session. So, instead, I'd post a preview to Facebook (no words required!), and use my remaining brain cells to read a book to Grayson. I was already feeling (and still do feel - but thats for another blog entry) tremendous amounts of guilt for already bringing another baby into our family, how could I NOT devote my last remaining brain cells to my #1?

For those of you who haven't been following along via Facebook, we've been BUSY - to an insane degree. "Cry me a river, Shannon. Busy = $", you say? Yes, this is true. What most people don't consider is that it also equals crazy amounts of time - time away from my family shooting, LATE night editing sessions,  countless social engagements I've had to pass on because I "have to edit (respond to email, prep packages, design albums, scan receipts, file taxes, SLEEP?)". This is a situation I've put myself in, I realize this. What most people don't think about when I say "I'm a photographer", is all the back hours that go into this job. Its not all fun and play and pretty pictures, people. Running a business is time consuming, and sometimes all out maddening. Throw a family into the mix, and its a tough balancing act - and I haven't exactly been perfect at keeping it all together. 

I've had a terrible time saying "No" to sessions and new business. I honestly do not know how I didn't have a nervous breakdown (or a pending divorce - LOVE YOU, Mr. W! Seriously, I have an amazingly supportive husband, again, for a different blog entry....) this fall. I was shooting 4-5 sessions a week, a wedding every weekend, and working part-time. In October, I finally said enough is enough, and let go of the part-time job. If I hadn't, shannon wucherer photography would no longer exist. I expected a November slow down, which didn't happen, and have been treading water ever since.

Please don't think I'm complaining. I will never ever ever complain about being busy, and people actually liking my work enough to trust me and pay me to capture some of their most important life moments. I'm simply explaining how this year has been a learning experience and has definitely helped to shape my goals for 2011.

Which brings me to...
My Goals for 2011 (clever, hey?)

SLOOOOOOOW DOWWWWWN AND ENJOY LIFE

I need to take more time to enjoy all the things I have been blessed with - my life, my family and this wonderful career. To do this, I need to work on BALANCE. Knowing that I don't NEED to work every day. I don't need to constantly check email, edit or learn. Its OK to spend entire days on the floor playing with Grayson, or to spend a day (maybe even an entire weekend, whee!) away with my husband. Every  second of every day does not have to revolve around work. Life is fleeting - with a toddler, I have come to learn this very quickly. I owe it to him and to myself to actually enjoy the time I have with him, because this stage is AWESOME.

In the same respect, I need to have a little more time to invest in each client. While I do have an emotional investment in all of my clients, I'd like to have the time to get to know each better and feel like I am making a connection with all of them. In a career like photography, I don't think it should be all business. Plus, I have an innate need for people to like me :)

LEARN TO SAY "NO"
I've seen this on a lot of photographer's list of goals. Saying "No" is tough ya'll. When you are self employed, nothing is guaranteed. You are never REALLY sure when your next pay day will be, and its very easy to take on as much work as possible out of fear that tomorrow, it might not be there. But, constantly being a yes man, trying to fit 20 sessions into 1 week, will do nothing but run me ragged. I need to BELIEVE that if a prospective client actually values my work, they will be willing to wait for me to fit them in for a session. Scary, scary, scary - but, I think I can do it.

BE A BETTER BLOGGER
I've decided that for 2011, this blog is going to become both a voice for my business, and my life :) I was maintaining a blog for Grayson, keeping family from afar up to date on his milestones, but guess what was the FIRST thing to be neglected when I got too busy to function?  Grayson's blog hasn't been updated since I dunno when.... tragic, really.

So, blog readers, prepare yourselves. I fully intend to inundate you with both my adventures in photography AND life as a suburban wife and Mommy. The goal is for you get to know a little more about me and my life - while being as un-annoying as possible :)

There are many more goals on my list, both business and personal - but these are definitely my top 3. I hope you enjoy reading about my successes and failures in business and life. I'm optimistic (and terrified) about the year to come.

Happy New Year to all! Did I mention I turn 30 tomorrow?!?  (Again, for another blog post....)

- sw