The No Excuses Project: Photography as a career
February 10, 2010 by Juliet Chase
Filed under No Excuses Project
There is no doubt in my mind that nature photography is a key part of who I want to be professionally but you wouldn’t always know it by my actions. It’s something that has always delighted me from the first picture when my dad held the weight of the old Polaroid with my mom as the reluctant model.
Like anything artistic there’s no guarantee that hard work alone will have the desired results but it’s a certainty that doing nothing at all will not get you there either. I have tried some things that really haven’t panned out which I take as lessons steering me in the right direction but only excuses explain why I’m not moving forward on the remainder. Specifically to take new pictures on a regular basis (weekly), compile photographs from my grand road trip into a book of some sort and to more actively participate in the market by submitting for artist calls of all sorts.
Here are just some of the excuses I know I’ve used in the last year:
- I don’t know what to do (or where to start) so I do nothing
- I must not be good enough (even though I’ve gotten plenty of positive feedback)
- I don’t have the right equipment (there’s this other lens… and I don’t have Adobe InDesign…)
- I’m not in the mood (here’s the kicker – mood is the primary distinction between a career and a hobby)
- It has never happened before (did you notice I’m not famous yet?)
- I can’t afford it (framing costs a lot)
- I have too many other projects (if I know it will take a long time to see a profit, I let more immediate things take precedence)
Working through the individual excuses over the last several months has let me recognize them in myself more clearly but hasn’t eradicated them entirely. I’ve lessened the impact of some and made some progress on this goal. But there’s still work to do!
Next week: what I plan to do to get this goal back on track
Intermission
October 16, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Juliet's Journal
I don’t know why trips take even longer to prepare for than the days actually traveling but there it is. This week has been largely about that with some side notes. I spent Saturday working in the gallery and setting up their website, which I managed to get the bulk of done in that day; along side I found myself sending out a mass email with bullet points; shades of my corporate personality! But I am a take charge kind of person for better or worse. I’ve found when I’ve tried to subdue that side of me things don’t go well. The higher up in an organization I’ve been, the more I felt accepted although that didn’t make me enjoy the politics anymore. So I was a little surprised to see that side again but art is business too and some things are universal.
I also got a follow-up request from the art for health-care people that I submitted photographs to a few weeks ago. If I read between the lines, I’ve made it past the first cut, which means absolutely nothing except that my ego is thrilled and I think I’ve learned a lot about what they look for. I’m curious to see what happens next.
Otherwise, I’ve been getting ready for my trip, some packing some sewing, and practicing metal detecting which yielded a large pile of nails, bottle caps and one slotted kitchen spoon (stainless). I’m thinking of creating found art sculpture for no other reason than that I can. When I get back, assuming I haven’t found $1 million in Spanish gold, I will have to put some serious effort into finding a short-term or part-time job to tide things over until the artistic side of things starts paying for itself. I’ve already updated my resume and while I’ve looked around a bit, I haven’t made a serious effort. I’m not looking forward to that but it’s a necessary step towards achieving what I’m working on.
How to be more creative quickly
October 15, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Health and Happiness
The simple answer is to have an overwhelming need combined with no easily accessible solution – bored kids or broke adults can be some of the most creative people out there if they let themselves.
As I’ve been getting ready for my upcoming trip to Florida (today) there were two things I truly need for the trip that I don’t have the money or time to order; a loose sieve for metal detecting on the beach to separate the sand from the treasure quickly and a sun hat that will fit my head that consistently proves that one size does not fit all. I’ve no idea if what I came up with will actually work, and it does require a serious commitment to looking a little strange on the beach but I really enjoyed the process of solving these two problems.
For the sieve, I spent $4 at the hardware store for some plastic gutter netting and then stitched it together with some plastic cord I already had and used the rim of a large cottage cheese carton to reinforce the top – it looks like a really funky fishing basket but I think it will do the trick. For the hat, I simply went through my stockpile of fabric and found the lightest possible one I was willing to part with which turned out to be pale pink and used the only hat pattern I had that had a brim – so it looks like a confection for race day but it didn’t cost me any money and it’s ready to go in the suitcase.
I didn’t have prior skills here, I just trusted that it was possible to solve the problem within the parameters I had set. It was a lot more fun than buying either item ready made, although I agree that would use less of my time, but there’s no creativity in letting someone else always solve things for you.
Entertainment isn’t necessarily evil
September 8, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Tidbits
I try not to overload but some purely entertaining TV or a good chick-lit novel is something I consider essential to my well being and personal development. If you defer all gratification, you’ll lose momentum! Now that the Fall TV season is about to start I’m noticing my viewing habits have changed in the last year. I’ve cleaned house on my entertainment schedule and I think I’ll be reading and doing more instead. I thought it would be fun to share what I’ll be watching this Fall:
What’s in:
- Lie to me – love those moments when they show real-life images of people demonstrating facial cues
- Bones – a little gruesome but I identify with the hyper-academic who’s utterly clueless about relationships
- Royal Pains – I confess to having a fondness for foreign men who know more than they say so I watch this one for the character Boris- I’m hoping they don’t write him off…
- Sporadic viewing of Project Runway – not worth staying up for but sometimes I catch the reruns while doing laundry
What’s out:
- Mad Men – it’s down to where everyone is unhappy and no hope in sight. Life neither was nor is ever quite that bad
- Biggest Loser – I’m bored with the campy product placement and really irritated with the phrase ‘if I were thin, I’d have a boyfriend’
- So You Think You Can Dance – they’ve gotten too good, there’s less drama now
On the fence:
- Glee – could go either way, we’ll just have to see
- Drop Dead Diva – cute so far but could get old fast
- Cash & Treasures – if they move back into the realm of the possible I’ll be an avid fan but I’m unlikely to go emerald hunting on Colombia
- Real Housewives Atlanta – I don’t know why I started watching and why it was this one but there it is – I may break the habit shortly…
The working staycation
July 10, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Juliet's Journal
I’ve deliberately given myself a bit of a break this week so I can evaluate what’s next. I wish I could say that the garden is now in shape as a result, but I can say that 35% of it is and that I’ve given in and started using insect repellent because it’s a known fact that effective entrepreneurs are not constantly itching! I’ve given myself some time in the afternoons to just sit and read a good book and that’s valuable time too. It can be easy to get so caught up in the to-do list that you forget to have some of the life you’re working so hard to achieve.
I’m in something of a dilemma when it comes to my bread-baking business idea – it has not taken off. I haven’t done everything that I possible could, but… it’s not my passion either. It began as an interesting idea and I’ve investigated it enough by trying it to see that it either is not the right time, price, or product. The feedback I got was positive, but not with orders. There are a couple of things I still want to try around foreclosure maintenance but it may well be one of those good ideas that isn’t profitable. They happen; the trick is to not lose heart in my other efforts which are where my heart, ego, and soul are invested. That’s next week’s focus – get the beach glass jewelry site up and running. People can’t buy what isn’t for sale…
It’s amazing how fast time goes by – I blink and it’s a month later.
This and that
June 19, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Juliet's Journal
I don’t think I can claim any great accomplishments this week; mostly I let myself follow my intuition and not push too hard. I worked on getting the kitty’s new diet and prescriptions established, got some photographs edited, got some volunteer work done ready for court next Monday and just let myself be. Sometimes not going full speed ahead is the best thing although I’m never 100% convinced of that. I am trying to get more exercise in although it’s an uphill battle – just about everything else seems more important in the moment. Next week I should have enough jewelry done to set up an Etsy site and also have another art site ready. I’ve been trying to study up on marketing and selling; two areas I struggle with so that I can begin to improve my overall results. I firmly believe that everything can be learned; some things just come more quickly!
Excitingly average
June 5, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Juliet's Journal
I seem to have a lot of weeks like this one; where there’s a lot going on but nothing definitive to report. All in all I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made although I did not in fact chain myself to the desk over the weekend like I was contemplating so it is less and less likely that I’ll meet my personal deadline for the novel. On the other hand I still have ten days so miracles are still possible.
UPS should be delivering jewelry supplies today so last night I started laying out designs using some of my newly collected beach glass. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy doing that. I also managed to finish the second of two silk hangings so as soon as I get some of the business writing taken care of I’ll have the first of three Etsy shops ready to open and I delivered bread to two more real estate offices and got very positive reception (maybe they were just hungry;-) although still no calls. This is where I’ve fallen off of ideas in the past – when there seems to be no action. This time though I see nothing to lose in continuing the process and repeating and continuing. Maybe if nothing happens in four months I’ll re-evaluate.
I’ve also been working through some exercises to help me get a handle on my variety of projects so that I’m treating them all like a business instead of a hobby. Not that they shouldn’t be fun but hobbies don’t tend to have customers who need and deserve , consistent service. That’s a major paradigm shift for me so it’s pretty interesting to work out what that looks like. So far it’s meant making a pattern for the silk hangings so I don’t reinvent the wheel each and every time, not to mention documenting the supplies needed so I don’t run out if an order comes in. It’s not hard or difficult to do, but it’s certainly not my natural instinct!
Avoidance doesn’t work for long
May 29, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Juliet's Journal
I started marketing my new bread-baking service this week. Part of how I came up with the idea was a way to use my bread-baking skills without having to get up at 4:30 am like professional bakers often have to do. So what did I find myself doing this week? Getting up at 4:30 am so that I could bake and get bread and fliers delivered to two real estate offices before their 9 am weekly meeting. The irony is not lost on me and I found myself chanting the old Dunkin’ Donuts refrain as I blindly moved around the kitchen – “Time to make the donuts”. On the bright side it’s only for two days a week and for a couple of weeks that I’ll be doing this that intensively.
I’m getting serious about selling online as well but am finding all the options of shopping carts and privacy issues overwhelming. So I’m considering starting with Etsy which is an affordable place to start and seems to be growing in reputation. I’m not sure how photography sales do there but jewelry seems to be popular as do crafting graphics (something else to try!) I’m working on paring down what it would be nice to do to what is absolutely essential to start. That seems to be about 10% of what I start out thinking is a “must”…
On the writing front my self-imposed deadline of June 15 is fast approaching for finishing The Novel (working title.) Which has only been on my list of things to get done for the last 5 years. I haven’t made much progress so now I’m wondering if I buckle down over the weekend, can I get 40,000 words written that would be worth it? Or do I admit defeat and at least move my personal goal post? I’m leaning towards chaining myself to the computer but I’m not sure what I’ll end up doing – check back next week for the answer;-)
Gradually gaining momentum
May 15, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Juliet's Journal
It’s amazing what a day off doing something totally joyful can do for you – even when you’re self-employed. Last weekend I did indeed go beach glass hunting on a distant but famous beach that I hadn’t been to before and as you might expect there were setbacks – like having to wait two and a half hours for a ferry for some unknown tidal reason. The delay meant I missed low tide and had to turn back before reaching the ‘good’ beach but I was plenty happy with what I’d found and more than tired from the approximately 1000 toe touches I’d done to get them. Now that I know what the tides and the walk is like I’ll be going back as soon as I can coordinate the tides, ferries and daylight to my advantage. And even though I ached, got some bad sunburned spots (yes, I should know better) and had to wait for ferries I had a blast. Somehow that translated to getting even more done during the following week than I might have expected:
- I’ve gotten two class proposals written for continuing ed at the nearby community college and will get those sent out today.
- I’ve got the bread-baking business ready to launch as soon as the business cards show up – so that means ordering business cards, creating a website (http://bread.julietchase.com) ordering food-grade sacks for marketing and writing fliers. I still have a few forms to design like invoices but I’m ready to start. So yes, it’s possible to start a business for less than $75 (I already have a business license so that’s not an added expense- but even if I didn’t it would still be less than $200)
- I’ve also updated my photography site so that it’s ready for me to launch selling products. Mostly that meant going in and changing menu items but like anything else you don’t do for a long period of time, half the struggle is remembering how to do it.
Those are the highlights of my status report for the week! I’m excited because most of these things won’t be coming back on the list; sure, there will be other work to do and it will mean that I’m succeeding when there is.
