Photography Business Burnout
We love our photography.
We begin a journey to turn our passion into profit…we start a business.
We have great dreams, lots of energy, and we are filled with excitement at the possibilities, of doing something we love for the rest of our lives.
Slowly over time we start to feel a little bit of pressure here and there.
The bills increase, business is “up and down”, we get some difficult customers, and the pressure starts to build even more.
Time passes by and a combination of mind clutter, having to learn new skills, customer/family demands, and busy-ness, starts to overwhelm us.
Continual marketing challenges, changes in family relationships, tight cash flow, worries about debt, and you’re on your way to a common condition known as PBB …Photographers Business Burnout!
I have experienced “burnout” a few times over my forty years as a photographer running my own busy studio, so I know how it feels.
The problem amplifies when you find yourself in the day to day grind of running your photography business and you start to experience some level of burnout.
Burnout happens when you work for too long without satisfactory results, and you become disillusioned and frustrated when reality falls short of your expectations.
Sorting and retouching files in Lightroom or Photoshop for hours on end, and into the early hours of the morning, can make you tired and emotional, which makes things even worse.
So, how do you overcome and move away from this draining mindset?
The first thing is to understand that you are human and simply going through your journey of life.
Try and work out a strategy for dealing with the fatigue and frustration that you are feeling, and the continuing challenges of having a photography business.
“Work/life balance” is a phrase that is used a lot at the moment, but for most full time photographers, their photography/life balance is not very balanced at all.
What Can You Do To Replenish And Refresh Yourself?
Why not take the kids out of school, and take a three day break, and drive to the country, and escape from the hustle and pressure, and reconnect with your family. ….I used to do this at least 3 times a year.
Maybe try getting a personal trainer to take control of your fitness and wellbeing.
Take some action, even if it is small, to get your mind in a better place that will allow you to move forward.
Look at outsourcing some of your tasks like retouching so that at least you can get more sleep.
Talk to friends/family and expose your problems and how you feel…A problem shared is often a problem halved.
Accept that it may take a little time to get your head in the space that you want it to be in.
Renewing your goals, your mind, your emotion, your body, and your life’s purpose, is a great way to recharge and reboot.
It may not be easy to do, but you have to break the cycle that is causing the problem.
Changing your mindset into a positive outlook is vital to moving forward.
We all tend to use the excuse that there is too much to do and we don’t have time, but if YOU don’t change, NOTHING will change.
Accepting that our photography businesss may dominate our lives, can also help us to avoid burning out.
The good news in my experience, is that your burn out it is only temporary, and you WILL get back to living your normal happy life.
Need Help In Your Photography Business ? ….. Email..info@aswpp.com.au
www.berniegriffithsbusinesscoach.com.au
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