BALANCE

I’ve Been Hiding This – Have You?

June 11, 2015 by The FCA 4 Comments

Have you ever felt like you don’t quite fit in?

Like somehow you shoehorn yourself into other people’s expectations of what your life should look like.

Even if you deem yourself as ‘quirky’ or ‘unconventional’ or you KNOW you haven’t taken life’s traditional pathways but you have definitely created a life defined on who you are – IT’S STILL BLOODY THERE!!! RIGHT???

Those expectations!

Those linear pathways of what your BUSINESS should look like!

It was never told to me from childhood, but I grew up somehow with this innate understanding that for work, for your ‘career’ (ugh I hate that word, it just conjurs up SUCH outdated ideals of the ‘job for life’ when the reality is there IS no job for life) you choose one path.

There isn’t a great big windy road called life where actually, travel and adventure and children and all sorts of other things creep in.

Instead ‘life’ and ‘work’ are different, to be kept apart.

And the WORST thing is that even if you are a creative, this is no different. As an artist, which you are, you have an artist’s heart and soul and the wandering eyes and ambitions of the dreamer, you are supposed to be inspired by life, capture it even, but still your work is not your life!

It is not possible to do EVERYTHING you love!!!

That would be crazy ridiculous and self-indulgent, wouldn’t it?

I mean, those poor old people out there just DYING to do even a SHRED of what you do, which is somehow magically combining business and life in one magical blended ball. Well, it just wouldn’t be fair to them would it?

So you have to choose ONE thing to tell people when you answer the question ‘what do you do?’ and you say ‘i’m a photographer’.

Because people understand that. It’s easy for them to put you back into your box.

You see, I’ve been hiding inside a box.

And I HATE IT. In fact I’m completely and openly now going against it because the more I think about it the more I hate it and the more wound up and angry I get, which is a surprise because actually despite the ranty nature of some of my posts I am actually a peace-loving Libran who doesn’t really get angry, UNLESS I see something unfair or unjust and generally what gets me riled up is the women I work with who are unfairly and unjustly taught to believe that they are pigeonholed into these tiny bloody boxes!! And often we fence ourselves in, but enough about that bit for now.

MY BOX.

I’ve only just realised that it’s because of a completely MESSED UP hangover from childhood, from society, from well-intended and huge-hearted parents who are ultimately WRONG.

You see, you might not be ‘just’ a photographer.

I’ve been feeling like I had to tell people that I am now a business coach, or mentor, however it comes out of my mouth at the time.

Sometimes I say I’m a blogger, depending on who I am talking to.

Because to tell people that I’m a photographer who writes a blog who has written four books who runs a membership program who coaches women into HAPPINESS and SUCCESS and that I have launched two courses, not to mention the fact that my business is online and encompasses everything I love about internet MARKETING and not even bringing into the light my main and most important job which is that of a MOTHER, well how on earth do I tell everyone THAT and expect to fit into everyone’s neat little boxes?

So I don’t. I haven’t.

I’ve hidden away. I’ve told people ‘ I don’t really shoot anymore’ which I guess kind of makes me not even really a photographer, right? And to say I’m a business coach actually makes me feel slightly sick because actually I love writing FAR MORE than I do coaching, yet I coach because I love that too and it’s important to the people I care about and work with and-

We get caught up in knots.

Because we aren’t supposed to be this multi-passionate, multi-diamond-faceted-love-driven-creatively-driven individual.

We are supposed to fit into a bloody box!! Our photography business, it’s just supposed to be this neat, all encompassing, BOX – you’re a PHOTOGRAPHER.

Don’t dare sit there and contemplate anything else, will you?

And the more you tell people I do just THIS, this ONE thing, the more the other parts of you die and fall away. Like fairies.

And it becomes this weird sort of perverse truth that actually sinks into our brains. We tell ourselves this, we believe it, we become it. We literally program our minds into believing this is true.

You can’t be creative, you are a photographer.

You can’t be businesswomen, not really; because you are a photographer.

You can’t even be a PHOTOGRAPHER even, not really – because our ‘main duties’ are childcare or full time jobs or so on.

And as for bringing in art into our work or writing books or poems or whatever else it is that we LOVE

How does THAT fit into what everyone else is supposed to make of us?

It doesn’t, does it? So we bury it.

We concentrate on developing ourselves as JUST ONE THING.

You’re a photographer.

And that’s it.

Or maybe you’re a photographer and you run workshops. And that’s it.

And then the rest of our loves and passions get squeezed in or squeezed out of our lives and who we are because we just can’t seem to figure out how to fit them in.

I’ve lost count of the amount of photographers I’ve met who love to paint, yet when I ask them when the last time they painted was the expression that flits across their face is one of both guilt and fear and sadness and it literally makes my heart flash in a similar way, I ache for them because part of who they are and what they love? Is dying away.

And you think you’ll pick up that paintbrush, or pen, or snowboard or whatever else it is that you LOVE to do but somehow during this thing we call LIFE and squeezed in between BUSINESS it has fallen away, and we think that ‘one day’ will come soon when we will do it again, but right now we just don’t have time,

when really, actually, that’s a big fat LIE, we do have time, we can MAKE time, it’s just that right now we aren’t sure how those parts of ourselves are supposed to fit into the other boxes we have!!

Mother

Businesswoman

Photographer

Whatever else you are supposed to title yourself and fit into.

but time? That ‘time’ you’ve bookmarked for yourself at some point in the future when your kids are older / you quit your job / you simply have more ‘free’ time- well that bloody TIME??? it runs out!!!

And instead perhaps what we should be doing instead of thinking about what we need to do in order to GROW our business, DO our responsibilities, BE a photographer,

is do ALL of those other things that make us truly happy and think about how to fit it all together in one big BEAUTIFUL and MESSY parcel and who gives a damn about what to call it.

So this is it.

So what I decided to not shoot weddings anymore.

So what I decided not to shoot families anymore.

So what I love coaching MORE than I do photography, that doesn’t mean I have to BE one any more that I have to NOT BE the other!!

I’m still a photographer, always will be, my eyes and head will always look at beautiful landscapes and faces and those incredible and precious moments that pass by in front of us and I will mentally frame them within a lens, my hand will always have a camera in it, my hands will also always hold a pen or love to type, glue for my sketchbooks, and my lips will always speak MY TRUTH for those I work with and coach and mentor, my heart will always be overfull as a Mother, and, daily, I will try to fit in all of those loves and passions, and daily and by His grace I will fail, BUT OH CRAP SURELY that is better than trying to squeeze yourself into ONE TINY BOX where your wings are clipped and day by day a little part of who you are and what you love falls away.

Don’t know how to quite fit that all into a life that is already overfull?

Paint, and blog your paintings on your photography blog.

Paint over your photographs and exhibit them.

Write poetry to go on your blog and accompany your images.

Paint your clients.

Write about your experiences of your life and world not through the box of one thing or the other.

Write your blog from the heart not from the perspective of ‘ this is baby rose who was born blah blah blah’. WRITE THE WORDS YOU SEE IN YOUR HEAD, THOSE STAMPED ON YOUR HEART.

Change your photography niche to capturing what you truly love

Take your kids on shoots.

These are just literally touching the surface of all of the millions of ways you can combine all of your photography loves into your life and how your life becomes entwined with your work, they are not separate and WHY do we feel that they have to be!!

Mix it all in together as one big whole and WHO GIVES A DAMN WHAT YOU CALL YOURSELF and if you can’t do this, but you have a slight inkling you want to?

You’re afraid.

You’re afraid of what the world will think if you can’t say to them ‘I’m a photographer’.

So tell them you’re bloody SUPERWOMAN because you might as well do, because isn’t that crazy we can’t tell people that we are multi-passionate, creative HUMAN BEINGS who do LOTS OF THINGS in order to answer the question or write on our blogs ‘this is my job, this is what I do’

and when you are doing so many things and you are living the life of your dreams and you are managing to do EVERYTHING that you love, that’s how it makes you feel.

Like Superwoman.

On a constant high, every single day, in love with life, every single day, because you aren’t hiding a single part of you but bringing every single thing that you love, into each and every precious day that you have.

Try it.

Because when I try to tell my Mum what I do, she doesn’t understand it. So you’re a photographer who writes books and who helps other photographers?

Kind of…. but that’s not everything.

She wants to know so she can understand, so she can tell others when they ask the same question, and because if she understands it then she knows that her daughter is safe. A natural parenting instinct.

but if you’re playing it SAFE?

Are you really fulfilling your purpose? Were you put here on this earth, you, with all of your incredible gifts and talents, to play it SAFE??

Is that the route you really want to take?

Perhaps it is.

But for me, I would rather take the road less travelled and at least attempt to embrace every single thing that I LOVE, with passion and determination and so-what-if-this-doesn’t-stick, and my heart be full, than forever wonder what sits on the other side of the fence.

I know, this might sound scary to you.

Perhaps you like the safety, the security, and to rock the boat seems unfathomable to you -especially if your business is just starting to skyrocket.

But nobody is saying you have to suddenly become all of these things.

Nobody is saying you have to radically transform everything, overnight.

But if you have a little piece of you that says

I miss this.

I wish I could do that.

I wish I had time for.

I hate being pigeonholed into one big bloody boring box

start small. Baby steps.

Bring a little of what you love, in a little bit at a time.

And the irony here is that when you do that? everything else that you do and are and love, suddenly seems more fulfilled, more fabulous and wonderous.

I adore my family, ok. Like, every fibre of me vibrates with love for them. But. I’m an introvert whose energy completely gets sapped by being around groups of people, even my own incredible family.

I know right? I’ll probably get a sackful of hatemail here about how children are a complete blessing and how I should make the most of every precious minute I’m with them because some people aren’t lucky enough to have kids ETC.

I’m not saying I don’t love them I’m saying I’M A BETTER MOTHER WHEN I GET TIME BY MYSELF. Time to refresh and recharge and BE MYSELF again so I’M ABLE TO LOVE THEM without the veil of haziness. Of tiredness. Of the existing within the daily battles for my boobs and attention and time.

I’m not ungrateful. Every day I’m thankful, but I’m even MORE thankful when I get time to go and appreciate it and reflect on it. Like editing images. Viewing things from a distance, closeup.

So every Saturday, I take half a day for myself to go and read in a little cafe.

And even just doing that? Refreshes my mind and spirit and heart and I cannot WAIT to get back to my little family and I feel so full of love for them!

When I started WRITING about photography again? I fell entirely back in love with photography. I saw it through the eyes of a writer.

Through my eyes.

Not through anybody elses.

Anyone elses preconceptions. Of what I needed to ‘be’ ‘when I grew up’.

What do you feel is missing in your business right now? How can you get it back? How can you bring ALL of your passions and loves into your business, and if you’re already doing it how can you do MORE of it?

Me? I’m a writer, a coach, a photographer, a mentor, a business owner, marketer, I’m ALL OF THOSE THINGS PROUDLY Because I’m so fed up of having to be just ONE when instead, I love being all of those things and CREATIVE doesn’t sum it up either because I’m not quite sure businesswoman or coach or lover-of-all-things-marketing doesn’t fit into that box either, so if you want to know more about what you’ll find here let me tell you-

you will find kick ass mentoring and coaching, passionate and LONG writing, and some of the best marketing advice for photographers online anywhere, by a photographer that has DONE IT and who is LIVING IT and DOING IT every damn day.

From a photographer who has never followed a linear pathway, and been just ‘one’ thing, but instead who is running her own ‘photography business’ in her own frickin’ WAY.

and YOU?

YOU get to choose happiness.

You get to choose your life.

You get to choose whether or not to be defined by a box labelled, or to break through misconceptions and choose to design a business that suits you and who you are.

YOU GET TO CHOOSE TO CREATE A BUSINESS THAT SUITS YOU AND WHO YOU ARE AND YOU GET TO MAKE THAT CHOICE EVERY SINGLE DAY.

So go and make that choice.

And if that’s you? Pleased to meet you. Welcome here. To my corner of the internet, where fierce and free and ambitious and passionate and compassionate female photographers find their (unboxed) home.

Love + Light

Charlie x

Your Business Should Scare You – This Is Why

November 10, 2014 by The FCA 5 Comments

Have you ever made decisions about your business that really scared you? I hope so. Here’s why.

My fingers hovered over the button, and a strange mixture of nausea and tears washed through me, tinged with a wave of excitement.

What if. What if. What if.

Have you ever felt nervous whilst running your business?

Running your own photography business is often, a scary thing.

Deciding to announce ‘I’m a photographer’ in the first place. Making decisions like raising our prices, deciding to specialise in one genre or area, investing in new equipment, creating new products + launches – all of these are scary things to do.

This weekend when I launched my second book, I felt very nervous indeed. My first book sold really well and I’d received lovely letters + feedback about it.

But this time was different. The book is specific. It’s much more in depth, it’s different, it has a very different focus and feel, and I wondered – will people want it? Will people want it enough to pay for it?

I knew it could help others to grow their business.

But the fear, the doubts, they creep in, don’t they? While my fingers hovered over the button, just for a second, those fears infiltrated my mind. The ones we all have. Can I do it? Really?

I had set myself a scary financial goal in my head. I had set up a framework to try to achieve those goals. But in my head, there was a tiny voice that said, that number is ridiculous. You’ll never sell that many copies. You’ll probably just sell a handful.

With each hour that passed, after I had clicked ‘Publish’ on the book’s webpage, I had to fight back those voices. But that’s ok. I was ready for them. They’re always there, I’m learning to deal with that. I think it’s part of human nature, but even more than that. I think they’re a good – a great – thing. This is why.

Perhaps you can’t remember the last time you felt nervous, excited, and slight sick with apprehension because of your business.

You remember the first time you learned to ride a bike? It was scary. The stabilisers were taken off and you felt that little shiver of the bike beneath you and you think for one second – I’m going to fall.

But you don’t. You glide down the street. You probably slam your feet down at one point because you forget where the brakes are. But other than that your hair streams behind you. The wind is on your face. You’re exhilarated because… You did it.

You felt the fear and you did it anyway.

You felt nervous and you didn’t listen to those nerves because you knew, deep down you just knew, that you could do it.

If your business doesn’t make you nervous on a regular basis, there is the possibility that you aren’t following your heart.

That heart’s desire where you get on and ride into the sunshine and the breeze.

Whether your goal is freedom from the 9-5, financial freedom, or just your independence, the point of a goal is that it is always just slightly out of reach. It is always just far ahead of you to make you feel slightly uncomfortable. Like walking. Riding bikes. Reading.

Because what’s the point of standing still? Of being stuck? Of not growing our skills and knowledge?

There are two possible opposites. One is that you are perfectly happy where you are. You’re completely in love with your life and you’re maximising the gifts – your unique, god-given gifts- that you’ve been given, every single day. If that’s the case, that’s a beautiful thing.

But for most of us, we want more. Not because we are greedy or hungry or we are chasing empty capitalist dreams. It’s such a myth that wanting more is automatically greedy or wrong and that we should be content with what we have already.

Reaching our goals stems from childhood. From before we are born, even. We learn, we attempt, we succeed or fail, we try again. Reaching for goals is innate within us.

But we forget. It’s easier for us to stay comfortable, to not step outside our comfort zones. We become reliant on the money that particular styles of shooting being us, or the ease of knowing our shooting style and what suits us, or from the ease and safety and security of working in one particular way / for a typical fee / with particular equipment / with people in our local area, etc. Our business is doing relatively well, we figure, so we have no need to do anything differently.

But what about this. What does your heart have to say about that. Is there a secret dream you know you’re burying and it’s just become another dream, something beyond the possibility of actually happening?

Have you ever wanted to write a book? Offer mentoring sessions? Have mentoring yourself? Create your own website? Specialise in a unique photography form, (whether that’s boudoir or babies or portraits of circus performers)! Do you want to double your prices? Triple them? Offer boudoir sessions only? Create a fashion shoot with a professional team? Submit your work to magazines? Get featured in Vogue? Invest in a training program or book that you know will most likely transform your business, but the price makes you feel sick when you see it?

What can you think of that makes you feel truly nervous?

What do you really, really want to do?

Chances are, the thing that makes you feel nervous is the very thing that you should be doing.

When you find reasons not to do it

*the time isn’t right

*I’m not well known enough to charge those prices

*I’m not a very good writer

*I can’t afford it

What you’re doing is – telling that girl with that beautiful bike with the streamers on, with her face full of expectation and hope and wanting you to be oh so proud of her at least trying… that she is going to fall. Do you really want to tell her that?

Take the risk. Take a deep breath. Make the price rise, start the book, change your brand, buy that camera, invest insane sums of money in your training, put pen to paper- whatever it is that’s tucked away deep down inside as your desire, write down your goal and take action towards it. Ride fear and apprehension and excitement and if you fall, so what.

You get back up and ride again.

I beat my financial target for my book. I beat my sales target. Do you know what would have happened if I didn’t set these goals for myself? If I had let fear win?

I wouldn’t have been able to undertake the actions that led me to achieving my goals. I wouldn’t have increased my prices. I wouldn’t have sold-out of mentoring sessions. I wouldn’t have held an online launch-party. I wouldn’t have sent emails out to my lovely recipients on my email list. I probably wouldn’t have even written book 2 in the first place.

Is there anything that I’ve talked about that you know, deep down inside, that you would love to do but that you secretly think you’d never be able to? Or that you make excuses not to do, because you know it’s the one thing that really, you probably should be doing? Does your business make you nervous on a regular basis?

Tell me about it. Leave a comment below, or email me directly. And if this post has meant something to you; share it with others. You might help them too.

{image credits}

25 More Ways To Juggle Your Business + Kids

October 24, 2014 by The FCA Leave a Comment

Our last post covered 25 ways to help you if you’re juggling your photography business whilst raising a family. Find out 25 more ways to help get you from stressed to successful here.

26. A few late nights – Personally, I am a night owl so I would rather squeeze in some late nights here and there when necessary, than force early mornings. Do what works for you – just be prepared and happy to work the extra hours when you really need to.

27.Engage your family or friendship support team – vital when you’re trying to juggle everything. A sympathetic and encouraging ear helps a lot!

28. Don’t be proud (ask others for practical help) – especially in terms of babysitting duties. Some of us are often way too proud to ask close family members or friends for help. Get rid of pride!

29. Smart apps – more detail to follow in another post, but in particular Evernote has been a blessing to me! It helps me stay on track and with number 30 below-

30. Staying organised – time is at a premium when you work at home with children. The less time you spend hunting for lipstick / laptop chargers / socks the better. I use Pinterest for inspirational ways to organise everything. I also use my own planners to ensure I stay on track with both my business admin + my personal goals.

31. A specific workspace. Creating a proper workspace, no matter how small, is essential for productive working, even if it’s just the same place that you go to every time you work. It helps to signify ‘ok brain, it’s work time’.

32. Positive quotes– Having beautiful quotes around the office and the house continually make me feel motivated and inspired. Keep an eye on the FPA this weekend.. we have something pretty coming for you!

33. Stay healthy – are you guilty of not looking after yourself enough? Of over-indulgence? I find my energy levels slump when I have bread, sugar, and not enough fruit and veggies. Plus, I get a mental boost from knowing I have eaten well – as though I am doing well, am on track to success and want to continue in this way with my work too. Schedule in some green juice or smoothie recipes asap!

34. Caffeine! Ah, many of you will disagree with me on this tip; it’s hardly in line with the previous one! I should probably give it up- perhaps I will do after toddlerhood is over. Again, you must do what works for you and caffeine does give me a boost when I need to work late – usually because I have had the day off playing with the girls.

34. Quit worrying about things you can’t change. (I have a massive shark phobia. Also a big cat phobia. Pointless and ridiculous and a complete waste of time. Thankfully I no longer feel the need to sit and google ‘likeliness of being eaten by a shark’ for hours upon end, as I have learnt not to procrastinate. But before this I would actually spend entire DAYS googling shark attacks). So I am slightly crazy and probably borderline obsessive about some things right? I know!

But so many of us spend time worrying about our competition, and feeling like we are not good enough. Get off facebook and make sure you are using that time proactively instead. I highly advise a clearly defined schedule to help keep you on track – as well as the 3-task-trick mentioned previously.

35. Get rid of pride. The amount of business owners I work with who are too proud to admit that they don’t know it all and need help!! I don’t know why so many of us think we don’t need to invest in education and training. We do!! Every time I make a sale I spend X amount on books, courses, mentoring, etc. There is always something new to learn and always new ways to improve. Swallow your pride and reach out.

36. Business allies. Ahh I love my allies! There is nothing better than having friends in business who you can reach out to and who you know will help support and boost one another. Find friends who you connect with in the industry and build real friendships – not for networking or business purposes, but to be one another’s support teams. You know how hard the eachother works. And yes, I think I have probably gone HELP! IT’S SO HARD RUNNING A BUSINESS WITH BABIES SOMETIMES! to all of them, and all of them have provided support and encouragement. Priceless. I hope I do the same for them too.

37. Online groups. Like the above, but online 🙂 I am a member of a few brilliant and supportive facebook groups, one of which is a fully paid membership-only site. I can’t even describe what this group does for me. Everyone shares ideas, reviews, constructive criticism, ideas, support, encouragement. We give each other discounts + recommendations. We share information and a million and one other things. They are all inspiring, informative and encouraging places to be- I highly recommend you find a supportive online group too. { + If you want to join the FPA #CaptureSuccess support group, click here for more info}.

38. Knowing Your Target Client– helps you avoid wasting your time marketing to people who are not your client. So many hours can be wasted designing marketing campaigns, attending wedding fairs etc, which simply don’t work- which could be avoided if you know exactly who you are marketing to.

39. Work smarter not harder.

40. Unplug. Keep some time as sacred family time, so you’re not ‘always’ working, and not doing either being Mummy or Business -Owner very effectively. Having sacred time and turning off all technology helps you to ditch the working parent guilt and enjoy being a parent without distraction.

41. Use email templates to save time. For example, I create email templates for my pricing enquiries, (I use gmail) though I will always add a few words in addition as I like to be personal.

42. Turn off notifications. Every time you stop to chat on whatsapp or reply to an email or see who has commented on your photo, you aren’t being productive and focussing on the task at hand, and what you are actually trying to achieve becomes an ongoing task that drags on and on. Turn them off and stay on track.

43. Ditch the guilt! I’m sure I’ve said this before but I can’t say it enough. Stop feeling guilty! Easier said than done, I know, but it is such a negative and unproductive emotion.

44. Set up childcare swap sessions with friends

45. Find a play facility close to you that has wi-fi so the babies can play, and you can work and enjoy a latte!

46. Become an early riser. Getting up even half an hour before everyone else gives you chance to plan your day, ensuring you are proactive and organised rather than reactive. Get up an hour earlier and you might even squeeze in a larger task or two as well!

47. Make habits. Experts say it takes 21 days to form a habit, so getting up early etc, carving out set work times, etc, won’t be easy to begin with. Set regular routines and habits and keep at it until they become second nature. Then the juggling act becomes much easier!

48. Remember that they are only young once. Nothing is more important than that quality time together. I’ve seen my girls take their first steps and say their first words. I am there to hold them when they cry and pick them up when they fall. I read them stories, we bake cakes and paint. It’s hard running a business as a parent, but I would never ever change it. Cherish your time and these precious moments together.

49. Create ‘busy bags‘ for babies and toddlers. Look these up online if you have no clue what I am talking about- they are amazing and keep little ones occupied for ages, I made tons of these when Istria was a baby.

50. Celebrate and reward your success. I always treat myself when I reach a major work goal. We are often so busy working and taking care of everyone else we forget to gift ourselves. Real gifts, something that we treasure, not just a quick squiz through a few shops online- buy something that feels like a real luxurious treat- something you’ll remember during the next difficult period.

51. I couldn’t not add this one- KEEP GOING. Remember nothing worth having comes easily.

And one more – 52. Use a goal planner to make sure that you are on track for getting your business to where you want it to go – whether that is financial freedom, a bigger house, being your own boss or being able to work from home- having it all clearly planned + mapped out in an organised structure will get you to where you want to go. Use our free #CaptureSuccess worksheets to help you map yours.

Successful Working From Home With Kids – 50 Tips

October 22, 2014 by The FCA 2 Comments

Running a photography business while juggling other commitments – whether that is a full time job or trying to manage working from home with kids- can be tricky. These are our top 50 tips on handling it successfully.

Since this blog post, a few of you have emailed to ask me how, exactly, I found the time to write an entire book.

For those of you who don’t know, I have two tiny girls, aged 1 and 2, and as well as my own successful photography business I am editor of the FPA, and write for the wonderful film blog 35to220.com as their writer + marketing consultant, and I also worked this summer for a beautiful wedding blog as a consultant Marketing Advisor.

I am also a wife and we somehow make date nights a twice a week priority. I also mentor other photographers.

It’s safe to say that I have a full and varied life, and that it takes some strong management techniques to make it all work together.

So I wanted to share this post in the hope that it might be helpful to those of you with little ones- but some of them might also help you if you have another job, or you’re juggling study, or just generally if you struggle with time management overall.

This one is pretty personal – I wanted to show you that you can do it even if you think you can’t.

Think you really can’t find the time to write a book, or think it’s almost impossible to run your business with all of the heart + soul that it deserves and still be a good parent?

I thought that I wouldn’t be able to cope with a second child whilst running a business.

When we found out we were expecting another baby, when Istria was just 9 months old, my first feeling was one of panic.

Not joy, no elation, no celebration of the blessing of new life. Just sheer and complete panic. ‘

I run a business’ I sobbed ‘I just won’t be able to manage with two! There is just no way I can do it!’

Even reading that makes me hugely sad and I am sat here typing with tears in my eyes.

I’m so thankful that reached that turning point where I found enough grit and determination within myself to say – actually, I can do it. That I have done it once and I can do it again. The acceptance to embrace that yes, it might be harder in some ways; and the knowledge that it is ok that it will be harder. Harder, but not impossible.

We are all created with huge reserves of inner strength and we are all much stronger than we think we are.

I have been in love with her since the day she was born.

Summer is a mischievous little monkey, very different to her elder sister who is cautious and guarded and very vocal. Summer is intent on climbing, scrambling, and smiling at everyone she meets. She has an absolutely heartbreaking smile, and I am so thankful that it lights up our world, everyday.

She fought to come into the world, fought to be chosen, fought to be loved and accepted. I have gone from definitely not wanting another child to considering having three or even four, because of her. Summer has taught me that we are capable of far more than we dream of, and that it is often fear that holds us back from embracing our blessings- and discovering unimagined happiness. However, that’s not to say that it’s always easy. Being a working Mother of 2 baby girls- aged 2 and almost one- is sometimes really, really hard.

But you manage. You cope and you manage and you organise and plan and you fail and you do any and all of the above things, because the key is in the word do. You just do it.

I am a firm believer in if you want something badly enough, you absolutely have the power and potential to make it happen. Don’t be fearful of the unexpected and the appearingly unsurmountable. Whether that is a baby (or 2, or 3 or 4) or full time work or a setback or a problem you just can’t seem to solve… You can do it. You really and truly can.

{Thank you to my beautiful daughter, Summer-Mireille, for inspiring this post} Here is how I do it.

50 Ways To Manage Successfully Working From Home With Kids

This list is tailored towards young children and babies, but please free to add your own tips into the comments if you have older children. I’d love to make this a useful and shareable resource!

1. Toys + books. Having an arsenal of absorbing toys and books to hand helped me carve out 20 minutes here and there which enabled me to reply to emails or whatever other quick task I needed to do.

2. Childcare I haven’t utilised the paid childcare option very much as for me, one of the main reasons I want to run a successful business is so I don’t have to put them into full time childcare. However, I have had family members help. My mama has the girls every other Saturday so that I can shoot a wedding or go and sit in a nearby cafe and get a full day of work done. Find whatever works for you; whether that is a few afternoons in a nursery if that’s what you feel comfortable with or is your main option, or utilise very close friends and family members.

3. Routine This worked really well when I had just one baby- she napped, I worked. When I had two, routine mainly went out of the window and I worked when they were asleep in the evenings and when I had help. And no, I don’t have babies that sleep well. You just need to be disciplined about not collapsing in front of the tv in exhaustion when bedtime finally arrives, instead making the most of the time you have.

4. Scheduling Schedule your actual workload so you don’t just end up using facebook and email (the easy option) during the periods of work time that you have. I have one day as my blogging day, when I write all of my posts and resize and upload all of my images. I also have a day which is photo-day, when I check my client communication and calendars and edit anything I need to edit. Scheduling helps you to stay on track with all of your tasks.

5. Breaktime. Yes, I know you don’t get chance to even finish a cup of tea let alone have a breaktime. But what I mean is, don’t keep your devices on at all times. You need to switch off at the very least at mealtimes and when you are having playtime with baby, or you will never be able to be fully present in the moment with your child, and you’ll also be working at your least productive; being reactive rather than proactive.

6. Productivity Apps. I have a ton of these saved to my mobile, which means that I am able to work when I am out and about. Baby fallen asleep in the car? Finish off a blog post with the WordPress App, or check my emails with the Gmail app. Need to shorten links and tweet or fb them? Phone fingers gets it done even faster than using a full screen with the bit.ly app. I check my email subscribers and newsletter campaigns with Mailchimp, stats with Fishead Analytics, and download and upload images with the Dropbox app. I also check my print orders and sales with Instaproofs. Bloglovin helps me to follow other blogs and I much prefer using their app than their actual online reader. Find these apps and others that work for you to help manage your time.

7. Self care – When you are looking after yourself, your energy levels and confidence stay high. I know sometimes it seems impossible to even shower for five minutes- I’ve been there when I’ve lived at home in my pjs for a week and barely moved from the sofa, feeling like some insignificant feeding machine. But do what you need to do to stay on top form. Buy in tons of fruit and veg on your grocery shop. Take your kids into the shower with you. Etc.

8. Discipline – this is a tough one! You must be disciplined with your work time. The key is often priority- what can you prioritise over worktime? For me it’s my housework. My house often resembles a toddler explosion, but I can live with that because my family, children, and work are my priority. Decide on your priorities, and stick to them.

9. Saying no to coffee/visitors during your work time. Your work time is your work time. As above but I know if you work from home, this can be a killer. It’s hard to turn down invites and play dates.

10. Being selective about what you attend. Eg pick one baby group. This links in to the above. Your child will not suffer if they don’t go to a baby group every single day! And neither will you, generally. I think I went to 2 baby groups in the whole of Istria’s first year and she is a happy, confident, sociable girl.

11. Kill comparisons. Goes without saying. The second you look to what someone else/ someone else’s child is doing / achieving, you will feel inadequate. Don’t bother.

12. Use Pinterest to find activities aka distraction & absorption tools for babies. I get so many ideas for how to keep the girls entertained from Pinterest! It is literally brilliant. Start a pinboard of resources and ideas. You’ll never be stuck for practical ways to entertain them.

13. 3 task trick – Choose 3 achievable tasks that you would like to complete by the end of the day. No more. This takes away those endless lists and the feeling that you’re not getting anything done. Slow + steady progress is better than none + procrastination!

14. Stay off social media! Give yourself set social media times so that it doesn’t creep into- and takeover- your whole life. Your children will thank you for it.

15. Kill procrastination.

16. Multi – task. Breastfeeding and baby is sleepy? Write a blog post on your phone using an app. Baby naptime? Sit in a coffee shop and read some business books. Etc. Yes, I’ve done both of these, and no, they don’t make me a bad mother. I love cuddling my babies more than anything- I’m a huge fan of attachment parenting. But when baby is asleep, there is no harm in looking at your phone instead of gazing at their sleeping face.

17. Work during everyone else’s playtime. I don’t mean your babies playtime. I mean your friends. Yep, sometimes you will feel like the social leper. Sometimes you will marvel at the fact you have any friends left. But your true friends- they get it. They understand. They really do. Just make sure you attend some things- the important things. I attended my goddaughters birthday party like a sleep deprived zombie, thanks to staying up all night long finishing off my first book. But I made it. I was there. Because it was important.

18. Be the queen of the efficient email Tim Ferris in his book The Four Hour work week says something like no email should ever be more than six lines long. Ever. I struggle with this, but bearing it in mind made me a lot better at sending the emails that don’t need a big long response.

19. Bathtime = my reading time. I read business + marketing books in the bath. Ditto photography books. When I ran my accessories company, I used to read books about silversmithing and lacemaking. Bathtime is always a time I look forward to as a relaxy time for me, as well as chance to expand and inspire my knowledge.

20. Invest in your education. THIS IS HUGE. Every month I spend a portion of my income on courses, books, mentoring, designed to grow my education within my field. You cannot invest in yourself enough.

21. Set aside specific working hours and specific play time. When Istria was little I used to have the whole of Wednesday off completely – no social media, no email, nothing. Just pure Istria and Mummy time. Quality time together is always my priority!

22. Breaking down tasks into manageable tasks and essential tasks will help you get the job done. For example I know after I finish a shoot, the essential next part of the job is uploading any digital images, or sending off the film to the lab. That is essential. I do it straightaway in most cases. The manageable part of the task is editing the files, which I can spread over a number of days. Breaking down tasks in this way will help you stop feeling swamped.

24. T is for Toilet + twitter. Yep, you now know where some of my tweets come from. I’m in the bathroom. Make the most of every spare minute you have! 🙂

25. Self belief. You really can do it, but sometimes it doesn’t always feel like you can. If I can, so can you. We are no different. We all have stresses, complications, the hardships of life to contend with. We all succumb to looking at the competition and feeling inadequate and when it comes to parenting, probably even more so.

Gosh I beat myself up daily about the fact that Istria doesn’t have a ‘craft station’ at home and Summer isn’t yet talking. Is it my fault? Am I spending enough time with them? Am I a terrible Mummy for working?

Then I remember that Istria is 2 and knows her entire alphabet, all of the phonic sounds, and Summer was walking at 7.5 months.

The point is- Comparison is completely pointless – and indeed, the thief of joy.

There is no right way to be a parent and work at the same time. Whether your child is in full time nursery or whether you balance playtime with worktime at home, you don’t need to compare. Or worry.

As long as your child knows they are loved and supported and encouraged each and every day, you are doing a fantastic job. Believe in yourself and your abilities and keep going. Follow your dreams.

I’ll be sharing the other 25 tips in my next post- but in the meantime, if this post has been useful to you, please share it using the buttons below.

Want more tips? Sign up to receive our entirely free #CaptureSuccess pack + worksheets here

6 Quick Ways To Fix Work Overload – 2

August 15, 2014 by The FCA Leave a Comment

If you read our article yesterday, you’ll know that we have been discussing the giant fun-pit that is busy season. It’s a bit like a toddler ball pool, all of the balls are your shoots that seem so pretty and shiny and you can’t wait for them and then WOAH! you’re in way over your head and you’re drowning in them. Hello photography business overload.

Editing and admin and just generally running a business takes completely over, and as for actually getting your work out there and published? That seems like a hazy, pleasant dream you once had. Perhaps you’ll get back to it after busy season is over, maybe…

We’ve come up with 6 top tips to help you manage your photography business overload. These tips work for us and they will work for you too. Don’t forget to join us over on Instagram when you’ve finished reading to share your top tips for work overload!

4. Turn Off Distractions

You know what happens! Facebook calls at lunchtime. Or your whatsap pings you a notification. Most of the time, these are pleasant distractions, but during peak work times they turn into demonic time sucks. Social media is just too easy to use as a work-avoidance tactic.

‘I’m working! I’m working! I’m tweeting! That is essential work that needs to be done’! You don’t need to convince me. I’m (usually) right there on Twitter with you. But you know, if you want to be working at your most productive, put the phone down. In fact, turn it all notifications off apart from calls, and stick it in a drawer so you aren’t tempted to take ‘just one quick check’ and before you know it an hour has flown by. An entire hour that you could have used way more productively.

Don’t log in when you’re online, keep browser windows to an absolute minimum, and turn off notifications. Your sanity will thank you for it.

5. Cluster-Bomb

BOOM I love the cluster-bomb way of working! It makes me feel like Superwoman and cuts down my to-do list like nobody’s business. It’s simple to do, as long as you are disciplined and can do step one, above. Cluster-bomb working is choosing one target area of your business that you know needs work, and focussing on just that one area, in one short, powerful space of time.

For example, you know you want to blog four times per week. However writing a post a day especially during busy periods can often seem impossible. You only have time for so much work in a day, right? So this is why cluster-bomb working is perfect. You choose one day, one time slot, and you concentrate on just this one task. You sit down and you write your four blog posts. You do nothing else but these four blog posts. No email, no facebook, nothing else but the task at hand.

By the end of the day you will feel such a sense of achievement and a real weight off your mind when such big tasks are complete. That feeling of accomplishment is a real boost to your psychological well-being, and is also a huge dent in your workload. For those reasons alone, we highly recommend cluster-bombing during your busy periods.

6. Futures Folder

A Futures Folder is one you create for those shoots and assignments that you are working on that you plan on submitting in the future (or perhaps when you are cluster-bombing).

We use Evernote to create ours, and in it we put anything and everything that might be useful to our business in the future. It works by preventing us getting distracted by future tasks whilst we concentrate on the present ones, so it keeps us on-track, whilst at the same time paving the way for future ideas and submissions to come to fruition.

We use Evernote because the phone app is quite frankly, fabulous. Whilst browsing Pinterest and the internet in general, we are constantly coming across shoot ideas, props, gear, and a whole host of other things that we want to bookmark for future reference. Evernote enables you to add web links and images to a specific folder. Plus, you can photograph anything and add those images to a folder too.

Editing a wedding you want to submit when you have the time at the end of the season? Snap your desktop on your phone, add it to the folder. Seen a gorgeous outfit on Pinterest for client meetings that you definitely want to add to your fall wardrobe? Add the link and the image to your folder. Know your business cards need a redesign come Autumn and you just got handed one that you absolutely love the font? Shoot, upload to folder.

Got the late-night creativity vibe and blog posts ideas are flowing? Jot them all down in your Futures Folder.

Search for the Evernote app, spend a little time getting to know it, and we don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

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So that’s our roundup of 6 top ways to overcome work overload! Have they helped you? We would love to know. Join our discussion over on Facebook.

6 Quick Ways To Fix Work Overload

August 14, 2014 by The FCA 1 Comment

We get it. It’s August, which means one of two things. You’re either a photographer who is lucky enough to have had a relaxing summer, and you’re looking forward to knuckling down to work come the autumn/ September.

Or, you’re a wedding or portrait photographer who has been entirely swamped with work all summer and you are possibly so busy right now that you feel like your head is about to explode.

If you’re snapping at your loved ones, have that slight anxious feeling in the pit of your stomach, and you are starting to worry that at any moment now your inbox might be filled with emails from clients politely wondering if there is any chance in 2014 that they might get to see their images; you are not alone.

Here is our list of tips on how to stay sane when things get uncomfortably busy – this is how we fix work overload.

Using these tips will enable you to feel in control of your workload, less stressed, help your clients to think you are super-awesome and help you to start preparing for next season too. (We know. You can’t even think about that right now. Trust us, by the end of this list, you will).

1. Enlist Help

Us photographers are a little bit control-freaky sometimes, right? It’s partly why we became photographers in the first place. We want to sit in the corner and stroke our cameras and our work, Smeagol-style, crooning ‘my precious’. We can do this – alone. And for the main part, we do.

We photograph and we edit and we promote and we network and we blog and a million and one other things, all by ourselves.

Most of the time, that is fine. But during peak season, it’s a smart move to enlist some help. Whether it’s babysitters for your children once a fortnight while you edit or asking your roomie to cook for you for the next week (you’ll repay her later) asking for help is one of the best things you can do to lighten your workload and enabling you to concentrate on the task at hand.
Who can you ask for help? What can they do to assist?

Generally, you’ll find most people are happy to help (especially if payment of some kind is involved- not money, think creatively)! and the best way to make this work if you get an entire team of people together who can help you.

Spend 5 minutes brainstorming a list of tasks you are able to delegate out. You might not be able to outsource your editing but you can always outsource your dog-walking/admin/film-packaging for a short while.

2. Three Task Trick

This is my personal can’t-live-without tip for surviving busy season.

I am a busy mama-my baby girls are 1 and 2. I run my photography business which involves travelling worldwide, and I am trying to ensure that the FPA becomes a useful resource to help other photographers everywhere.

This is my absolute tip for being an FPA boss-babe.

If you don’t want to get swamped by your work, every night before you go to bed, write down three tasks you need to finish the next day. When these three tasks are done, you can continue to work if you wish, or do whatever you like.
Play with your kids, go shopping, have a nap; whatever.

Just make sure you do these three tasks. After all, that’s not too hard is it? Just 3, tiny, little tasks.

Focussing on these three tasks alone stop us drowning in never-ending to-do lists. (Who else has a zillion and one to-do lists, floating around on a bazillion scraps of paper or in a hundred different notebooks)?

Neverending to-do lists only make you panic and procrastinate.

Stop the overload. Three tasks only. Everyday. Go.

3. Morning-Rituals

You wake up. What’s the first thing you do? Reach for your phone, check your email / facebook / whatsap.

Bam! Good morning. Have a dose of technology to start your day with. I am a complete realist, I get that as much as I would like to not do that, the reality is kind of different. Unless I’m on holiday and even then I have a sneak peak whilst using the bathroom. Yeah… I do that.

The thing is, whatever you do in the morning sets the tone for the whole day ahead. If you choose, your morning time can be a precious few minutes work-free; time for you to clear your head and reflect over breakfast about the day ahead and how to tackle it.

The alternative is to dive straight into your inbox and work from the moment you open your eyes. Is that really the dreamy life of a photographer that you imagine? The life you left (or want to leave) the shackles of a 9-5 job for?

Instead you could try implementing a morning routine. Not the shower-dress-breakfast kind. A morning ritual works like this;

– It is something that you look forward to doing. Who really looks forward to checking their facebook? Sometimes I do, but usually it’s about as fun as opening the mail.

When you do something in the morning you truly look forward to, you’re setting the tone for the rest of the day to be great.

– It’s a luxurious treat. During hugely-busy times, spending just 30 minutes in the morning doing something you look forward to can provide vital time for You. You-time, down-time, treat-time; whatever you want to call it, it’s a sure way of regaining control of your day and making some much-needed time for yourself.

What can you do? Exercise, cook and eat a fabulous breakfast, yoga, meditate, spend time with God, walk in the park, swim; whatever feels like a luxury for you.

Making time for yourself helps to make you more productive, by preventing that awful feeling of overload where your inbox hangs over you for the rest of the day, and instead replacing it with a feeling of happiness, control, and well-being.

Although it’s hard, if you can do it even for a few days a week, you’ll notice the difference.

These are 3 ways to help you through work overload; tomorrow we will be sharing 3 more ways to survive those busy periods. Don’t miss it, and join us over on Instagram where we will be asking you what your tactics are for surviving busy season.