The Female Creatives Association

The Female Creatives Association - Business, Marketing + Mindset for Creative Business Owners

ORGANISE

Where to Find Stunning Stock Photos for Absolutely Free

by 5 Comments

Ah, stock photos. When done right, they can really spice up your work, while also saving you some major time and energy. Good stock photos give visual power to the stories you need to tell. They allow you spend less time creating content for your blog posts and more time creating a beautiful product for your client. But that’s only if those stock shots are visually captivating.

Obviously, there are some brilliant creatives out there (you might be one of them!) that create stunning stock photos and if you can, you should turn to these photographers for your stock needs. But if you can’t for whatever reason, free stock photo banks are a helpful tool for upstart photographers looking to enhance their blogs and social media game.

Read on to learn how you can find your own high-resolution stock photos for free.

Licensing Legalities

First, the legal stuff (sorry, I’ll try to keep this interesting). The free photographs available on the sites listed below fall into two categories: CC0, and CC.

CC0: Creative Commons zero license means that you can use the photos in any way you’d like—copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Take care to remember that these photos can be used for personal and commercial purposes but cannot be sold or redistributed (aka trying to pass off the photo as your own intellectual property).

CC Attribution: Creative Commons with attribution means that you can use the photo in any way you want, as long as you credit the creator of the photo. Attribution is simple: next to the aformentioned stock photograph, write ‘Photo by x’ with a link back to their website or their profile on the licensing site.

It’s usually all as simple as that, but this small legal blurb compels me to say this: I’m a photog not a lawyer, so triple-check the licensing before you click that download button.

1. Pexels

Where to find free stock photos

Pexels is one of the first places I go to find incredible free stock photos. All of its more than 25,000 images are not only free for you to use in any way you choose, but they’re all tagged and searchable. I can’t tell you how hugely convenient this is when you need to find exactly the right photo that conveys just the right mood for your project or landing page. Amazingly, some 3,000 images are added each and every month to its database. Pexels is essentially becoming the Google of free, beautiful stock photography. It even has a growing library of free videos.

Licence Type: CC0

2. Unsplash

unsplash-1024x683

Unsplash offers a massive, searchable collection of jaw-dropping, high-resolution photos with everything from whimsical work spaces to NatGeo-style photographs of foxes. If you subscribe to its email list, then you get 10 of its best snaps delivered hot and fresh straight to your inbox every 10 days. You can also make a personalized home feed that highlights photos you’re interested in. The site also has a handy feature that displays curated collections of images such as “Women At Work” or “Fashion Startups.” Attribution is preferred but not required. Next to Pexels, this is one of my all-time favorites.

Licence Type: CC0

3. Death to Stock 

Deathtostockphotographywild7-1024x683

Death to Stock photographs are insanely gorgeous. Join their mailing list and a pack of 10 photos within a certain category (categories like “mountains,” and “coffee shop”) will be delivered to your inbox each month.

Death to Stock also offers a paid plan where you get an extra 10 photos each month. At the end of the day, Death to Stock excels because their quality in photo style and usability is the best in the biz. But they have their own licensing agreement which you can read more about here.

License Type: Photograph End User License

4. Life of Pix 

lifeofpix-example

Life of Pix is a photo service created by the LEEROY creative agency and it is chock-full of free, high-resolution images for any project. Also, if you are interested in donating a few shots for some exposure, there’s a chance that the Life of Pix site will highlight you as a “Photographer of the Week” and if so, they will plug your work on their social media outlets and website (for free).

Licence Type: CC0

5. Tookapic

tookapics

Tookapic is a curated collection that offers both paid and free stock photographs. It is characterized by its moody, hyper-stylized, people-centered snapshots. You can filter by free photos which can be used for personal and commercial projects, although you must attribute the photo to the artist and link back to Tookapic website.

Licence Type: CC w/ attribution

6. Pixabay

PIXABAY

Pixabay is stock marketplace that offers over 850,000 photographs, illustrations, vectors, graphics, and videos, all free of charge. A large portion of their photos could be classified as art pieces, and are as glossy and attention-grabbing as any magazine cover page.

Licence Type: CC0

7. Kaboom Pics

kaboompics.com_Working in the group

Kaboom Pics is a collection of super high quality, editorial-style photographs that covers everything from fashion to food. It’s easy to browse since you can search via keywords and hashtags. Even though Kaboom is a CC0, the site’s owner does love it when you throw some attribution their way.

Licence Type: CC0

8. FreeStocks.org 

free stocks

FreeStocks offers a wide range of shots for personal and commercial projects. You can browse narrow categories (everything from iphone on desk to girl drinking smoothie), and you can search trending hashtags, which is nifty.

Licence Type: CC0

9. Negative Space

negative space shot

Negative Space releases 20 new photos every week loaded with plenty of street and workflow scenes. Their collections are searchable by category, color and copy space. Here attribution isn’t required.

Licence Type: CC0

10. Epicantus

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Epicantus contains Pinterest-perfect photography by Daria, visual & UX designer extraordinaire. These minimalist images with a french blogger edge were specifically created for landing pages, blog posts and the like. All of Daria’s original shots are free and up for grabs for commercial and personal use.

Licence Type: CC0

11. Jay Mantri 

jaymantri

Jay Mantri offers a stunning collection of simple, minimalistic images. These lovingly crafted images showcase stunning architecture, rich landscapes, and his beloved oxford kicks. He releases seven new photos every Thursday. You can search and filter the images by date and hashtags. 

Licence Type: CC0

Thus concludes our tour of sites with jaw-dropping, free stock photos. When you’re in a pinch, or looking to optimize the heck out of your workflow, turn to these stock photo gods. 

And remember: Enjoy, and attribute responsibly!

Apply These 5 Secret Techniques To Reach Your Goals

by 3 Comments

So – tell me.  How was 2014 for you? Do you look back at this year, full of pride and happiness and complete joy, and full of prosperity? Did you reach your goals?

Or is there a little nagging unease that sits somewhere in your heart.  You know deep down you are on this earth to do more. You want your business to do more, be more. You want to work less, earn more.

You want your life to change in some way.

If this is you, you need to set your goals. Right now. And don’t skip this if you think you’ve already done it.  Because unless you achieved every single one of your dreams and goals for 2014, the chances are you’re going to get something great from this post.

reach your goals image quote

If you want to

– Make 2015 your best year ever

– Find out Michael Hyatt’s 4 Top Tips to reach your goals

– Find out about the one single product that I rave about, every single year, to anyone who will listen, which I guarantee you, will get you on track for your best year ever both in business and in life –

– and if you are tired of yet another year of not reaching your goals (and in fact are a little tired of even hearing about goals, as you aren’t even sure goal-setting actually works) –

Carry on reading. This post will show you how a New York Times Best Selling Author achieves his goals, year in, year out – and this could really change your life in 2015.

So, have you heard of Michael Hyatt? Possibly not, but he is a big name right at this minute in the online coaching / marketing world.

He has had an incredible amount of success with his book Platform; Get Noticed In A Noisy World and quit an incredible job to follow his dreams of self employment and a more fulfilling life.

This week he launched a series of great videos based around goal setting – you all know this is a BIG thing of mine, because I believe having big, beautiful dreams for your business is one of the major keys for success.

Back to Michael’s videos.  I’m going to quote him almost word for word here, because what he said is so strong + powerful that I don’t want to dilute it with any of my own words.

‘Goals are important because if you’re not moving towards something that matters to you, I guarantee, you’re not going to be happy. There’s a reason for the dissatisfaction in you right now, and it’s only going to be satisfied by setting a meaningful goal, and taking steps towards it’.

Is this ringing true with you?

Michael continues to talk about how we talk ourselves out of our true destiny – our life’s true purpose, the reason you were put here on this earth – by using the excuse that the time isn’t right, right now.

For example, I might use the excuse of having two tiny toddlers 16 months apart as my personal excuse ‘It will just have to wait until the girls are a little older’ or ‘I just don’t have the money right now’ as in ‘ I just want to wait until we have enough spare money to be able to buy this book, or go on this retreat or take this course’.

But the reality is that most temporary situations often have a way of becoming permanent.

One photographer I know over a year to change her lens from her kit lens to a cheap ‘nifty fifty’ lens. Photography is her only employment, and it wasn’t that she didn’t have the money to buy it.

It was that she had become stuck, or afraid, or whatever else we refuse to tell ourselves that keeps us safe in our nice ‘temporary’ situations.  Perhaps, in a way, it was easier for her to not have the lens, and make that leap for her business- she would then always have the excuse of not having the right equipment to be able to use and fall back on.

Thankfully, she eventually bought the lens, but despite making thousands this year in profit, still hasn’t invested any further in equipment or training courses that will really help her business to reach its full potential.

Yet she talks a lot about wanting to be successful for herself and her family, so it’s not that she doesn’t want to have goals.

Perhaps, like so many of us, she just falls down at real goal setting and committing to and sticking to those goals. 

Another photographer I know is barely earning any money from her business right now but is starting to continually invest in it – from a huge mentoring package to books and workshops and equipment – and it’s really making the difference. She is taking huge strides towards her goals and it’s amazing to watch.  She is a shining example of how to work towards your goals by getting rid of those excuses we use, about how we just don’t have the time or money right now to not do things.

You’ll never really have ‘spare’ money or time, until you resolve to do something different this year to what you did last year.

‘Your life as it is right now is a result of decisions you have made’.

But you can choose to change this. If you want different results, do something different.

Goal setting boosts your confidence, peace of mind, and gives you an incredible feeling that you have control over your own life as you take control of your destiny.

‘Today is a new day.  Your future does not equal your past.  The future is full of possibility.  It’s a blank slate and a new day’.

This is Michael’s Hyatt’s 4 key ways to accomplish your goals.

1. Set Your Intention

Tell yourself that this year will be different.   That you are dedicated and committed to achieving your goals this year.

‘If you don’t choose with intent, we default to drifting’.  We have to choose to design our life, so a different outcome begins with this commitment‘.

 

2.  Choose a time and a place to dream.

Set aside time to dream about your next year.  Carve out the time to sit and dream about what you want your next year to look like.  Schedule it – if it is on the calendar it is more likely to get done, as that time is reserved and dedicated.  Choose a place where you feel energised or inspired or just in peace to sit and dream.

Choose that time now.

 

3.  Give yourself permission to dream.

Often, we have our dreams shattered.  Our lives don’t look like we imagined.  We stay stuck.  What do you truly DREAM about?

Recently I sent out a survey to all of you on my mailing list.  When I asked you what you hope to achieve with your business was in 2015, lots of you replied ‘find more clients’.  Is that truly the biggest dream you have for your business?

(If it is – that’s amazing you are clear on exactly what your dream is, and I will help you do exactly that with the launch of the FPA mentoring program).

But what about the reason behind WHY you want more clients? Is it because you want more money? Why? What will more money bring to you, what will it mean to you, you and your loved ones? Will you feel financially independent? Because you want to travel? Because you want to vacation in Hawaii?

If you dream of vacationing in Hawaii – that is your dream! The vacation in Hawaii is your dream.  Relaxing, absorbing, time away from work – that is your dream.  So your dream, to be specific, isn’t really about more clients. It’s about your need to spend more time with family, in beautiful, luxurious surroundings, where you can switch off and enjoy family time carefree.

SO THAT is your dream. And it helps to get really clear on what your dream is, because then we can make it happen. If you write ‘more clients’, sure I can help you get more clients.

If you tell me ‘I want to spend three months of the year in Hawaii’ that is a completely different dream and we will work towards that, which may include a whole host of other things that we wouldn’t work on or use if you just tell me ‘I want to get more clients’.

Perhaps you dream of owning your own home, a gorgeous, character-filled family house with full of love + laughter? Perhaps you just want to be able to afford entirely organic raw food, and have fully stocked fridges and cupboards, or maybe you want to homeschool your kids and pay for private music lessons or perhaps you want to send them to the private school nearby.  Perhaps you want a wardrobe of designer clothing or perhaps you want to adopt lots of children.

These are your dreams, your desires. Own them.  It’s ok to dream big.

For tip 4, you’ll have to watch the rest of Michael’s 3 videos here, but first; I want to first share with you one of the key resources that helped me to achieve my own goals last year.

These are two of my (many) goals from last year.

1. {Business goal} To book destination weddings.

2. {Personal goal} To have more fun + adventures together as a family.

3. {Business goal} To get published in Style Me Pretty

As a result I shot weddings in France + Ibiza and, had I pushed it further, am pretty sure I would have a few more weddings overseas lined up – especially as I now live in the beautiful Mediterranean- but I chose to found and concentrate on the FPA instead.

I was published in Style Me Pretty, and never could have imagined that I would be featured in the print version of Magnolia Rouge as well. That really was a goal target truly hit, as this was actually my 5-10 year goal.

As for having more fun + adventures together as a family? You saw that part where we moved 1000 miles away to a little Greek island in the Med, right? If that doesn’t count as an adventure, I’m not sure what does.

 

2014-12-16_0013

The point is, this all happened because, right at the end of the year, every year, I get deadly serious about setting my goals; and I use one amazing tool to do it.

How I Reach My Goals

 

If you haven’t seen it already, let me introduce you to my yearly goal planner.

This is seriously one of the most amazing resources I have ever come across.  I was aiming to create a planner for you for 2015, but if I am completely honest, I will only ever create something that is miles better than what anyone else is doing, otherwise what’s the point? You can already get it elsewhere. And right now, I haven’t had time to be able to create anything as amazing as this.

(It’s in the pipeline for 2016 though so watch out)!

This is the exact planner that I use every year to set, plan, track and reach my goals.  It works like an absolute charm; I rave to everyone I meet about how great it is. It’s a giant colourful spiral book that sits on my desk daily, reminding me of my goals + chasing me forwards.

Leonie Dawson biz planner

inside Leonie Dawson's planner

2014-12-16_0010

2014-12-16_0008

2014-12-16_0009

Listen, I know cute doodles of hearts and watercolour splooshes might not be your thing.  But try to look past that.  Because this planner is a bit like the creator herself.  Sure, on the outside she comes across as an almost completely bonkers hippie that lives in the rainforest (watch her video for about 5 seconds for proof).  Don’t let that fool you.

Leonie Dawson is a multi-millionairess with a business brain as sharp as a razor blade.  She has meticulously designed this planner to make sure that it is beyond useful – and forty thousand women worldwide have used these planners.  Because they really are that good.

If you want to learn how to plan your business (and a dreamy life, because this planner isn’t just a business planner but also maps out your goals for your entire life, so you can start planning those too) this is where you need to start.

{Especially if you’re anything like me and you tend to otherwise write your goals or dreams on stray scraps of paper or in one of a thousand notebooks… which obviously, at some point throughout the year, mysteriously vanish}

And even though a pretty diary-style planner is definitely much more my style, it’s funny how over the years Leonie’s drawings and paintings have really grown on me.  I like that they are full of soul, they are authentic, full of emotion and passion and heart.  Which I also want to translate to my business, so it kind of feels apt that these little pieces of art sit nestled around my yearly goals.

If you are serious about changing your life + business in 2015, whether that’s in tiny ways or by following gigantic dreams, if I can advise you to do one thing this year (other than join the FPA membership, of course) it would be to buy this goal planner.  It’s ridiculously cheap, especially considering the results you will get from it

Mine arrived in the post yesterday – hurrah! And I can’t wait to start filling it out.

If you want to join me, you can find out more + order yours here.

Let us together work on creating our incredible 2015.  What are your big dreams for 2015? Will you be buying Leonie’s planner? Leave me a comment below, I’d love to know.

 

How To Be Queen Of Everything

by Leave a Comment

Just lately I’ve had a few people write and ask me – how do I manage to fit it all in?

 

queen of everything

 

Do you feel as though you are ‘firefighting’ with your business, as though you are doing all of the right things but with no particular plan or strategy?

 

Do you feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything that you want to do?

 

Do you feel pulled in several different directions – whether through motherhood or other work or other commitments?

 

Fitting everything that you need to do to grow your business seems hard.  You wear so many hats as a business owner – I know I don’t need to describe them all to you.

 

This year I have somehow squeezed in a wedding season where I had to travel overseas (twice), an international move (with two babies in tow) written two books, adopted one puppy, started the FPA, mentored photographers, completed baby, bump, and family sessions in addition to the wedding + engagements, completed one gorgeous mega-shoot, completed about ten online courses, joined a weekly mastermind – the list seems endless.

 

No wonder I don’t seem to be able to fit in yoga! {Body, if you’re listening, I promise this will change very soon}.

 

And that’s ok, because this is the answer. If you’re wondering what exactly the secret is to getting all of this done, it’s this.

 

This is the simple answer. Stop trying to fit it all in.

 

Seriously.

 

Because this is what I do, a lot, and I have to catch myself and stop it. I regularly beat myself up about not getting *stuff done*.

 

Argh! The house isn’t clean there is a pile of washing on the stairs the dog needs a walk I have five blog posts to write and I haven’t updated my twitter in like DAYS, the girls need a sugar-free vegetarian meal with no ipad and argh they’ve had too much today, must make time for more ‘crafts’ OH- WAIT- THE WORLD ISN’T ENDING.

 

Yes, that. Probably for a few minutes at least once a week, my brain runs around in a big panic thinking about all of these things I HAVE to do, and then I remember that I have given myself permission to stop trying to do everything all of the time.

 

When you worry about having to do everything, about fitting everything in, you just stress yourself out, which as you know is pretty counter-productive.  So when you accept you can’t fit everything in and you instead focus on actually doing just a few things instead, you actually end up getting more done because you’re not running in circles stressed about the stuff that you *should* be doing!

 

The less you worry about what isn’t getting done, the more you’ll actually find yourself doing (That’s probably horribly grammatically incorrect, but you get what I mean. I know you do)! Thinking yourself into negative patterns actually manifests more negative patterns – you worry more, so you do less, which means you worry more… It’s a horrible cycle. Don’t get caught up in it.  Free yourself from that

 

* I have to do* burden.

 

And the way that you decide what you should focus on, is by concentrating on what is working within your business, and what isn’t.

 

For example, for me, I know that my blog and newsletter here at the FPA is well-read, so most of my business efforts are focussed there.

 

I also have a good following over on Instagram, so my aim is to post on that at least once a day.

 

They are the things that work for me, so that’s what I concentrate on.

 

I’m terrible at posting to Facebook and Twitter.  That’s ok, because I’m not about to beat myself up over the fact that I’m not getting daily Facebook Likes. (I’d much rather be giving you quality blog posts instead.  Though if you do want to check out our page, find us here).

 

When you stop trying to be the queen of social media, the worlds best photographer, a fantastic blogger, and making a zillion and one contacts, you’ll be more focussed on what you CAN do for your business, rather than what you’re not doing.

 

So, look at your business.

 

 

What’s working for you right now?

Where are most of your clients coming from?

Where have any of your clients come from?

Where do you have a big following?

What are you proud of? 

 

Pick your strongest area. You’re going to concentrate on using that one area- whether that’s Facebook or your blog or being published – whatever is working for you – and keep doing that. Because clearly you are good at it, so keep going. Make this the one thing that you’re determined to keep alive no matter what.

 

Next, take your biggest weakness. What aren’t you quite so great at? Whether it’s twitter or your technical skills, your marketing ability or your bookkeeping- you know this area needs some work.

 

You have two options here. Resolve to work at it, or if you really despise it, outsource it. Outsourcing is powerful– as it frees up the time you spend struggling with this area to enable you to concentrate on the area you’re most profitable / productive in instead. You can outsource editing, accounting, web design, even your admin and blogging. It’s definitely a good idea to look at outsourcing as an investment rather than an expense.

 

If you decide to work at it, keep doing what you are doing, but try to set aside a little time to invest in getting even better at it. Read books, blogs, articles; join courses or masterminds; do a workshop or attend a webinar. Just get from good at it, to great.

 

So the secret to getting ‘everything done’ looks a bit like this.

 

Keep going with the good stuff

Outsource or work at your weakest point 

Maintain everything in the middle

 

We have covered the parts of your business that you are good at, and what to do about the weakest part.  Here is how to maintain everything else so you feel like the Queen of Entirely Everything.

 

Let’s use social media as an example. So you know you should be posting to every social media engine, at least 3 times a day? Nobody has time for that.

 

Maintain it instead. Take thirty minutes of your time to schedule your social media at the start of the week, and hey presto- although there is no big, clever, super plan for gaining zillions of followers, you will be maintaining the interest of the followers that you do have, and through that alone your following will naturally increase. Top up your scheduled tweets and statuses whenever you can with more personal ones, but don’t stress about it- because the hard work is already done for you.

 

Find a way to simplify + maintain your middle ground. The bits that you don’t mind doing but you never seem to be able to find enough time for.  Stop worrying about getting on top of them, and maintain them instead – using processes or structures to help if you can.

 

Get better at what you’re good at

Get better (or outsource) at what you’re bad at

Maintain the middle 

 

Working in this way ensures that your business ticks along beautifully, your goals stay on track, and your business grows slowly, but firmly. You don’t feel guilty about not doing the one billion things under the sun that you should be doing, and you enjoy your work time instead of it feeling like a burdensome to-do list.

 

The other thing I do is schedule my time. This is most essential if you’re a creative, day-dreamy, free-spirit type of girl like I am, who kinda gets sidetracked by Pinterest or Facebook or looking for a notebook. Often, I fall off the scheduling wagon, but it’s always there to remind me, and so it’s much easier to climb back on and get my shiz together again, than if I had no structure in place to fall back on.

 

This is my schedule, pinned up on my fridge. Yep, terrible photo (iphone at dusk). Yep, the schedule looks pretty rigid. It has to be when you have two pre schoolers, a puppy, and are separated from any family childcare by 1000 miles. Trust me– I don’t always manage to follow it. However, as well as (usually) keeping me on track, it also works to help my family to understand when I am available and when I am very definitely not available – ‘Mummy is working that night’. Use every single minute that you have, wisely.

 

schedule

 

Another way of working that I find really useful is to make the most of blocks of time.  Whenever I have my allocated work times, if I have a big lump of time that day, I cluster-work.  I can’t remember where I first heard that term but I think it was borrowed from cluster-bombs, so you would chose ONE task and repeat it several times throughout that chunk of time, which means that you completely destroy your goal for the week. So for example, take blogging.

 

Is blogging your strength? (If it’s your weak point, try making this the thing that you work at as it’s key to growing your business) if it is one of your strongest points, try cluster blogging. In your schedule spend one whole chunk of your time dedicated to writing blog posts for the week. If you have 4 hours and do nothing but open your blog, you should be able to write 2 posts in that time, which could be a weeks worth content for you. 8 hours ~ 2 weeks. And so on.

 

Finally, my biggest tip for managing your work load? you gotta kill procrastination! Seriously. It is literally the biggest waste of time ever. Turn off your whatsap. Turn off any browsers with Facebook / social media / your email. Definitely turn off your email! don’t do anything else whatsoever during your work time – no cleaning no playtime no distractions – just focus on your 3 goals for the day (I talked about the three task trick here).

 

That, seriously, is how I manage to get it all done.

 

Which of these can you implement into your daily or weekly routines to help you?

 

-Drop the guilt about not being able to do everything

-Embrace that you are able to prioritise that which you are good at, and release that which you do not enjoy or doesn’t serve you

-Maintain the middle

-Carve out time dedicated time for work

-Schedule it

-Cluster work

-Kill procrastination

 

Keep an eye on the blog later this week – we have a few notes coming up on procrastination – if you know this holds you back sometimes, you’ll want to read this!

 

Oh, and just to let you know – we are giving 10% off Film; The Luxury Advantage, for Cyber Monday – but hurry, the discount expires in 24 hours. Perfect if you’re a film photographer and you want to know how to truly boost your business in 2015. Click here to see it!

25 More Ways To Juggle Your Business + Kids

by 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.

2014-03-08_0013

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

by 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.

2013-12-16_0009 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.  2014-05-10_0001 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

Grow Your Photography Business With Capture Success

by Leave a Comment

capturesuccess copy

Did you start your business the wrong way around?

Most photographers do. We learn to use our cameras, do some shoots, and then think about whether we want to do this as a business and how we can make money from it.  Except we never truly focus on that part – the money part– because we are too busy trying to use our cameras + technology properly + then finding clients, to think about it properly.

This is crazy! In almost every other business, the business owner makes plans + goals + a business plan before launching their business.  In fact if you suggested to almost any other business owner that they start up in business without having an idea of what kind of profits they wanted to make they would probably laugh – right? Yet this is what so many of us do!

Is this one of the reasons photographers have such a high failure rate? Or why so many photographers fail to take the leap to full-time photographer, instead it just remains a part-time pocket money job which never really makes any actual healthy profit?

Don’t worry, I’m not going to get all money-and-boring-biz talk on you.  What we have for you is way more fun. 

But think about it – did you make a business plan? Did you even note down your goals + aims when you started your business? 

If you want to grow your photography business, the best place to start is on firm foundations.

Mapping out a plan, your dreams + hopes for your business, with a target map of how exactly you are going to do it, is one of the best ways to ensure that you stay on track and focussed as your business grows.

You become proactive – working everyday to meet your goals –

rather than reactive – working everyday with no clear direction or path in the hope that it will lead somewhere, constantly responding to situations as they arise, or as you think of them, rather than in an organised + structured way.

All roads do lead to somewhere, eventually, but having a structured route will help you to get where you are going a LOT faster and more easily.

So we created our Capture Success pack for you.

What is the Capture Success pack?

The Capture Success pack is a miniature version of the in-depth planners that we will be releasing next year – it’s a combination of worksheets + steps to follow that will fast-track you along the route to success.

Basically it’s what you need if you want your photography business to

– have more direction

– have clarity and focus

– be working towards dreams + goals

– make your dreams to become a reality + not somewhere in the distance.

In addition, using the Capture Success pack can help you to become more motivated and inspired as your work gains more structure and your tasks become clearer – and your dreams come ever-closer.

Who is the Capture Success pack for?

It’s for photographers who want their business to grow in the ways mentioned above.  It doesn’t matter what genre or style you work in, from boudoir to babies and everything inbetween, if you want to give your photography business a big kickstart- no matter what stage of business you are in- then this will help you.

Who is it not for?

The Capture Success pack might not be right for you if you don’t have big dreams for your business, if you aren’t a positive + optimistic thinker, if you don’t feel as though your business needs any assistance, and if your photography business has already provided you with everything you ever wanted.

How Much Do I Need To Pay For It?

The Capture Success pack is entirely free.  Yep, 19 pages of photography-goodness.

What do you have to lose? Just take the sheets and do what you like with them! Though if you want to tag us on Instagram with #capturesuccess as you work through your printouts, we would love to see your shots / desktops / coffee breaks.

How do I get it?

Just click here.

What do I need to do next?

Print it all out, attach into a gorgeous binder or folder, sit down with a big mug of tea or coffee and your prettiest stationery – think coloured pens, sharpies, highlighters, and a ton of washi tape + get to work! Enjoy + don’t forget to tag us in your snaps!