The Ups and Downs of Monetizing Creativity: A Love Letter to my Fellow Photogs

So you’ve found a way to make money through your God given creative talents. You're living the dream… am I right? Getting paid to do what you love? Here’s the thing that no one wants to talk about on instagram and you won’t see in a photographer stories or posts… turning your passion into a pay check has its own set of challenges. One of the biggest is burnout.

I want to start this blog post by saying just how grateful I am for the oppurtuntiy to do what I love… build on my skills that I naturally have and work hard at making those skill sets better and better. It truly is the greatest feeling. But there are days that the lines between work and passion blur. Suddenly, the thing you used to do for fun now has a deadline, client demands and financial pressures attached. You are no longer just creating because you want to but because you have to. That is life… I know. But the demands of creating can be exhausting. No one wants to talk about this because it sounds ungrateful… out of touch with the realities of being an adult. A job that demands constant passionate new ideas is not something you leave behind after 5pm. You think about it all evening while you make supper, when you're falling asleep at night, on the weekend when you're spending time with your family.

Turning a hobby into a career is so incredibly rewarding, validating and also helps pay the bills! Burnout is real though folks. When your creativity is tied to your income, the pressure to constantly produce can suck the joy out of it. What once was an escape is now an obligation. How do you turn that work day off when you are not clocking in or out of a workplace environment. Resting starts to feel like slacking. The balance between art and commerce is tricky. What you truly want to create versus what is actually profitable is a push and pull experience… staying true to your vision of what you wanted to create can cause friction. And of course heaven forbid you loose your passion! Seriously something that has kept me awake many nights!

How do we find the balance. I know I’m not alone in this. I see it every year around November when my beloved natural light photogs are trying to soak in every last ray of sunshine and beautiful fall nights. I have been a photographer now for just under TWO DECADES! I mean it blows my mind… I started as a mom taking pictures of my kids. Then a mom taking pictures of other peoples kids, families, pets, and then my wedding era began. I did weddings and natural light photography for about 7 years of my career and even to this day would say it was some of the most widely creative days of my life. The burnout was intense though and the balance learning curve was steep and came with a cost. As I look back I know that these were lessons that I learned the hard way. But I would love to share with you some of the most important lessons I learned along the way. Hopefully this helps you out my friend.

SET BOUNDARIES- Just because you can… doesn’t mean you should. I tell my kids this all the time lol You need to define work hours, take breaks, don’t eat your lunch in front of your computer editing, step away!

CREATE JUST FOR YOURSELF- Not everything you create needs to be monetized for it to be relevant. I recently have found some creative and physical outlets that I am deeply passionate about and love love love doing with my whole heart. Here’s my little list of things… soft pastel art (especially romantic landscapes) is my current creative outlet. I have found incredible joy in a few other things that not only keep my body healthy but my mind as well… cross country skiing (because I’m a Prairie girl), spin class (who knew the torture could be SO fun), rappelling (I’m literally obsessed), hiking (nature, camera, movement… yesssss) and folks… wait for it… because I am NOT a sporty gal but I have found an appreciation for jogging… very SHORT little jogs but jogging none the least… or maybe we’ll call it wogging… like a combo of walk jogging ha! Regardless my friend… find something that gives you joy just for the sake of enjoying it!

SAY NO WHEN YOU NEED TO- I have to tell myself this ALL the time. Not every client is the right client for me. There are so many amazing photographers out there doing fantastic jobs that I have found such a comfort and joy in referring if the job just doesn’t have the right fit.

REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED- When things get stressful and you know they will, reconnect with what made you fall in love with what you do… the “why” of what made you start your creative pursuits. For me it was showing people how beautiful they are and allowing them to see the beauty and blessings in there own lives.

Hey… I know this was a long one. So if you're still here with me, thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts. This has been burning in my brain for a while now. Building a new bigger studio this last year has allowed me to move into a space that is always ready for me to shoot… the thing is my brain has had to catch up. Being photoshoot ready has been fantastic but that also has me taking on more sessions than I ever could in the past. This spring has my heart SO SO full and thankful! I do however feel the need to remember balance. It’s pushing and tugging at me. I see my fellow natural light, wedding and family photogs prepping for there busy seasons to come and I felt so much excitement watching you gear up. Remember that you control the story of your business. Enjoy it! I am so excited to see what you will be creating this coming year.

Sending so much love,

Leanne Doell