Today, I won't get all political on you guys. Instead, I'm going to talk about something that has really made my life shift from one point to another. And that thing is freelancing. Freelancing, for those who don't know, is "a person who works as a writer, designer, performer, or the like, selling work or services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer." While I am only a part-time freelancer — freelance photographer to be exact — there are still quite a few challenges to doing this. For instance...
1. Juggling both a regular job all the while working on hundreds of client's photographs.
I work a basic barista position in a cafe. Sometimes, of course, the schedule will get in the way. But that tends to not be a problem compared to the hundreds, maybe a thousand, of photographs that I have to upload, look through, and edit. I like to have my client's work finished within a reasonable amount of time, but with all of these other things, such as the job, writing articles, and keeping my mental health secure, it gets crazy trying to balance it all in a short amount of time.
2. On top of that, I keep getting more gigs.
It all started with a wedding. Since then, I've been booking events one after the other. I'm not complaining because it's awesome — it's great! But then the work piles up, and thousands of client's photos get backed up slowing down my poor little HP computer.
3. It's VERY competitive.
In the age where photography is now considered "just the push of a button," EVERYONE and their momma is a photographer. Because it's so popular now, when bringing up that you're a photographer, it's like presenting your mix-tape. You'll be dismissed...
...until you prove your talent.
3. So I have to continue to build confidence in my work.
It gets hard trying to keep up your confidence when you see other photographers doing really well at a young age, working for a successful collective or booking solo exhibitions with class A++ work. Every artist, really, gets down about their pieces. Nothing is ever really complete or enough. And then every so often, I look at my personal work and I see images like these:
And I remember that well, I am talented. It just takes a while to see it.
