Just start.
Just do the next thing.
The underlined words jumped out at me from that dear old book. Actually, it isn’t an old book. But it’s that type of beloved book you keep and reread over and over because it’s life-giving and soul-renewing. It’s called, “Let’s All Be Brave.”
One day I’ll probably get a tattoo with some phrase like that. But I digress.
You don’t need to see an instagrammed picture of my journal & steaming coffee today. Although, that would be reality. There’s no picture showing my cross-legged, hair blobbed self bent curiously over a journal I haven’t written in for far too long. Let’s be real, the last two entries dated September 23, 2016 and February 23, 2017. And then today.
I just started.
“There’s something so incredibly intentional about writing – I’m at a loss for why I really don’t do it more. A lack of habit, I suppose.
There’s really no other excuse. I don’t need new goals, I need better habits.
So, today…
Hullo, old journal.
It’s been a while.”
Nothing fancy here. But there’s something deep about it, you know?
There’s no need for show.
What’s needed are those deep breaths of simple joy.
What is one simple, seemingly insignificant thing you can start afresh today? Purely because you want to. Do it for yourself.
And see what doors unlock & musings escape you.
That my friend is unassuming bravery.
Start. Do the next thing.
We’re all in this together.
Always,
–Tara M
4 Comments
Wait, did you say you bobbed your hair??! Hold up, girl! This I gotta see. You must look adorable!!
Love love this post! As I move on to the second stage of photography business planning (feel free to blog about that! I’d love you’re take & any insights you have!) I feel slightly overwhelmed at where to start. Do I make a budget? Do I buy my squarespace (or am I wasting money because I’m not ready? Or will I always feel like I’m not ready, like I should have more blog posts in the que, a better about me, more organized?) Do I start getting my name out, or should I wait til I have a web presents to start promoting myself, so it doesn’t sound like empty praise??
(I mean, you get it.)
To say the least, you hit the nail on the head. I was just telling myself almost those exact words. Just do it. Just get started. Mistakes will be made, sure. But worrying about which ones is useless. Just start. The next thing.
I love it. Thanks!
Lottie
Lottie,
You are always THE sweetest ever! Your comment made my day!
Haha, I blobbed up my hair – not bobbed it. BUT! That is very likely in the future. You are quite prophetic! 😉
As for your photography thoughts: Girl. I get it. I do. But yes, you must simply start. I’ll share something someone told me when I first started out: "Just write your first blog post, Tara. People will read it and then…then they’ll probably forget it. Because you’ve never blogged. Because it might not be memorable. BUT. If it is, then well, you started and other’s liked it. Bravo. But you can’t not do something for fear if someone will like it. You don’t even know what you like yet. So go, start, and figure it out. Do work you like. The rest will follow."
So Lottie, yes. Yes, make a budget. Yes purchase a website. Yes post on Instagram. Yes, shoot. And then shoot more. And more. I don’t think you should have the perspective of praising yourself. I mean, yes, I get that. It’s okay to "show" what you’ve done or what you like (hence, Weekend Wear), but Do Work. And do work that will produce a natural response from OTHERS to praise. Ask a friend to model for you. And then ask her to share it on her social media. Let her doing the speaking, the praising.
We all start somewhere. And by that I mean, we all kinda suck at some point. But you can’t ever move past that awkward, adolescent stage of photography or business or self confidence, if you aren’t willing to take the risk and begin. More often than not, I realize that I’m more in my head than anyone else. People really don’t care ALL that you think they do. You care the most. Which is why you hold the key. 😉
Hope those rambles made sense. Keep your head up. You got this! P.S. Creativelive.com revolutionized my learning curve. Check em out! Xoxo
TARA! What an amazing response! That’s so sweet of you, to take the time out of your day to improve a stranger’s life. love love you forever now. ♥
I have this mixed reaction of about your hair of; "oh, good, I haven’t gotten enough of her hair," paired with, I can’t wait to see her chopped off hair! it’s gonna look fantaaaastic. that word, "blobbed" I’ve never heard before, but it’s so descriptive I love it.
Everything you wrote to me is so fantastic and wonderful. I can’t thank you enough. I’d been to CreativeLive before, but never stuck around longer than a minute or two (definitely never actually took a class!) now that I’ve taken the leap to actually start a photography business I’m totally stoked about all the classes they’re offering. (thank you for pointing me there way!) There is such a huge world of courses out there and I’m ready to take them ALL! haha!
It’s funny that you would mention offering work to friends and letting them do the promoting, because that’s exactly what Peter McKinnon said (almost word for word!) and is the first thing on my "To Do After Launch" (or maybe as launch?) list. I already have the friends picked out (people who have asked me to do work in the past and I never pursued because I wasn’t interest in going into business) who fit the bill perfectly for my ideal client (which will obviously evolve overtime, since I have not done a ton of client work.)
I really appreciate you bringing out the profit over risk factor. The (fear of) risk is what’s held me back in past days, and it’s my leading fear to date. I’ve heard it a thousand times and I take more comfort from it every time; it’s like wine. 😉 It one of those things I know, I KNOW I’m gonna fail some to succeed, I KNOW I’m going to have trouble and questions and worries and all the rough stuff, but still need to hear that truth; I’ll get past it if I hold out, I’ll gain confidence, gain skill, and gain head knowledge and grow as a person… and in a way, that’s the best part. Because growth makes life worth living!
Again, thank you, thank you!
lottie
Hey Lottie,
OMG, you’re the sweetest! Haha about the hair, style, & commenting back and forth. You’re so welcome. I know when I was first starting out, I just wanted to soak up everything I could. And yeah girl, SOAK it all up! It will serve you in ways you don’t even know yet. Heck, just this past week I had something come up that was out of the blue, but I knew how to respond or to think simply because I had taken a class covering THAT VERY THING two years ago. Creativelive. Man, I owe a lot to that company. I just found out that there’s a podcast & app now too. 😀
Good for you! Glad to hear that you have people lines up already & in mind to photograph. Put it on the calendar. Schedule it. Then you’ll have to! Do you have an Instagram or anything yet?
Xoxo,
–Tara