Get Busy, Child!

Today's (short) post is with apologies (or THANKS!) to the Crystal Method... this is a great song (well, it's electronica, not so much a traditional "song" per se). I remember dancing to this back in the late 90s at my fave club that played our favorite genre of music (in SoCal, it's KROQ music, or the top 40 of alternative music). Anyways, in keeping with the theme of using songs as my blog titles, this one seems applicable because in this economy, it's hard on a lot of people. And, I want to get busy! Get busier! Busy-bee! **tap tap ** hello? Is this thing ON??! (Was that a tumbleweed I just saw blow by...?)

But, there's one thing that holds true: people are still getting married, people still need holiday pictures done (and yes! I just got my first inquiry for holiday pix and it's a repeat customer from last year!), babies are still being born. And there's an art to staying busy, as it turns out, in the absence of work. See, I'm a graphic artist by trade working my way (transitioning, if you will) into full-time pro photography, and the daily graphic design assignments are what pay the bills. But, I got laid-off of my year-long on-site contract back in February (and since then, they've laid off about 25 or 30 more people; this is a good chunk of the company, so I guess it was bound to happen soon or later), and everything has been touch-and-go since. And I've been "working on my new website" since then (hello?! It's been 7 months!), but my problem has never been motivation, it's confidence. I really think though, when the new site launches, it will turn things around. I am constantly striving to better myself, through art and/or business ... but always second-guessing myself in the process. Part of my problem lies in the fact that I am truly one of the most "middle-brained" people you will meet, and I read recently that it's difficult for those who are middle-brained to fully commit to decision-making, because both halves of the brain's hemispheres are constantly at war with each other; in effect, playing a tug-of-war and making it difficult to make a definitive decision.

Some of the problems I encounter is the psychology of the layout of a website. Keep in mind, I received my BA in Communications/Advertising (specializing in Creative Advertising). I know a lot of the prominent ways of thinking, but I graduated from college in 1995, and since then, we've had the internet boom. The science of the internet and multimedia design has been intensively studied and reviewed since then, yet the old axioms still hold true as well. Finally though, what it boils down to is this: everyone is different, their brains work differently, and what works great for one, will be completely backwards to another. What I have to try to do is speak to the common denominator, of a specific audience I'm trying to capture. I've tried to simplify my site as much as possible, making the pictures big and prominent, and everything else is just frosting, the little details.

One of the big things I keep wrestling with is listing my prices online. The argument goes like this in my head (I'm going on the memory that I **think** the right hemisphere is the creative side, the emotional side, and the left hemisphere is the side of reason, the "numbers" side... right? Even if I'm wrong, go with me here, I'm on a roll and not willing to stop to go look it up):

Right Hemisphere : Why WOULDN'T I want to post my prices online? Shouldn't they see my work and fall in love, so that price doesn't matter, listed or not?

Left Hemisphere: Well, why WOULD I want to post my prices online? What if they look at the bottom line FIRST, then even though they love they pictures, they decide I'm out of their price range?

RH: But the classes I go to say that I **should** post my prices, so I immediately get the target that I want, the customers who value pictures so much, that they know the value of a good photographer. I just want to focus on the art!

LH: But what if they end up being a source of many referrals? Isn't SOME work better than NO work? And bottom line, work is work, no one should be overlooked as a source of a potential referral, right?

RH/LH: So, which side wins out? Both arguments make sense. Grrr.

This is what goes on in my head daily, about every aspect of my business. My downfall is I am my own best (or worst?) devil's advocate, so I CAN see both sides to every point. And because of this, I have to decide ultimately what is the best decision for me personally. But then it turns into the same old song and dance in my own head: WHICH is the best choice for me? And it's a self-perpetuating cyclical argument. I simply am the poorest person I know for making decisions regarding myself. Which is why when I feel SOLID, in my core, about a decision, I know it's right. And being in photography is a solid feeling, one I don't and never doubt. I doubt my work all the time, which is why I am constantly striving to do better, but I will emerge victorious!

But in the meantime, it's time to get that website up, it's time to get holiday pictures going, and start booking numerous weddings in a calendar year! It's time to get busy, child!

Oh, and I DO have a series of new pictures to post... coming soon. I post directly from Lightroom to Facebook or my Zenfolio portfolio site, using these great plug-ins by Jeffrey Friedl (he's awesome, check out his plug-ins for LR here), and it's easy to export direct to these programs without ever creating the new file, so it's something I need to incorporate into my workflow, exporting my faves for upload directly to my blog too. I SWEAR, I'll get this blog thing under control and part of my daily life soon. See? Get busy, child!)

p.s. -- I was trying to get to Jeffrey's blog, but the site isn't connecting tonight for some reason. I will update this post with a proper link soon. In the meantime, if you want to know more, Google "Jeffrey Friedl Lightroom plugin" You'll find it right away!)