I started 2019 on a mission. If you asked me at the beginning of this year what my mission was, I would have told you, “I have absolutely no idea!” but I knew a few things:
1. I wanted to earn money using my creativity.
2. I wanted to help others.
3. I wanted to make my own schedule so I could stay home with my littlest, Jace.
I wasn’t quite ready to stop being a full-time, stay-at-home-mom, but then the first opportunity came along when my friend and neighbors were having trouble selling their home. At this point, I didn’t realize this was an opportunity, I just wanted to help! I offered to create a video tour of their home that their realtor could send to potential buyers. I didn’t have any solid experience in videography other than dabbling with my own wedding video. Besides that experience, I just knew in my heart I could do it and so I ran with it!
(Side note about me, I sold real estate for a while so I knew the in’s and out’s of the business. Additionally, I knew that videography was starting to gain traction in the Midwest and I was going to jump on board!)
So that’s how you got started, you ask? No, not really. I had a passion for interior design so I assumed that was the route I was going to take. I had the perfect canvas to do it since we had just moved into our new home in Whitefish Bay. I posted and blogged about all my new design ideas and I had so much fun doing it! But my biggest challenge was the idea of monetizing it. I started filming my interior designs remembering that real estate would fit in so well with everything I was already doing. Same bubble right?! I bought the equipment that I needed, educated myself, and didn’t wait to get started. In fact, I started offering my services for free while I learned. Working for free allowed me to gain experience and gain future clients. Fast forward not even 8 months and I have learned more than I could have possibly imagined.
This is only the beginning of what I have learned, but I wanted to share it with you to hopefully inspire you to believe in yourself and push yourself even further than you think you can! So here it is:
1. Know your competition but ignore their success. I learned quickly that comparing another’s success to my own only gave me this yucky feeling inside that I didn’t want to feel. So instead of envying their success, I used it as motivation to be better.
Love the work you create, but always know you can be better.
2. Don’t wait for perfection to arrive in order to move forward. If I waited until everything was perfect I wouldn’t be where I am today. Start right now because the time will pass anyway. Never stop wanting to be better and always be teachable. Make sure to establish good habits and be disciplined in your work. You will likely outlive your motivation and when you do, discipline gets you to the finish line. I wish someone would have taught me this years ago.
3. Utilize positive self-talk. Preach positive proclamations. Do you ever pay attention to the things you say to yourself? I do. I have to. To let you in my head, I say things like, “girl, you got this!” or “ I can do that too, but better!” and if I'm being honest I even compliment myself. Find things you like about yourself and remind yourself of them often 😁
Positive self-talk and being a good videographer go hand-in-hand. When I’m watching another videographer’s work and I’m blown away, instead of reminding myself that I’m not there I always tell myself “I can do that, I KNOW I can do that!” Even if at that moment I may not have the tools, I know that all I have to do is take time to learn and I will get there. Remember, you must invest in yourself to get to where you’d like to be.
This brings me to my next point.
4. Invest in yourself. This is one of the greatest things I learned this year. Invest in educational tools and equipment. Investing in yourself also means investing in your physical and mental well-being. Know when to slow down but don’t get lazy. Take breaks often because creativity comes much easier when you are not stressed. And while you’re at it, listen to music! Music often changes my mood. I don’t know how many times I was upset with the hubs and as soon as I turned on one of my favorite jams my mood almost instantly turned around. Don’t wait around until someone believes in you or wants to invest time in you. Believe in yourself and invest time in yourself. If you do have a mentor or someone who believes in you, don’t let them go! Learn everything that you can learn because that’s the fastest way to accomplish your goals.
5. Surround yourself with like-minded people. If you’re creative, surround yourself with other creative people. Magic happens when you do this. You will grow by leaps and bounds. Watch an episode of Songland you’ll know what I mean!