I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, I’ve been very upfront about that since day one. I’ve come a long way, learned so much, continue to learn, and I feel like I’ve built a pretty good brand too. But what I don’t know still, or understand, is how to be less discouraged.
I’ve had a pretty sizable amount of successes and accomplishments lately, designing and putting together a merchandise line, finding a company that can print my images professionally and also learning how to attach that application to my website, and just recently I started my “Family Photos” project (which was a success & failure at the same time, more on that later). I’ve put in countless hours/days getting everything organized, announced, adjusted and available. Only to be received with almost dead silence.
I knew running a business (especially a photography/media one) wasn’t going to pop up and get off the ground immediately. But I don’t know if I over did it and became numb to people (kind of like junk mail is to most people, you just see it in its little folder and delete it without even reading it), or if it’s more along the lines of what I create/do isn’t “good”. I just don’t know, because I’m just not getting any constructive feedback. I do whole heartedly appreciate the diehards that support me though, and I want to make that clear, I can’t thank you enough. I’m just in a state of confusion because I don’t have any “negative” feedback to go off of, I guess you could say “constructive negatives” to build off of.
I’ve also become more aware that social media is not helping me in any positive ways either, and so I’ll be putting out (or by the time this comes out, I may have already put out) an announcement that states I’ll be stepping away from places like YouTube/Instagram/Facebook for a little bit. Media applications lately (to me) have just seemed to become noise, nothing more than sources/platforms for people to scream “LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME!!! I’M THE ONLY ONE YOU SHOULD BE PAYING ATTENTION TO!!!”. Which is understandable and I guess a needed approach for a business, but gets frustrating for someone that just wants to show and share things with the world and not try to turn their page into an infomercial for sponsored content (or to pump their business/brand in people’s faces).
Like I said, I’m just confused about where I want to take my business and my brand (especially on social media platforms), which is the ultimate reason I’ll be stepping away from social media for a little bit. But if you’re one of my diehard supporters, or even just a casual supporter, that’s reading this, don’t worry. I still plan on writing out Grim-blogs, and working on projects that have already been put into place, I just won’t be starting any new ideas or pushing posts to social media.
So, what has me scared as hell? Well, I have a project coming up that I’m super excited for, but also scares the hell out of me, due to the fact that it’s the first time I’ll have done something like this. I’ll be in charge of a whole production to record an interview for True Northwest Magazine. From video to audio to lighting to editing, and then of course having True Northwest review everything before distribution. I’ll have some support, but going through the “first” of anything is always nerve racking. I’ve been open and honest with all parties, letting them know that I’ve not done something like this before. But at the same time, I also want to create something that looks professional and that all parties are happy with. My brain is a mess really, because I know nothing starts out perfect, but I just don’t want to disappoint anyone either by turning in some hot mess.
I’m sure everything will come out better than I think it will in the end, and I’m just psyching myself out. So fingers crossed I can add another “success” to the belt, and I get past this slump soon. Thank you as always for your support, and the next Grim-blog I will talk all about my adventure to the Dye Homestead for Project: Family Photos.
Until next time, I hope you have fantastic days, I hope you enjoy the photos I’ve been snapping with my phone, and I’ll catch y’all later.
Andrew Hoyle – Grimlock Media
