i have had an overwhelming amount of people email me over the last 10 days with a very similar question.

“did you have fears when you first started your photography? how do you find confidence in yourself and in your work? i am so scared to put my work out there, i am scared that it is not good enough…”

such IMPORTANT and intimidating questions, thank you all so much for asking them as i know it isn’t easy. i think this post can apply to anything in life as it applies to photography. and the base of it is, we all have fears. you are not alone in this, i promise you. i had fears when i started, and i have fears now. it is natural and human nature. i think the bigger question is how we go about dealing with them, how we  face them and how we use these fears to move forward.

“courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” {Mark Twain}

i would love to write to you all, and tell you that there is an end. that you will one day get to a point in your life, or your career, where you are no longer second guessing, no longer afraid. but if there is such a time in life, i haven’t reached it yet. to be real with you all, last sunday (the night before my new website launch) i could hardly speak because i would tear up and start crying. i talked to some very dear friends, and to scott for hours looking for some last minute encouragement, because i was terrified that the response to the launch would be negative. “what if no one likes it… what if i look stupid…what if no one comes”. it was a great reminder to myself that it is okay to have these fears, it’s natural even. the fact of the matter was, i still went for it. i took the risk, launched the new website and planned a huge launch party to celebrate. i am so grateful that i did, because it turned out more amazing then i could have ever imagined. scott often talks about having “permission to fail”, which is also something jasmine star has mentioned before in her blog. i truly believe, that once you give yourself permission to fail, once you allow yourself to have fears, and decide to face them with hard work, dedication and authenticity, that is how we will all move forward. remember, “in order to suceed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure” {bill cosby}. don’t let your fears stop you from trying, but instead, use your fear for motivation to try harder. put yourself out there, be brave and courageous, and be ready to learn from your mistakes. believe that if you fail, it’s okay. get up, and try again. not everything happens on the first try, and nothing worth having comes easy.

“don’t be afraid of your fears. they’re not there to scare you. they’re there to let you know that something is worth it.”
{C. JoyBell C.}

in the specific case of photography, i believe we all have to start somewhere. 2 years ago, i was in the exact same position as a lot of you, and of course my images were not great, but they got better, every time i shot. i worked hard to get to where i am, and i still work hard on finding ways i can be better. i love looking back and seeing how i have improved, it fills me with the confidence that i will continue to grow. when you are focused on what everyone else is doing, it is easy to get discouraged. i catch myself doing it all the time, and i still have to remind myself that the only photographer i should ever compare myself to is the one i used to be. focus on you. how have you improved, how can you continue to improve, be proud of how far you have come and set small obtainable goals to track your progress. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. that my friends is not something i can tell you how to do, but i challenge you to look inside yourself and find that courage and confidence within you. you know it’s there, you just have to acknowledge it, and hold on for the ride.

xox

…and because every post deserves a photo… here is one of my little family from this weekend, on one of the most perfect saturdays i can remember. nothing to do, and nowhere to go. just pure quality time with sc, and so many laughs. i am so grateful <3