Eeeeeeeep!!!!
As I jump for joy around my tiny apartment, I realize that I must look absolutely ridiculous this early in the morning, as I receive word that my business license will be shipped in 2-3 weeks! Elated...is the only word that really comes to mind right now. Absolutely, utterly, freakin' elated. As the little girl inside me screams, "dreams really DO comes true?!", I have to come back down to reality and realize that...this just got serious. WOW! Is this for real? Can I really do this, after all this time planning and preparing?? Yes...yes I can. I do have to say, this is the second most proud of myself moment I have ever had!...second to natural labor & birth, of course. DAMN proud of that! So, business ready? Just about. The license was pretty much the 'cherry on top', and now I am free to fulfill all that I have dreamed of. Business cards have been running out super fast (good sign!!), so I had to order new ones, of course! So, I am window shopping and ordering 100 from here, and 100 from there, just to see what style and company I like best. My prior batch was by Vistaprint. They were nice, but pretty basic, plain, and for the price, pretty reasonable. This time, I went with Moo.com and ordered 'mini cards'. I was able to use 10 of my own photos on the 100 I ordered, which is a cool feature. I should see how they turn out in the next 5 days! Next, I have tried to do some advertising on Facebook, as well as Google and put an ad up on craigslist. Not very traditional, I know, but that's how I'm doing it. Really, like I said in my last post, word-of-mouth has been my best friend in the world. I also have lower prices than most people expect, which is sometimes a great thing, other times...not so much. People automatically assume that if you are worth $1000, you should be charging it. I completely disagree. In fact, I want something completely opposite of that (well, not quite). In this day & age, everyone likes to make trades, barters, bargains, sales, contests, etc. to promote their business, help the local economy, and be light on their client's wallets! "Why not do that too!?", I said. So, I have tried my hardest to bring quality photography to the people who can't afford the top-end sessions. I know I couldn't! I hope this helps my future clientele....what do you think? Since I am in the business, I might as well ask the people! ♥ All-in-all, things are going well. Slow & steady wins the race....right?! Damn, I sure hope so...mama could really use a win right about now...
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What an emotional day...sitting on the bathtub, waiting for that little pink line to decide my fate...it was something I can not describe to you now. Something I have seen that I can think feels similar to that, was when I saw "Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom". Yeah, the whole pulling-heart-out-of-chest thing. Pretty sweet sounding, huh? Well, it WAS actually! I felt like my life had just begun! Only, I needed direction in life, so, so bad. I went to college straight out of high school, failed out (not because I am not a smart lady...I'm sharp as a tack {most of the time} I just didn't go to class. I was so absorbed in "finding myself", I didn't want to find the textbooks...), and was now living in a dead-end desk job at a bank...bored out of my MIND. To be the true optimist I am...I did live with my soul mate and best friend (who is now my fiancé, as of Christmas Day 2011). I also always had my picture-perfect pit bull, Bodhi, lived in a nice apartment, with good friends and family surrounding us. Even so, I wanted more. I wanted more than a job I didn't like, not feeling fully educated enough to strive for more or better, simply because I didn't graduate college. Feeling kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I wasn't about to bring a baby into such an unknown future! When I became a mother, I remember everyone telling me, "Oh, you will NEVER know love, until you look into the eyes of your newborn child!!". Well, they were so freakin' right! Every time I think of my son, I get all mushy and gross feeling inside and water comes streaming out of my eyeballs....dunno what the hell THAT is. Well, it's what ya call love, apparently. My son has the face of an angel, the screams of a banshee, diapers of an old man, and the love that is literally, indescribable. He has eyelashes any Hollywood starlet would be jealous of. He has the most adorable, edible sausage toes. His soft curls practically glow! Best of all...he LOVES the camera. I mean, c'mon, what mother wouldn't want a photogenic baby?! Thus, my lifelong [photography] hobby turned into something more: a fiery passion that burned inside, just waiting to be let loose! ...well...not THAT amazing, I guess. *Almost 1 year later...* I just applied for my business license and am well on my way to building my future dream! The dream: to have a home studio, where I can photograph the most gorgeous babies and pregnant bellies I possibly can!! No home to have a studio in yet, but that is soon to come. I am starting slow, not to rise up like fire, only to be put out too quickly by the water; Word of mouth has been my BEST friend! I started doing free sessions for friends and family, then ordered cheap-o business cards, practice practice practice practice, and then people started calling and emailing me for gigs! I am still learning so much from this experience, I am in awe every single day of everything I learn. I am so elated and thrilled that I get to do something that I am so utterly passionate about, and will love, for the rest of my life. I really couldn't ask for much more, honestly, and I have come to share my love for photography, and life, with everyone! I sure hope you enjoy this fun, quirky, loving, rocky, spectacular journey with me, on bettering myself as a mother, a woman, a photographer, a friend, and a wife. |
AuthorNatalie Bee is a Spokane, WA Maternity, Birth & Newborn Photographer, certified Birth Doula + mother of four. Archives
April 2024
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