Photography is often thought of as a glamorous and easy profession. I mean we get to travel everywhere and hey you push a button and boom something awesome to sell and make money! Right, that can’t be hard and everyone can do it. Or can they?
Photography is more often than not a ton of work the general public and world never see. It is more than the travel and pressing of the shutter button, though believe me sometimes I wish that’s all it was and I will even admit to being naive a decade ago when I started, I really had no clue how much work it was. Now I do and identify with the photographers who get annoyed when their camera is complimented or their profession is summed up as pressing a button. Rude and wrong!
I spend so much of my time doing marketing work, and responding to clients inquiries that actually photographic work makes up a small fraction of my profession. Case in point I write weekly blog posts and I am not even as good as other photographers who do daily or post twice a week. I also manage my own books, act as a my own travel agent and have a family and outside obligations. Heck I get excited to get a good nights sleep without waking up because I forgot to do something and need to add it to the to do list.
And here’s the thing I love photography, I love being creative and making dream images for clients so much so I have been growing and expanding my skills learning to do graphic design and venturing into marketing and branding. Now those things take up my time as well, and photography has become a skill set to aid in everything I do. It’s all about growth and development.
Poster designed by Exposure One Studios
But there is also another dark truth to being a photographer, to being a creative. Burn out. Sometimes we get so tired and so exhausted our work becomes tedious and we dread it. In fact to put it in perspective for you until this week, 01/28/2020, I hadn’t charged my camera for two probably almost three months which is a long time for a photographer.
At the end of September 2019 I officially announced my semi-retirement from rodeo which means essentially instead of traveling all around the country photographing rodeos I have decided to do local ones which means maybe 4-6 a year. I became super burnt out on rodeos, I had no desire to go, I rather socialize than spend hours in the dirt capturing the action, I was just exhausted with the rigmarole that came with it and the theft of my work.
Stepping back should help me find the joy in photography again, and taking a few months off should have been enough to recharge my own personal batteries before launching into a new year of photography and work. I don’t think it was, I am still so exhausted on the daily and while I have creative ideas I want to try out finding the time and people to do it is challenging and tiring.
For a while I have even toyed with the idea of finding regular job and doing photography as a freelance thing again. I miss my freelance days, they were different, the clients ever changing and engaging. Not to mention it didn’t become draining. Burn out sucks in that like depression you are drained creatively and its hard to rekindle the flame of creation on most days.
Briar Martin, Mini Bronc and Calf Rider autograph posters
And I feel that a lot sometimes. But the graphic design and using my photography differently help. I do not do hundreds of shoots a year, or chase a photo shoot every weekend. Instead I get to take my images and turn them into something new and creative, my business has become multi-faceted which is fantastic.
So while it is true I haven’t touched or charged my camera and a few months because of the holiday’s. Taking personal time off, a lot is because I have been working on things for my business that has nothing to do with taking new images. I am actively trying to find new ways to fight burn out even though I still secretly wouldn’t mind a regular job where I show up, work and go home and can leave everything there at work.
Downside to being a creative business owner that side of you never turns off no matter where you are or what you are doing.
For those facing burnout, stop and evaluate what you can do to change things up and make it more fun and compelling for you. Doing the samething all the time can be draining, find a variety to fight burnout and good luck!