#Roadto100Rejections

I’ve always felt lucky to be on a teachers schedule. As teachers, we get to start our career over every single year. The past is the past and the next year is a completely blank slate. What’s crazy about this next year, is that I actually won’t be a teacher at all (surprise!). I’ll be taking on an administrative role. Oh, and the role is part-time. That means…

I’m giving all I’ve got to my photography. 

What’s interesting though, is that I’m having trouble starting. I know there are other creators out there who feel the same way I do, so I going to share my thoughts and how I plan on tackling them. Maybe it’ll help you too.

It’s summer break and I have allllllll day to look for photo jobs and opportunities. Like, all day. I’m so bored already. The problem is, every morning, I walk around and straighten the house. I sweep the floors (they’re not that dirty), put away the two dishes in the sink, tidy the bathroom – Oh! Now I need to sort through and organize the medicine cabinet – it’s like… I’m doing everything I possibly can to AVOID looking for work. 

Have you ever done that?

It’s something I WANT to do. I want more than anything to work as a photographer. It’s the whole, throwing-myself-out-there thing that’s getting in the way. I highly doubt my skills. The all too common “impostor syndrome” – fear of being exposed as a ‘fraud.’

So here’s how I’m going to deal with it: #Roadto100Rejections

That’s right, I’m going to put myself out there with the goal of being rejected 100 times. Rejection will be an ACHIEVEMENT. I’ll HAPPILY tally each rejection until I get to 100. I chose 100 because that adds up to about 4 rejections a week between now and the end of 2019. I’ll also be counting non-responses as rejections. Silent rejections.

You’re probably thinking, why not 500 rejections? Why not 1,000?! 4 a week is because I’m only sending out emails to people/companies that I think I could really help. I’m not just spamming every single Instagram account with the same generic message. For each approach, I’m carefully examining the photos they currently have and where I think they could go with some of my photography. 4 in a week is quality, not quantity. 

I’ll be sharing updates on Instagram and Twitter using the tag #Roadto100Rejections. Please follow along, comment with your similar thoughts and feelings. I KNOW I’m not alone out there. 

That being said, I feel like the appropriate way to end this is with my pitch!

If you feel like your company would benefit from more visual content, let me know! I’m currently doing photos at a rate of $45 for one hour. In that hour, I’ll produce at least 30 images for you to use however you’d like!

A quick list of some of the things I can do include:

• Photos for social media and websites
• Fun videos / photos for Instagram stories
• Photo and documentation of events / farmers markets / restaurant openings
• Product photography for new items / restaurant menus
• Personalized blogs as a guest writer or to promote your brand
• Headshots of employees for websites

The list goes on! Please let me know if you have any questions! I’m open to whatever you need.

In the meantime, you can view my social media work @discoveringATX (.com) and my photography portfolio at kphilphoto.com.

I look forward to working with you,
Kelly
DiscoveringATX@gmail.com // 661-599-4132

If I don’t get any business from this post, I’ll happily count it as a rejection 🙂