The other day I went to visit the eye doctor. I guess you're supposed to go every year if you have prescription glasses, but it had been about 5 years. In fact, prior to this, I've only ever been to the eye doctor once, and it was when I got glasses for the first time.
Glasses are designed to help you see. They help you focus the light, so that the world around you is sharp and crisp - instead of blurry. You wear them, and they bring the world back in to focus. I'm not blind, so I didn't have to always wear my glasses, just when I drive, or at night. I'd wear them when I was at the movies, or when I was watching a game on TV.
The biggest problem I had with them was when I was shooting weddings. When I look through the camera, everything was tack sharp. I was able to compensate for my slight myopia by adjusting the diopter in my camera, and everything was in focus.
The issue was that when I brought the camera down, everything was dramatically out of focus for me. I think this is actually true for more and more photographers - at least metaphorically speaking. So many photographers have invested so much in their art. They invest in their cameras, and lenses, and software, and computers, and shooting workshops, and the images and work they produce is incredible.
The problem is, once it gets past the photography - once they bring the camera down - there is so much about their business that seems like a blur. There's so much that can be not only overwhelming - but beyond their ability to focus. It's easy to think that it's all about our photography. It's easy to think that if we're great photographers, we'll be successful. In reality, the difference between success and failure is the ability to focus on, understand, and grow our business.
This week I got contacts. Contacts are hard work - especially at first. They are hard to get in and out, and you end up poking yourself in the eye a lot - and that's no fun at all. It takes practice, and practice is hard. But the benefit is worth it. Whether I'm shooting, or driving, or whatever - I'm able to see. It's something totally new, and it takes a change in my routine and behavior, but contacts help me see differently. They help me see better.
What would it be worth to you to see more clearly. To have your business in focus - to know your plan and execute on the strategy. What would it be worth to change your behavior, and put in place routines and systems that help you keep focused on building something REAL, beyond your photographs.
That's what this blog, and the ONE DAY INTENSIVES are all about. It's an intense look at your business, from the inside out. It's about changing behaviors and putting into place best practices that will help keep you intensely focused on building a successful business around this photography thing you do.
I'd love to see you at any of the upcoming INTENSIVES. I'll be in Chicago next week, and Vegas for WPPI (and there are still spots available at both of these locations). There are also a handful of other cities coming up in the next few months (including the newest location - PHOENIX in April).
The VEGAS INTENSIVE @ WPPI, is designed to be a laser focused (no pun intended) 4.5 hour dive into the foundation of what can help get you going, and I'd love for you to join me.
You can find information about any of the workshops here, and you can register here. You can also see for yourself what people who have been through the intensives are saying about them. Just scroll down to the bottom of the workshops page.
I'd love to meet you next week, or in Vegas!
