Growing and improving is so important to me. Each year I invest in some sort of photography related education. Previous years included online newborn workshops, in-person newborn mentoring, editing classes, a course on posing and use of light outdoors, and a huge styled wedding event. This year is a big one! The education investment for 2020 is a self-study business course specifically designed for photographers!! Within moments of watching the first module it was very clear that this course is going to push me out of my comfort zone on a regular basis (and I need that!).
First assignment: get personal. Say WHAT!? JBP was built on beautiful images and great client relationships, without putting my freckled Irish face online a whole lot. So, here we go world! My very first personal blog: Jessica | 5 things you didn’t know.
Jessica: 5 things you didn’t know about the real life person behind JBP
Why Now?
Don’t get me wrong- I am perfectly content hiding behind my camera and computer and just displaying my work! Through this course I realized that, by staying hidden, I am doing a disservice to my business, to myself, to all of my clients (current and future) and to other mammas and photographers out there. If we worked together over the past five years, you know I have some really cool stuff to talk about. Sometimes it’s a lot but it’s usually pretty good, right? I have never really met a stranger and my clients just love me so it’s time to let that part of me shine.
It is offically official. This is my first personal blog post. Not only talking a little bit about myself but showing myself too! Here are five things about me that you may not know followed by an extra image of me for pizazz. (insert jazz hands)
1: Mamma, x6. That’s right, I have six beautiful, wonderfully different kids. My road to motherhood was bumpy, but in the end we ended up with six full term pregnancies and six amazing babes.
2: Mike. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Mike. I will save more on THAT topic for another blog post!
3: I am a baker, not a cook. Mike is the cook in our family- I am simply not that great at it. I can, however, bake. Cookies, cakes, pies, confections- THAT is my wheelhouse.
4: My favorite chips are the ones that are folded in half. I don’t know why. It’s bizarre. But I love them and will pick through a bag of chips and dig out all of the folded ones!
5: I am drawn to pink/sparkly like moth to a flame. My kitchen walls are cotton candy pink (that will be changing soon!). The chairs in the studio are a lovely blush pink microfiber. My business binders are beautiful light pink glitter and my planner is pink (it would be SO much better if it was sparkly!). Yup, I am all girl.
So there you have it- me (more jazz hands)! You will be getting to see and know more about me as I navigate through this business course. I sure hope that my mentor, Katelyn, is proud because this was tough. Her one request for this course is for us to “show up”- guys, I took it literally.
The bandaid is pulled off. The first agonizing step out of my comfort zone has been taken and I am officially outed.
xoxo
Jessica
