Four days worth of travel. 24 hours of jetlag (Yikes – that’s a REAL struggle!). Ten incredible portrait sessions. Four beautiful Weddings. AND teaching high-risk high schoolers full time. That about sums up my October.
Being a full time teacher is convenient 11 months out of the year when you’re a wedding photographer. But my goodness. That twelfth month – October, it’s a killer. It’s full of stress, late nights, and neglect of everything but your creative business.
So, how did I survive my busiest October yet? Here’s an easy list for all my boss ladies and boss men who are hustling to make dreams a reality.
- Spouse Support
It’s no secret that my Husband is my biggest supporter. I brag about him a lot, and I’m always talking about how that man of mine is always lifting me up. There were plenty of times during the month that I thought I was in over my head and didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I could ALWAYS count on Joshua to remind me why I do what I do and encourage me to give it one more day! If he was just the least bit non supportive, October would not had been as smooth as what it was. If your spouse isn’t supportive, find a friend who can be your cheerleader during stressful times. Someone who will tell you that you’re a rockstar!
2. Outsourcing
I’m too much of a control freak to outsource my editing, but I needed to outsource SOMETHING that took time to complete. So I hired someone to clean my house. And my goodness! I LOVED IT!! I thought that having someone clean my house was ridiculous at first, and completely unnecessary, but quickly changed my mind. The first day that I came home from work and the house was spotless and smelled CLEANED, I was sold. And so thankful that I could spend my time doing other things and not have to worry about making sure my house was dusted and swept. And with three dogs, let’s be real – that alone is a full time job!
3. Staying on top of editing
This one was huge for me. Yes, I was editing EVERY day. But I never fell behind in my editing. I was up late a lot of the time, but I never fell behind and that alone was probably the biggest reason I survived October. The biggest reason why I didn’t drink a bottle of wine a night. The biggest reason by I don’t have gray hair! My October Brides never waited longer than 7 days to get their photos. Yes – even my double header weddings were done within the week of their weddings! The bonus of the late nights – I can go into November RELAXING instead of stressing about weddings that were three weeks prior! Where’s the excitement for me the photographer to edit a wedding when I have three others looming over my head? That thought alone is giving me anxiety!
4. Take a business trip
I know what you’re thinking “why would you take a business trip when it’s the busiest time of your year?!” At the time, I thought it was absolutely STUPID to spend four days away from home, away from my office during October. But now I realize how beneficial it was to take a break. It forced me to take a step back and reevaluate what I’m doing. Think about where I’m at, where i’m going, and where I want to be. Not only was this trip good for my creative soul, but it was amazing for my teaching heart!
Now that we’re two days into November, I’m shaking my head at the thought of how stressed I was on October 1st thinking about the next 31 days. Was October busy? Very! Was I stressed a majority of those 31 days? Yes – more so than I should had been! But did I survive? Of course! I ROCKED October! But not without the support of my husband, hiring someone to clean my home, editing everyday, and a trip to Arizona to spend a couple days with some of my best friends!
Next September, I’m going to set a reminder to read this blog post. Here’s a note to myself: Yes your calendar is full, but that’s because people trust you with their memories. They trust that you’re going to do an amazing job capturing their memories so they can remember them for forever. You’re a rockstar Loren, and just like last year, you’re going to SURVIVE!
to remind myself that even though October is to Photographers what April is to Accountants, it’s still a thrill and honor to take my clients moments and make them everlasting memories to revisit forever!
