Before my visit to UWSP, I went on Instagram to ask for suggestions on what to speak about to college students! I got a handful of amazing suggestions and figured that I should use them for blog posts! One of the greatest questions I received was: how do you set yourself apart from others in the industry? How do you stand out? Oh man, what a good question. When I was speaking to 20-something students, one of the biggest lessons I shared was the process of learning how to be myself while still being professional. Boy, do I have something to say on this subject (and I promise, I will try to keep it short and sweet.) In an industry where everyone looks the same, where the photos blend together and the websites are the same colors and fonts, it can feel impossible to make a name for yourself and be memorable.
When I graduated school and started working my corporate job, I acted how I thought everyone wanted me to act. I bought the clothes, answered the interview questions, decorated my office, and showed up early every morning. In this setting I was always getting feedback and was molded into the perfect executive for the large retailer I worked for. I continued to get feedback that in order to be taken seriously, I needed to act and dress the part. I continued that act as long as I could manage and in that, I feel like I lost what made me, me. They didn’t want a creative young soul, they wanted an efficient executive who was good at executing, who was resilient, who was timely, and professional. It makes perfect sense when you are a company who tries to do more with less but day after day, the things that made me different we tucked under the rug of the office I barely had time to spend in. Many days ended in tears, many times I would close the office door and pretend I wasn’t in it just so I could catch my breath, and many times I forgot about how fun loving and goofy I used to be.
The world tells us to conform – whether directly or indirectly. The ebb and flow of life leads us down the same path as others and like uniformed soldiers we march to our goals in perfectly spaced lines without ever questioning where we are headed. Well, when I finally broke free of the corporate world, I knew I needed to make changes. They didn’t happen overnight, in fact, it took me a couple of years to figure out what it looked like to infuse what made me different into my business. I wanted to conform, I still do conform – it’s easier, safer, and faster… but the truth is, the only thing truly different about my business is me. I started sharing my thoughts on life, I started writing candidly, and relaxed my communication with clients. I told the truth about my life of working from home, shared my struggles in finding a balance between work and life, and admitted that macaroni and cheese is a staple in my lunches. The more I shared, the more people related and I attracted those who were like me and repelled the ones who weren’t interested.
When I started this business I only shared my photos – certainly that’s all people came to my blog for (besides my mom, who has read it everyday.) I was so wrong. People wanted to know me, they wanted to know who was behind the photos and what made her different from every other photographer. I slowly learned that if I wanted to attract clients like me to my business, I had to infuse who I am into every aspect from the initial email to the final hug. My business is an extension of who I am, who I am is part of my business… figuring out that those two mix was a process, but figuring out how to share what you love, who you are, what makes your quirky or unique is all on the path to sharing yourself with the world! Don’t lose yourself in the chase, don’t believe that you have to look a certain way or act a certain way to be successful – the moment you take yourself out of the equation is the moment you allow yourself to blend into the background and I truly believe that you were born to stand out. You are so worth standing out!
Wow! Definitely one of my favorite posts. Extremely thought provoking and deep. Well said!
Jenna, this is so perfectly and eloquently stated. So often we lose ourselves in who we think others want us to be that we forget who we were meant to be, who we are destined to become. What a lovely thing it is to remind everyone to embrace their inner light and let it shine on the world