“The truth of the matter is, if you want to find success outside the norm, you really have to fine-tune your skills and become incredibly good at what you do. If you’re going to get in the ring, babe, you better know how to box.”

– Kelly Cuttrone : Normal Gets You Nowhere 

Owning a business is a lot like fine-tuning yourself every single day of your life. It is like being on a walk of discovery where you continue to define what it is you are after and where you want to go. Being in a super saturated business like photography, you have to continue to push the barriers of what people expect and continue to define your place in the market. As I look back when I was starting out, I can definitely see a Jenna who wasn’t positive which direction she wanted to go, a girl who had a dream to shoot life through her camera, and to tell stories with how she saw the world. I didn’t necessarily see a strong business woman who had any sort of clue about how she planned to make waves in the industry and change her own little world to reflect the life she wanted to live and share. Each and every day is a chance to continue to build the business (and life) that I have always dreamed of. Narrowing the scope of work, focusing on working with my ideal clients, shooting what I want to shoot, seeking inspiration in the ordinary… these all ways that I am continuing to grow this pretty little dream. 

Going back through my kindle and re-reading the highlights I have made throughout the books that have helped shape my world in recent years, I stumbled upon this quote from Kelly Cuttrone, a tell-it-like-it-is, PR maven. We are never ever done learning, there is always something new, something better, something greater that comes out on the daily. We could quickly fall behind in a moments notice. I am a true believer in learning your craft, in continuing your education, in perfecting your art, in challenging your skill. I literally keep my camera on my nightstand so that at a moments notice I can shoot, practice, try. In a creative world it is far to easy to get caught up in the business operations and let your gear collect dust. The way around that is to challenge yourself to shoot, to see, to create daily. I am so so excited to use some of the new techniques, gear, and inspiration that I have been pouring through during this off season. I have grown leaps and bounds and to be able to curate with this new knowledge is nothing short of exciting. 

I don’t want to run a standard wedding photography business – there are millions of individuals who do that. I want to run the kind of business that makes me excited for Monday, that leaves me yearning for more time with my couples, that leaves me eager to pick up my camera and create art. I want to shock people, I want to attract people, I want to repel people: that means I am not doing the norm. Normal gets you nowhere friends, life isn’t about playing it safe and to me safe is boring. To stay inspired, I need challenge, change, I need to push myself. Want more on this subject? Read this recent post, it made waves: click here.

Don’t settle for ordinary friends… in any aspect of your life. Learn, practice, desire to do more. In order to be at the top you need to be incredibly good at what you do. There are far too many who go with the flow, who never push the boundaries, or question the norm… it needs to change. We didn’t get into a creative industry to conform… well, at least I didn’t. Let’s get out there and change this world, the world needs people who have come alive – what do you say? Let’s live out loud.

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