Defeat or Detour? Shift your mindset, Shift your results.
Today is Tuesday June 4th 2024 and this is my Month 4 and 5 stock report for April and May of this year. On top of talking about the sales I got this month, I want to really acknowledge that unexpected events are part of life, and it's okay to take a break when needed - and that’s one of the beauties of being a stock photographer - it’s really flexible. But more than that - how do you get back on the horse as quickly as possible after the chaos and when you’re brain’s a foggy chaotic mess?
As you know, I've been sharing my stock photography journey with you month by month. Well, things got a little...interrupted these past few months. Life threw some curveballs, and my camera took a back seat…
Now, you could say I’m just making excuses, but the point of these videos is to show ALL the behind the scenes - not just when things go well. Sometimes life gets chaotic - often unexpectedly - and it can knock you for 6. So, today's video is all about navigating those interruptions and my trick for getting back on track as quickly as possible.
SALES + INCOME
For those of you who are mostly interested in the financial side of it, I’ll get through that first - April and May ticked over the same way the first few months did. And I don’t think it helped or hurt my sales to not make any uploads. I made one sale on Adobe in May for 33 cents; 3 sales on Shutterstock also in May and made 30 cents; one image in April on Deposit Photos - that’s my first sale on there and made 17 cents; and no sales on Pond5 or Alamy - I haven’t sold anything on either of those yet.
So that’s a grand total of 80 cents jointly for April and May. And as always, I’m grateful for every step I make on this journey, so I’m going to celebrate my 80 cents anyway. One day it’ll be 80 dollars in a month. And one day it’ll be 80 dollars a day. So I’ll be thankful for every cent that counts towards that.
From Setbacks to Detours: Shifting Your Mindset
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
When we hit setbacks, especially early on in our stock photography journey, it's easy to misinterpret them as stop signs from the Universe, instead of detours. That inner voice saying, 'Maybe this just isn't meant to be for me.' It's like a stretched rubber band snapping back to its comfort zone, pulling us back into old habits.
Now, without going into detail, April and May were taken over with some very heavy family issues and then followed by renovations that were pre-planned… but then we were kicked up the butt straight after that with The Virus That Shall Not Be Named - and that threw us out for the last couple of weeks of May. :( Which leads us here to early June.
Truthfully - the part of me that builds myself up on challenges and goals, felt defeated. And the part of me that’s sharing this all publicly on YouTube especially, felt embarrassed for dropping the ball.
The last few weeks I’ve felt like a chook with my head cut off - still foggy from binging on pizza’s and easy dinners and family sized Malteser packs for almost 2 months straight and then That Big Bad Virus no one likes, also makes everything foggy and unfocused.
Where do I start again? What was I doing towards the end of March? Did I have something planned? Where was I at with EVERYTHING?
But I decided in January that THIS year is my ALL IN.
This year, regardless of setbacks, regardless of whatever happens, I’m going ALL in. So I knew I couldn’t just duck out, pretend I was busy with something more important, and act all “I’m perfect and have my shit together all the time”. Which is why I’m admitting that I’ve basically failed the past 2 months.
Instead, I’ve learned that getting back into the habits that I know work well for me, are the fastest way to get back on the horse. This week I’m slowly taking my waking up time back towards my usual 6am, rather than the getting-over-the-bug 9 or 10 am starts. I’m starting my journaling again first thing in the morning, which helps me calm my brain and gets rid of the anxiety. And I’m improving my eating habits - cutting out the pizza, and I’m at least sharing my malteser packets now… And just so you know I’m not completely bonkers, I also have like 3 cups of coffee before 10am… so yea.
But this is one of my favourite techniques to get me back on track - because I’m naturally scattered - the Spacy-Tracy nickname was well earned. But this - this helps me and maybe it can help you.
It might sound a bit new-agey, but stick with me… visualize your future self. Imagine the version of you who's a total stock photography rockstar – a pro who consistently creates high-quality work and achieves your goals. Now, step into that version of yourself. Take a deep breath, drop your shoulders, sit up straight. Embrace the confidence and dedication this future you possesses. By aligning yourself with this vision, you're actively moving towards becoming that successful photographer, instead of retreating back to your comfort zone.
I do this often in my morning journaling or meditations. After years of feeling scattered between kids, family drama we couldn’t avoid, and then 2020 / 2021 - the world shutting down and turning against each other - it turned me into a wreck, and exacerbated some post natal depression and anxiety. This visualisation actually helps me remember that I’m not a complete dunce. That in my work environment, I’m on the ball, organised, articulate, tidy - I’m professional. And visualising helps remind me that I have that in me, and I can pull myself towards that version of myself.
SO WHAT WILL JUNE LOOK LIKE?
For June, I’m catching up not only on my stock photography, but also family admin, and other commitments I’ve missed during this 2 month period. So I’m not placing big huge goals on myself, but I am visualising myself being focused and feeling accomplished. I still have big goals for the rest of the year - one of which is to serve on this YouTube channel and provide other insights into the life of a homebody photographer who’s working towards going from hobby to pro - and hopefully inspire someone out there to keep going and shine their light into the world too.
Hope your 2024 is going the way you want it to as well - and if not, you can always take the detour. ;)
xx
Tracy
PS: I promised downloads for my morning routine and some books I’m reading that’s helping with my mindset this year… if you get here early - they’re coming! I’ve got to take the youngest to soccer! ;)
