So Many Questions

I've been trying to get into a more serious mind set regarding my photography in the last few months. Whether you are an artist, photographer, musician, etc, the process of perfecting your craft is easy. Practice, practice, practice, research, try new things, fail, learn, and practice, practice, practice. This is the fun part and it comes effortlessly to me.

A friend of a friend asked me to photograph his wedding this September. After accepting his offer, a few friends made some suggestions to me. Such as, create business card before the event, and research wedding photography contracts and write one up in order to keep the process "legit" and "cover your ass."

Since I started contemplating on how, exactly, does an artist turn his or her craft into a business, I've raised more questions than I've answered. How do you establish an LLC? Should I worry about business cards before or after I establish an LLC? Can I even legally take photos of the wedding in September without being an LLC? If an old lady trips over my tripod, am I responsible for her potential injuries? How does one market their art, product, services? Who is even interested in your work? How much should you charge for your services? What is taxable and who is responsible for paying those taxes--you or the customer? How much money am I looking at investing before I can call myself a "professional?" If, at this point, you are a mainly self-taught photographer, will anyone take you seriously? Should I even be concerned with these things yet? Is there a human being out there with any of these answers or do I have really have to Google everything?

Since I'm starting with almost nothing (minimal cash, equipment, experience, etc), trying to take all these things into consideration can be a bit overwhelming. For every step I take, I feel three steps behind. I often wonder if aspiring to be a professional artist is merely a pipe dream, but as often as that thought occurs, I clear it from my head. So, I keep reading, researching, asking questions, practicing, and attempting to take the next step.

Turning Over the Same Leaf

I'm trying to blog...again. Consistently this time!

So, here's the story:

For the last few years I've been trying to grow up, get my act together, and make something of myself. I finished my GED testing, then started college after being laid off from my dead-end job as a baker at a franchise coffee shop. My plan seemed as solid as any: Go back to school, acquire a certificate in Phlebotomy from the Community College of Rhode Island, then get back to work. I didn't want another soul-sucking job...unless it offered health care, 401k, and paid time off. 

My plan backfired. After applying to the Phlebotomy program twice, I still haven't been accepted. However, for the first time in my life, I want to finish something. So, I decided to go ahead and get an Associate's degree. My theory from the start was that if I was going to go back to school, I was going to take at least one class a semester that I wanted to take. That first desired course was Digital Photography and it slowly began changing the direction I wanted to run in. Taking that course made me feel alive for the first time in a long time. I was spending more hours focusing on art than I had in years. Going to class meant being able to use other artists as a sounding board and my creativity was resurrected. All of my good intentions of joining the "real world" started to wash away.

The person I was ten years ago would have kicked my ass for trying so desperately to have a generic life that involved decent wages, benefits, and security. Although, the person I was ten years ago, while wise beyond her years, still lacked direction and life experience. So, I decided to find a happy medium. I would finish school, keep trying to get my Phlebotomy certification, and in every other free second I had, I would focus on photography. Why would I keep trying to have a day job? Well, as an aspiring actress once said to me, "You need to support your art until your art can support you."


While still under construction, some of my work can be viewed here.