These last few weeks have seen a mixture of things going on in my life, mainly new and uncomfortable things, though my business coach keeps telling me that being in discomfort is where you have to be to keep going forward. Hmm! He’s probably right, and it’s reassuring to know that it’s ok to feel uncomfortable at times.
So the first dabble into the unknown came at a networking meeting, and I would be really interested to hear your comments on organised network meetings, not just for me but for other people who are starting to dip their toe in or are trying to work out whether to have a go and if it would help them. It would be good to know if you’ve found them useful, if they have brought you in any extra business or if contacts that you’ve made there have helped you to go forward in your work. So please do leave your thoughts below.
My experiences so far with just one under my belt and another coming up next week; have been good. I have to confess to not being over keen to go when the afternoon came around, just a wee bit of nerves of having to work a room. However, this meeting was lovely and informal and within a minute of walking in I had found a person who is a virtual P.A. meaning that now when I take a few days off I have someone that I can get to check my emails twice a day and respond to any queries. Now I can have a proper holiday and switch off knowing my correspondence is in good hands.
This lady had connections beyond the secretarial and within minutes of conversation she is giving me useful contacts for Healing with Photography and then a little scarily suggesting that I talk to as many people as possible in the room to promote me. When I walked in there had been about 10 people present, as I looked up now there were at least 20; I was saved temporarily by the bell of the presentations starting. If there is one thing that does bug me about the networking groups I’ve looked at, it is that virtually all of them require huge sign up fees and then on top of that, fees for attending the meetings. I really feel like I want to quiz someone first on where the membership money is going.
This particular networking group that I attended at RedShift Radio – and it’s a rare organisation that doesn’t charge meeting fees – is particularly close to my heart; as the name suggests its part of a community radio station, which is the type of radio station where I started my career in radio.
Remember I mentioned being out of my comfort zone. How are you as photographer’s if someone starts pointing a camera at you and expects you to pose in all manner of positions? Does it feel awkward because you are out of your comfort zone and no longer in control.
Well for me, when I accepted an invitation to be a guest on a show at the station, the thought of not being the interviewee rather than interviewer was quite frightening. I turned to some EFT therapy and within minutes I had taken the anxiety away and couldn’t wait for the day to arrive and had great fun. I was happy to back in familiar surroundings that had given me so much fun, not to mention the host put me at ease and had me making all manner of confessions about me and my life by the end of the interview. Thankfully no replays are available for you to be able to listen to!
I have one or two more networking groups to check out too, and a top tip, if you are going to one for the first time, have something short and interesting to say about you and your company. Inevitably you will at some point be asked to introduce yourself; if you can be prepared it’ll stop your mouth drying up. When I say short I would think about one to two minutes or so, anything more and people have mentally switched off, and the people who are next to speak might be more focused on what they have to say anyway. Less is more; remember they can always search you out afterwards to find out more about you.
And finally to complete my theme of discomfort, the bank holiday weekend saw me digging my talon like finger nails into my boyfriend’s legs as he took photos of eagles and red kites flying over us at a birds of prey park. As the kites flew over us and I managed to convince myself that we were too big to eat, and with quite a few requests issued upstairs to keep us safe, I was actually very glad that I had been brave enough to sit through this stunning display; I think in this at least, I can start to feel comfortable when we go back for return visits.
*The Current Photographer website contains links to our affiliate partners. Purchasing products and services through these links helps support our efforts to bring you the quality information you love and there’s no additional cost to you.
Living in the beautiful rural county of Yorkshire it was perhaps natural for Ruth to have an affinity with the countryside and its wildlife. Creativity is Ruth’s driving force finding an outlet in television & radio she worked for many years as producer for BBC & ITV.
However a love of photography and for being surrounded by nature called her to go back to her photography training and bring pleasure and joy to people through her connection with our planet.
Staying in the moment when taking her images allows her to experience the natural magnificence unfolding before her eyes. It is this moment of mediation, of gratitude, that she evocatively conveys through her images.