As I sit here writing this, I’m chuckling just a little :) I mean, it’s almost March meaning we’re 2 full months into 2016. BUT better late than never right? I’ve always described myself as a Type A personality in a Type B mind. I’d like to think I have some of the creativity that comes with Type B and many moments of being able to sit back and relax. But guys, let’s be serious. I have a a hard time sitting still. I’m a list maker. I’m a list crosser-offer (is that a thing?). I sometimes make lists and put items I already did on them JUST to cross them off. I’m kinda obsessed! I’ve always kept a list for myself. A short list of what goals I want to meet for the year. But in the past, as you know, my goals and ambitions had to kinda be small because I was sharing my photography career with a full-time job plus I was pregnant so my time and physical abilities to meet some of the goals were also limited :)

But this year, babes? This year is going to be amazing. It’s a huge year for me. You see, it’s the first full year where I don’t have to share my title of wedding photographer with any other job. It’s also the first full year that I’ll be a momma :) In some weird way, I feel like this year I’m truly starting fresh! I am so excited for what’s in store!

So without further adieu… and before March hits, here’s my goals for 2016 – both for Jenna the photographer and Jenna the person <3 What are you goals this year?

 

Jenna the Photographer //

— Expand my service area — We have family in Denver, Colorado + San Diego, California! Moving forward, I’ll be offering to work as a local photographer to any weddings inquiring from those areas <3 That means no travel fees, so let’s make some pretty happen!

— Book a destination wedding — I’m dying to book a destination wedding! Do you know someone getting married in Hawai’i, Mexico, Europe, Jamaica? I’m offering special discounts for couples with destination weddings in select locations!

— Add 3 more weddings this year — I keep revising my goal of how many weddings I want to take on this year. With it being my first year where I’m not also doing another 72 hour a week job, well it has me thinking that I can be superwoman! But I’m trying to stay level-headed and max out my year once I have 3 more! So if your wedding is this year, be sure to reach out soon <3

— Better manage my calendar — 2015 was all sorts of busy. I had set out to have a more set and clear schedule, allowing me days off to be with my family… or you know… just to have time to do nothing or maybe sleep? But instead, I found the soft spot of my heart having a hard time turning away people that wanted a session. I filled up all my off days, resulting in me being way overbooked and utterly exhausted. From July until late December, all that I had time to get done was making timelines for my couples, shooting engagement sessions and weddings, editing photos, and responding to inquiries. Every other aspect of my business suffered (as you’ll probably sense the theme as you read through my goals, haha!). This year, I will have set business hours. And after those hours, I’m stepping away from the computer, stepping away from emails, and just relaxing and being with my family! And once my calendar is booked up for the year, I won’t be taking on any other sessions. You can do it, Jenna. You can do it!

— Simplify my workflow — Now that busy season is over, I’ve been able to reevaluate my workflow for weddings. I’ve discovered that often times, I select the more complex route of getting something done. I am working to simplify everything I do, which will hopefully allow the next goal to happen more easily and closer to the actual event dates (versus, oh, like 3-4 months later which is what’s happening now!).

— Blog regularly (3-5x per week) — If you follow me anywhere via social media, you’ll know how real the struggle is on the blog front. Last year I was so incredibly busy that certain aspects of my business fell away on the importance ladder. And blogging, well it was sadly one of them. But babes, I LOVE blogging. I want to show you more of the beautiful people that I’ve met through doing this passion of mine. So here’s to this year <3 I got this.

— Blog from the heart — As I’m doing my best to play catch up from last busy season, I’ve found that it’s pretty much only photos that I’m blogging. Let me reiterate, I LOVE blogging. I actually love writing. I find a lot of comfort in it. It’s where I turn to in times of happiness or sadness. I have so many blog post drafts that I wrote but haven’t had time to post! I want you guys to know more of what makes me me <3 So here’s to sharing more than just pretty photos on the blog this year <3

— Shoot film 2-3x a month — As you may have read on the blog here, I now shoot film and couldn’t be more excited! I won’t go into details about why I love it so – you can read that here. But I’m obsessed! I want to make it a point to bring it to every engagement session and/or wedding to shoot at least a roll. It’s of course dependent on the weather that day, where we’re at, and (for weddings specifically) if the timeline has extra room since shooting film is a slowed down process from the fast-paced digital!

— Submit weddings to publications — This has been an area that makes me so sad. I’m so proud of the weddings I shoot and want nothing more than to show everyone and have my couples featured. But with how busy I was, I simply wasn’t able to find time to do this regularly.

— Organize and complete a styled shoot — I’ve wanted to do one of these forever but, to the common theme of this to-do list, I simply haven’t had the time. But this year I’m hoping it’ll happen. I’ve started some planning with a group of ladies, so here’s to getting a gorgeous one done this year! I love collabing with creatives and having the freedom to be creative without restrictions <3

— Get featured on Style Me Pretty — Ah, a dream. Yes please.

— Design and print a sample album — Aye. I have the most gorgeous albums for my couples, but I have yet to design one for myself as a sample!

— Attend a workshop — I’m all about learning! I’m 100% self-taught and have never attended a workshop, but have been dying to. You get so much from attending an intimate workshop – in-depth critique of your work, new techniques to shooting or styling, etc. I had planned on going to one for the past year, but with having the babe, well, I can’t be too far from him for more than 10 hours and 100% of the ones I want to attend are across the country. I’m hoping to find one late this fall to attend <3

— Become a mentor — Coming from a person who taught herself everything, I was always envious of others that had close friends mentoring them. Selfishly, I thought of how much hard work I spent to get where I was and how much time I invested trying to educate myself about, well, everything about this business. But once I reached a certain point in my mental maturity, I realized it’s silly to feel that way. Teaching yourself is hard work. Legit. Having someone to mentor you is huge. What I’ve learned about the photography community over the years is that it’s all about #communityovercompetition. It’s about helping each other grow. To celebrate each other’s successes without questioning your own. And so to that, I’m hoping this year to either do some one-on-one mentoring or (hopefully) host a workshop in the fall. Now just to decide the topic! Something geared towards people starting out maybe? Let me know what you think!

— Attend more networking events — I attended a couple this year and they were fabulous! I love meeting others in the wedding industry, and of course, meeting other photographers! Believe it or not, photographers in Chicago are all friends with each other :)

— Revamp my SEO — Long. Time. Coming. My SEO has been on my to-do list for awhile, but it’s been pushed back each time I have a great idea to update my website/blog design. But this year, this is one of the top priorities! I understand SEO but am turning to the professionals to revamp my site, making me easier to find online!

— Better my client experience — This one isn’t what it sounds like. It’s actually more about bettering my packaging and creating a better overall visual experience for my clients that’s representative of my brand.

— Learn calligraphy — I’m obsessed with it and can’t wait to learn!

— Keep on top of bookkeeping — I did so good at this for most of 2015… that is, until the fall busy season hit. Then it all went out the window! I ended up having to do a bit of work come January to get everything ready for taxes – the bonus of being self-employed (#saidnooneever). This year, though, I’ll be doing quarterly taxes which should help me keep on top of things!

— Stop being my own worst enemy — This. All of this. Being in the creative industry and owning your own business is tough. Real tough. It’s a roller coaster of emotions. One day, you’re feeling so proud of your business and your work and just floating on cloud 9. Then the next day, you’re doubting everything you are and think that your work is awful. No joke. It’s a cyclical thing, and it’s awful. And, while we try so hard not to, you find yourself comparing you and your work to others. Their branding, their style, the weddings they’re shooting. It’s so easy to beat yourself down without realizing you’re doing it. I’m going to try to hard to keep positive and focus on all the sweet words I’ve heard. And to celebrate other’s successes without questioning my own.

Jenna the Person //

— Buy our first home — Ahem, this one will have an update soon ;)

— Read more — Pregnancy brain was no joke. And much to my dismay, it didn’t go away after I had the babe. Instead, it turned into mommy brain. Aye. I so miss having my old brain. You know, the intelligent one that could formulate comprehensible sentences. I swear, thoughts are pretty clear in my mind. But the connection from my mind to my mouth? Yea, there’s some faulty wire in there :) I’m hoping that doing things like reading will help get my mind fresh again. Plus I love reading! It’s relaxing and helps bring about a greater sense of creativity! Any new books you recommend to read??

— Take pictures of the babe and fam… not on my iPhone — On my phone, I have thousands of pictures of him. But I only take my big girl camera out once a month to take his monthly pics. I really need to take it out more often to capture all the sweet ways he’s changing <3 And I want to shoot him more on film, because well… it’s film.

— Get family pictures done 2x per year — I’ve always obvi thought that getting family pictures is important, but now with the babe and seeing how fast he grows, well it’s more important than ever!

— Get a tattoo — I have about 4 different tattoos that I’ve wanted for years but have put it off. I swear at least one is happening this year!

— Work out regularly (3-5x per week) — This is just plain embarrassing. I can’t tell you the last time that I consistently worked out. I’ll work out here or there, then get back into the habit of not working out. I really need to take better care of myself while I’m young :)

— Travel — We have immediate family in both Colorado and San Diego. I mean, hellooooooo. In the past, we’ve only been able to take one trip a year. But now with my more flexible schedule and Jake’s great vacation time, we’re making it a point to travel to see them more. We already have a trip this April planned to head back out to San Diego. Then in July, we’re heading to Hawai’i for 2 weeks to celebrate our 5 year anniversary :)

— Plan the babe’s 1st birthday party — Don’t get me started. Even typing this was a challenge. I refuse to believe that my babe is going to be 1 year old in 3 months. Refuse.

— Be a good mommy to the babe — I can’t wait to be able to spend more time with him, teaching him about the good in the world. Helping him discover all the cool things he can do. Showing him what unconditional love is. And just being his mommy.

— Be a good mommy to the puppy — This poor pup. We used to take her outside to play all the time. But between having the babe and my overbooked busy season, well she sadly didn’t get a chance to stretch her legs as much as we wanted. But she looooooves playing soccer, so we’ve made it a point to go outside with her every chance we can <3

— Live in the moment — This has been one of the most refreshing things that having a babe has taught me. That we all spend way too much time behind our phones. Worrying about what others are doing in their lives. I’ve been working really hard to be in the moment. To see and feel and remember life exactly how it is right now. To make memories.