This industry of mine is so beautiful! When I first entered into it, I was so intimidated. How in the world can a self-taught photographer make it in this industry full of gorgeous photographers! As I got more into photography and deeper within the industry, I started to meet my “competition” which is what I used to think. I’ve always been a competitive person by nature. I just knew this industry would be no different. But I was wrong, so very wrong. The industry, at least in Chicago, is full of the most beautiful, wonderful, sweetest men and women around. Where I thought I’d meet competitiveness and greed, I was greeted with openness and advice. I’m so proud of the industry that I am part of!

I follow a few photographer’s blogs, reading their newsletters, etc. One in particular that struck a chord with me today is a blog post that Christina Greves. She wrote an inspiring post to other photographers about “29 Powerful + Motivating Tips” to help change your thinking. Sure everything she wrote about is common sense to me, but in a creative industry we often get caught up in false realities. In our own critique, our own creative funks. She challenged those reading the post to take 3 things that hit deepest with us and write them down to remind us of the truths! What a beautiful idea! So today, today I chose these three as a reminder to focus on me and what I’m doing, and to always stay positive about myself <3

1 // “Failing is not failing – it’s learning. Failure mostly happens when you step out into unknown territory and experiment with things – what you learn from this is valuable. The sooner you fail, the sooner you can not fail.”

2 // “The moment you realize that being creative is about enjoying the process – not the end result, then you’ll truly boost your creative mind! Getting caught up in perfectionism will slowly drain you from creative energy!”

AND finally, the one that hit home the most…

3 // “Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every photographer has his/her own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never “arrive.” No one ever does.”

Photo credit // the fabulous and ever-so talented Britta Marie Photography