My work from home survival guide...

Working from home takes some getting used to.
As I roll over to slam the snooze just one more time, I peek through the blur of my eyelashes and realize that it's NOON. I make the conscience decision to lay in bed just a few more minutes, besides I can just stay up really late to get all the work done and that will be fine.

I get up, make coffee, sit on the couch and watch an episode of Modern Family, then meander upstairs to the office. I sit Indian-style in my chair and spend the first 3 hours of the work day reading blogs and surfing pinterest. So you can probably see by now, my level of efficiency wasn't so stellar. It was a constant inner-struggle of weighing priorities against instant gratification. And the latter won the battle MOST of the time.

That has all changed.

Now,  this is how I work from home:
I set my alarm for 8 or 8:30, I wake up and usually go to the Y or do some sort of workout. We make coffee and have some sort of breakfast. We MIGHT watch a 10 minute clip of an episode or movie on netflix while we eat, but not always. Then we get dressed. We're in the office, diving into the work by 9:30 or 10am on most days.
There are times when it's a struggle to stay focused. For those days we have a few little things that save us from getting lost in that 'pinterest, stare-out-the-window, mind wander'.

Here is my work from home survival guide, EXPOSED for all to see.

1. My Mac book lets me go. GO. I work from the couch, from the patio, from the bed....wherever I want! My Blackberry keeps me super organized, and my iPod with Pandora keeps me sane.
2. Breyer's Chocolate Raspberry ice cream as an after lunch pick me up has become a regular routine!
3. My running shoes...or more so what they allow me to do. On a stressful day I step outside and walk around the block just to get my mind sorted out.
4. COFFEE!! We use a french press, so that makes the experience deliciously more fun!
5. My exercise band. This thing does everything. Release aggression, build strength, stretch. If you don't have one, GET ONE. You can get a nice little workout or just bump up your mood in 5 minutes with this thing!
6. ABC.COM is my friend. I can edit, email, blog or whatever with my favorite shows playing on the laptop next to me. This is good for days when music isn't cutting it.
7. Noise cancelling head phones. There are days when I wear them and I'm not even listening to anything. They just ground you, attach you to your own thoughts. I highly recommend these if you share an office with someone.
8. My "sippy cup" as we call them. Justin and I have about 5 of these. They're insulated plastic and keep ice water cold for hours. This keeps me hydrated because I tend to not drink a whole lot when I'm just sitting and busy. I fill this up in the morning, at lunch and that's enough water for the whole day!

Some other secrets:
-We record our hours worked with an online software called Toggl.
-We stopped reacting to each situation as it appeared and started scheduling and planning. It's easy to sit down and reply to every email every day, or each text or facebook comment, or each inquiry individually. We realized the days that we did that were the days we felt the most disconnected from our business. We now have allotted times for responding to messages, etc.
-We reserve free time during the work process. If I finish a big task, like make it through culling a collection of images, I can spend 10 minutes reading a blog or watching a cool video. Rewarding productive behavior has been one of the strongest motivators we've introduced into our workday!
- We take breaks and stretch, we turn the music up and we dance. And we play with the cats everyday!!

What are your work from home survival items [or secrets]?

The final product + glue sticks.

I absolutely love sending out the final image disks to clients. I get elated imaging what it must be like to open up the package and see all the personalized materials and relive the special moments of the wedding day in digital form. I love it so much I can't stand it!

Right now, I use a simple system of printed labels on generic old CDs with, of course, a handwritten 'Thank You' note in a bubble pack. And lots of glue sticks. I love glue sticks. This client got lucky and I had some left over boutique packaging to "regift".


I'd like to get some insider details from other photographers. Next season, I think I might use USB drives instead of CDs, or find some other way to package and display the items. DVDs vs CDs? What do you use? What companies are out there for this type of material? Any cool ideas to share?

 Leave your comments here, or email me privately @ mallory@mauicreativedesign.com

Thanks!
Happy Thursday!!

Helping hands in this industry.

Photographers are cut throat. Most of the young photographers I have met are a lot like me, struggling to find their niche, their own brand, and a style they can stick with. The industry is so heavily saturated with professional photographers, and amateurs gaining valuable experience quickly (like me) that it's hard to differentiate. Photographers that have been in business for 15, 20+ years are starting to reconstruct their practices because the industry has made a rapid sprint towards social media, networking and branding rather than the old staple of canvas backdrops and studio lighting.

As I lay in bed last night recalling all the blogs written by inspiring photographers that I have been reading, about what the jump from "career" or "school" to full time photographer is like for people, I felt glad. Glad that I had virtually nothing to lose. I was an ambitious 25 year old who was finally finishing her bachelor's degree, I worked in a restaurant and got paid enough to make my house payment. That was all I had. I didn't give up much to make the change. And as I look back sometimes I wonder what actually gave me the big push to go "full time". I think it was an evolution; of my skills, of my client base, and of my interest in the medium. As I learned more, I loved it more. I have many people and blogs to credit for my photography education! Its thanks to the many talented photographers who began posting insider details on blogs, and putting tutorials on youtube and before and after post processing shots in their portfolios. It is them I thank for my education. But my business sense I learned from my own experience. I learned from the mistakes and misfortunes of others in customer service, because after all that's what this business is. I knew from my parents that owning a small business was work. Hard, long work. I knew that my conversations at the dinner table would slowly change from weekend plans to details about current projects. That my time at home was spent at a desk, though in my pjs, I was still working as hard as the lady in the next cubicle would be at a real office. I knew my heart and my soul would be exposed for all to see, and that my morals and ethics would be the staples of my operation. I knew I needed a solid foundation to stand on, only because I've seen what happens when you build on unstable ground. It was this knowledge that lit my path in the beginning. My history and my previous experience in many different businesses, some failing and some successful guided me through the evolution of hobby to business.

It wasn't until I heard of Jasmine Star that I had read about those same ideals and concepts so readily and so thorough, published for all to see, for the photography industry. She's no holds barred. She never claims to know it all, she only presents it just as she has experienced it, for you to read and gather what you wish, and leave the rest behind for someone else.

While she is inspiring, this post isn't about J* in particular, it's about the helping hands of this industry as a whole. Jasmine Star may or may not make up more than 50% of that in my opinion, but it's for all of those inspiring photographers who put themselves out their. It's also about my attempts to be a part of that movement. My goal in writing a blog is for exposure, for my work, but most of all for my personality, as much as it is a mental release and a journal. In a world where quality, above-and-beyond customer service comes by about as often as leap year, I hope to give clients a good idea of what working with me would be like. And in that to like it, or leave it. So, I will continue to voice my opinions, and give advice though I may hardly seem credible. I will continue to educate others of skills and trades I have learned. Why? Because if you were a friend or a stranger, sitting right here in this room, I would do that for you. I bag strangers groceries in the self-checkout lane because they're busy with their 3 small children. I tell people about products I use when they're shopping in the same aisle for like items at Target. I tell people when the dress I'm wearing cost $3 at goodwill. I hope that my helpful gestures are passed on from that person, to another. And the same goes for this industry.

A helping hand goes along way spread by word of mouth, or "word of mouse" (as J* says).

Spread the love:
Jasmine Star, Starting a Photography Business blog post | 7.27.2011


Happy Wednesday!