Episode 26 - When You Forget Why You Started, Listen to This

When You Forget Why You Started, Listen to This

Hello my friends and welcome back to the Photography Breakthrough Podcast. I’m Matthew, and today’s episode is a little different. It’s not about strategy. It’s not about booking more clients, although everything we’re talking about today will help with that in the long run.

Today, it’s for your heart, because I know that being a photographer isn’t just a job for you. It’s not just about making money, although yes, you deserve to be paid well. But somewhere deep down, photography became part of how you understand the world, how you see people, how you feel connected to something bigger. And when the bookings slow down, when the algorithm isn’t your friend, when you’re comparing yourself to everyone else who seems to be doing better, it’s easy to forget why you picked up the camera in the first place.

So, let’s get real for a second. Let me ask you something. When was the last time you took pictures just for you? Not for the gram. Not for a paying client. Not for your portfolio. Just because something moved you. Because light hit someone’s face in a way that made your heart skip. Because your gut said, capture this.

If it’s been a while, you are not alone.

A lot of photographers go through seasons of burnout, creative exhaustion, quiet resentment. We give everything to our clients. We show up with energy. We edit into the wee hours of the night, and slowly we forget to feed the artist inside us. But here’s the truth. You can’t pour magic into your client work if you’re bone dry inside.

You have to shoot for your soul. You have to make images for you.

Isn’t that why you picked up the camera in the first place? In the very beginning it was for you.

So today, I want to help you come back to that spark. Let’s go back to the beginning. Do me a favor, close your eyes, unless you’re driving of course, or in the gym on the treadmill. But if you get a moment, find the time and close your eyes and imagine this.

You are holding your very first camera. It’s clunky. You don’t know what you’re doing, but you feel something. The possibility. The idea that you can freeze time. That you can show someone how beautiful they really are. You’re not thinking about pricing or marketing or email funnels or any of the business stuff. You just love photography. You are thinking, wow, I get to do this.

That feeling is your anchor. That’s your breakthrough. Not just as a photography business owner, but as an artist. You didn’t choose photography just to pay the bills. You chose it because something in you knew this is how I show love to the world. That feeling needs to be protected.

I want you to understand something. The soul work is the real work.

What if I told you that the most profitable thing you can do this week was to plan a shoot just for you? No rules. No pressure. Just art.

Maybe it’s photographing your aging parents. Maybe it’s photographing your siblings. Maybe it’s photographing you doing something you do every day, but you’ve never taken a picture of that moment, like drinking your first glass of water or brushing your teeth. A self-portrait of you doing what you do every single day, but make it fun, just for you.

Maybe it’s capturing a picture of a friend the way you see them. Not for them, but for you. Or maybe it’s really just a real self-portrait, yes, even if that terrifies you. Or maybe it’s a stranger on the street, or a dancer, a poet, a farmer, whoever lights you up.

Now, there are some rules to this. Don’t shoot this for social media. Shoot it just for your spirit. Because when you feel, your work feels. And when your work feels, it connects. That’s what builds word of mouth. That’s what clients remember. That’s what sets you apart.

So what does that look like? Recently, at the end of the month last year, I was on a trip. It was my first trip ever to Africa, to Kenya. It’s the end of the day. We’re out on the savannah and the sun is setting. I’ve seen a million beautiful sunsets in my life, but my first sunset in Africa, in Kenya, was the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen in my life. I am not kidding. I have never seen a sunset quite like this. I was frozen. It spoke to my soul.

Moments like that are just for you, and they remind you why you picked up the camera in the first place. Those moments connect with your soul.

Your soul work is what builds word of mouth. That’s what clients remember. That’s what sets you apart. So please don’t think shooting for yourself, shooting for your soul, is selfish. It’s essential maintenance. It is essential maintenance for a photographer who wants longevity.

If you are in a rough season right now, I want you to know this is not the end of your story. You are not behind. You are not failing. You are becoming. Every great artist I’ve ever known has had seasons where the flame burned low. But it always came back when they made space for themselves again.

So here’s your invitation. Create something this week that has no purpose except to bring you back to life. And if you need that permission, you just got it.

Here’s what I’ve seen happen over and over. When photographers return to the soul of their work, new ideas start to flow. Inspiration finds you unexpectedly. Clients start showing up out of nowhere. You remember what you have to say through your lens and the world feels it. And best of all, you fall back in love with your gift.

And that’s not just good for your mental health, that’s good for your business, because when your work carries meaning, your marketing becomes magnetism. People can feel when you are lit up inside, and that is what they are drawn to.

So today, instead of pushing harder, give yourself the gift of coming back. Back to why you started. Back to what moves you. Back to the joy, the freedom, the awe of being a photographer. Your breakthrough isn’t just in strategy. It is in remembering that you are an artist and that the world needs what only you can see.

Today is your reset, and everybody needs time to reset.

This has been the Photography Breakthrough Podcast. I’m Matthew. I’m proud of you. I believe in your gift. Go make something just for you this week and let your soul breathe. I’ll see you next time. Until then, bye for now.