
Tracks to the Future. © Richard Danter
I took the photo above on a walk last weekend. I thought seeing the tracks leading away made a good metaphor for this post. Leading into the future…
Goal setting. This is something I have been doing for a couple of years now, deciding on goals for the year ahead, but this is the first time I am sharing those goals publicly.
The idea is to help me with some direction instead of wandering aimlessly through the year. I find it all too easy to deal with things as they arise without taking time to stop and look at the bigger picture and make sure I am actually headed the right way.
It also means I can look back at the end of the year and get a feeling for how well I have done, what I missed and where I should try to improve.
So, here goes, my 5 goals for 2014 are…
#1 – Focus on my brand. That is a little vague, but I feel that it is important that people know who I am, what I do, and how I work if they are to chose me to work with them. Whether it is to photograph their wedding, create a record of their family as it grows, or produce images to help them promote their own business endeavours, I want people to want to work with me.
#2 – Keep the web site up to date. This is much more tangible. I want to keep the information on the site current and fill in the (numerous) gaps. Hopefully this will really help with #1 too. And part of this goal is also to blog more frequently.
#3 – Refresh my samples and albums. After the web site, the next thing I need to do is show exactly how those pixels translate to artwork for the home or business. It is just so much easier to physically hold a print or album than to imagine what it would look like.
#4 – Do a personal project. I love working to create images for other people, nothing beats seeing the look on a bride and groom’s faces when they see their photos for the first time, but I would also like to experiment and create some images for myself. I have some ideas and need to actually get the ball rolling on at least one of them rather than just thinking about them…
#5 – Attend two training sessions. One of the things I love about photography is that there is always something new to learn. Last year I attended a couple of fantastic workshops and not only did I learn some new tricks but I also got to meet some great fellow photographers. I really enjoyed chatting with them and learning about how they work and what interests them. So I think this is a critical goal that will probably be on the list every year.
Right, now you know. Let’s see, this time next year, how I do!
Take care
Rich
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