How I'm Embracing A Quiet Month In Business
When the month of May began, I looked at my diary and felt a pang of fear. It was quite empty. For the first time this year, I didn't have many jobs booked, and I'm going to be honest, it was quite scary!
I let myself feel a bit scared for a day or two, and then it hit me one morning - "This is my chance to do all of the stuff I've wanted to do for months, but haven't had time!" I don't know why it took me so long to realise that, but it did. So instead of sitting around and feeling terrified that "no one will ever book me again" I got my diary out, and began to make my own plans!
So here's how I've been embracing a quiet month in business:
Shooting loads of personal work
For most of the year so far, I've been too busy to shoot much personal work. It's been mainly about working with clients, and any quiet days I did have were dedicated to being at my desk, or literally not working at all. So this month I've been shooting plenty of personal work, and the images you see here are a part of that. My friend Jade and I had a day in the studio playing around with light set ups, outfits, and just generally being as creative as we liked! I'm absolutely thrilled with the results, and desperate to get back into studio again soon! I also did a bluebell shoot one evening, and have two more personal shoots coming up next week.
Getting on top of my admin
Ugh, admin. It's not the funnest thing in the world, but it is essential. I've been sorting things out like contracts, updating my website, writing copy here and there. Sorting out bookkeeping, sending out emails that I've been putting off, and also cleaning up around the house and tackling jobs that I didn't want to have to deal with when I was busy!
Branding & copywriting
Something that I haven't had a chance to get to yet, but that I'd quite like to use this down time for is working on my branding. I spent a few days going through Fiona Humberstone's "Brand Brilliance" a couple of months ago, and it was great, but it got put to one side when work got busy. This is my chance to go back to that.
I'm also tackling a lot of the old copy on my website, like my "About Me" page, which was in serious need of updating.
Getting inspired. doing research. reading loads.
When times are quiet, I like to use to get as inspired as possible, because I know that work is bound to get busy again, and when it does, I want to be sure I've filled my inspiration tank right up! So I'm spending time reading magazines, watching documentaries, looking through art work. I'm also doing lots of reading and research. I bought myself a course on pitching and sales on "CreativeLive" a couple of weeks ago which I haven't yet gone through, so I'm slowly working through that. I've also got another book on personal finance to read.
Relaxing. Taking it slow
Above all, I'm using this time to enjoy the glorious weather that we're having. May in Cornwall has been stunning so far. This heat and sunshine is absolutely incredible, and I want to enjoy it as much as possible. That means lots of dog walks, lots of sitting in the garden, BBQs with friends, exploring pretty locations. It also means watching TV, being a blob on the couch if I need to, or having a long bath.
I know that business will pick up again, it always does, I've been in business long enough now to know that quiet moments happen, and when they do, it's knowing how to embrace them and not panic.
What do you do when you've got some quiet time? I'd love to know!
