Being open to opportunity in the midst of terrible times
Freelancing was challenging enough before the pandemic came along.
As we head into a second lockdown, barely recovered from the first, our creative jobs and work and indeed, world, is dwindling - for many of us, it’s come to a complete stop already.
I made the decision to stop pursuing freelance photography for the time being back in August. I’m trying to move into other areas, like social media, but I’d been working towards being a freelance photographer for years now and so I’ve been a bit lost and didn’t really feel right moving into this new area of work.
Not really knowing what else to do, though, I started developing some plans and putting a few things into motion; it’s been just over a year since I started doing the same thing but for my original plan of freelance photography. At the same time though, I also kept my ear to the ground.
I’ve long approached my “career” and work in an open way, being flexible in what I do, always trying to be open to opportunities anywhere, especially where they’re not expected - in unusual or boring places.
By opening myself up to doing things I would usually not bother with, I’ve come across several unexpected opportunities that have led to good things. It’s how I gained my first job post-graduation, which led to an amazing second job at British Journal of Photography.
This isn’t a natural thing for me though, I’ve had to learn to do it and practice regularly. In one of my first university lectures, I was told to take advantage of any and every opportunity I could. I don’t think I’m alone here when I say that that advice didn’t fully sink in until after I’d graduated four years later, and only then - when I didn’t have the access or support of the educational environment - did I finally know what I’d missed out on.
It’s not that I was lazy (mostly), but I was a tremendously shy and fearful person from childhood to my late teens and it cost me many opportunities. When I finally got to university and finished my first year, I at least did comprehend that I needed to do more. I started trying to yes to anything that came my way, especially anything that was a bit scary or put me out of my comfort zone.
Now, this has become an amazing almost-accidental habit. From little things like speaking to someone new at an exhibition launch (and actually I still find this so difficult?) to big public-speaking engagements, this mindset has helped me achieve so much.
And because of all this, I know deep down that even if it seems like there’s nothing out there, there will always be an opportunity for me - even if it’s not what I envisioned for myself or even close to what I ever could imagine for myself, and even if it’s not something I might enjoy at first. There’s no shame in needing to work to support your art, even if the work is completely unrelated and is just there to pay the bills.
Sometimes we have to take ourselves out of our imaginations and know that what’s out there is way better than anything we could think up. And if it’s not something that doesn’t seem to exist yet, go that bit further and create it for yourself.
At a recent artist talk I spoke at, I was so inspired by fellow speaker Nettie Edwards who spoke to us about how she made herself an artist in residence at a garden she wanted to work in. And the secret was… she got in touch, put forward the idea, and that’s how she became the artist in residence. I was genuinely mind-blown at how simple it was, surprised that I’d never thought of it.
Another example; one of my earliest freelance clients was a research project team who needed me for event photography. I didn’t really think anything of it; events are a great “earner” and it’s easy work - I was grateful for it. But the research they were doing was intriguing, and one day I suddenly realised (yep, it was that cliché!) that I could pitch a compelling long-term portrait project, and that is the story of how I got my biggest commission to date, time-wise and money-wise. Of course, COVID-19 happened not long after, and that’s the story of how my biggest commission was postponed.
From the same events work, I also gained a second opportunity. My initial contact left but soon after got back in touch; she wanted me to photograph a ceremony as part of her wedding. I was really surprised; this seemingly came out of the blue, but she simply liked the work I did for her events. Sadly - we all know the story by now - this too was postponed.
Regardless, these moments both remain at the back of my mind as a lesson in staying open to the unexpected.
Now, since making the decision to stop with freelance photography, I’ve been trying to keep my options open, setting up fishing lines in unusual places in case I catch anything even remotely interesting. I’ve since considered everything from a part-time project which just involved emailing lots of people, to a social media internship in Lisbon that paid in free accommodation.
Finally, something took a bite. A friend sent me a link; my ex ex company were looking for help for a couple of weeks. I almost didn’t get in touch since it was so temporary, and I had to tell myself that there wasn’t any harm in at least seeing what they needed and two weeks of work was better than nothing at all.
So I went for it. I ended up working for them over the last two months and have since been commissioned to do some writing with potential long-term work ahead of me. I’m so excited about it; since I started this newsletter I’ve thought many times about pursuing freelance writing but never actually expected that I would ever get to it, and from such an unexpected source too. Even if this particular work doesn’t pan out, I now know that people will actually pay me to write and have some experience I can show.
Plus, for the first time since I went freelance, I earned enough to put away money for bills, including and mainly one for a very big car bill coming my way next month, AND have some leftover to spend on a treat.
I’m not writing any of this to gloat, and I hope it doesn’t come across that way.
Freelancing was challenging enough before the pandemic came along. With the creative industry taking an alarmingly big hit, it’s been so easy to fall into a state of negativity and worry and “what if”; we feel in our souls that surely, there can’t be anything left out there for us. I know because I’ve been there so often. We stay so long in this black hole of anxiety that, by not having our eyes open to the passing chances, we end up denying ourselves opportunity without even noticing.
But I also know this; there will always be an opportunity for you. It might not be obvious, it might not be in the usual places you look or even think to look, it might mean accepting that you need to do something you’re not passionate about for a while, it might even be that you need to stop waiting and create it for yourself, but it’s out there. Keep ears and eyes and mind open, ask for help from others when you need to, and be unafraid of putting yourself out there.
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A little about me
I’m normally a portrait and documentary photographer based in south London and enjoy telling stories about adventure, the outdoors, and our relationship with the natural world.
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