Ding Ding.......Round 2.
Well its been about a year since I made the decision to start selling my photography and in truth this first year was always going to be a gauge to see if there would be any interest beyond my family and friends. As fantastic and important as there support has been for me, ultimately that isn't the basis for success, so I was always curious to see if there would be sufficient interest for me to continue after this initial year. So I planned to do things as easy and with as little involvement as possible and if it didn't work out then I would have very little to lose and it would be easier to walk away and just continue to do what I love doing for me. I think its fair to say I approached selling my images with great reluctance to begin with and at the back of my mind I always questioned was I good enough to make this step? Indeed my biggest fear would be that their would be little or no interest at all. The first year was designed to test this theory.
Well you will be pleased to know the first year has been a relative success, in fact better than I had hoped for, and certainly given me the confidence to believe that there is a place for me at the table. Maybe the biggest stumbling block to success has been from me, my reservations and self doubt, my fear to fail and my general reluctance to put myself out there. Year one has, to a degree, addressed a little of my anxieties. The website performed well with sales and general enquiries, I have started selling framed and mounted prints in TP Framework in Ulverston, my social media presence has grown and the overall positivity and feedback from everybody has been unbelievable. So with all this in mind, over the last couple of months I've been reviewing the last year and trying to plot the best route forward for Tim Dove Photography.
So what does the future hold? First and foremost continue where I left off from last year. I will continue to get out in the National Park as often and as much as possible to bring new images to the table and still continuing to improve my photography skills. The website, while good for the initial year had it's limitations. I've addressed these limitations and the result is a new website, where I can sell and add new products and keep my pricing competitive. I have a blog facility so I can get regular content on the website and keep everybody up to date with all my stories and goings on. The website was the most crucial and logical place to start a fresh, I'm glad this is now drawing to a conclusion, so I can then move on to other areas which I would like to develop. I've also created a new logo, which will hopefully help with a bit of brand recognition. I'm hopeful this will be a year of real development.
All in all a positive year, the sales and general feedback has been wonderful and really given me a boost. On the subject of 'am I good enough' well I've learned to not pass judgement myself and I'll leave that to the people who have bought, enquired, enjoyed and supported me this far.....how can I argue with that? The reality is it's only me that can drive this train and it's only me who can derail it, it's in my hands to see how far I can go and you know what? I'm enjoying being in the driving seat.
Keep smiling.
Tim