Image Questing It Up! A BIG Learning Curve

Hey all, it's been a while since we've blogged without posting images.  Oh wait!  We never have!  This is a new and strange concept for us; to blog without having photographs to go along.  Prime example: as I started writing this, Dan peeked over and said, "What are you blogging?  We don't have any pictures to post!??!?"  Dan and I have had this mentality that blogs are a tool to share photographs with....and.....that's about it.  This is SO WRONG, I've learned!  I have never been the type to get into this social media thing either, so I've never really even liked blogging or face-booking....and don't even get me started on Twitter!  All until a few days ago, I have been stubborn and reluctant. 


Yesterday marked the last of the three day Image Quest convention at the River Rock Casino in Richmond.  Starting this past Sunday, about 150 wedding photographers, portrait photographers, maternity photographers (you name it) were graced by a handful of top notch people in our industry, including our own local Blue Olive Photography.  Among the speakers we had, I must say, to Dan and me, the star of the show was Jasmine Star - no pun intended :)  We discovered her just less than a year ago, and we are amazed by her success.  Today we met her, I practically had to drag big shy Dan by his hair to say hi to Jasmine in person during the break (Dan has like the biggest crush on her, it's soooo cute).  Jasmine.  She is SO down to earth and personable.  I won't go on and rave about her as Dan and I could spend HOURS and HOURS totally drooling over her and we just might in another blog post, but really, Dan and I LOVE her.  Do check her out!

Basically, I've quickly been converted to a believer that online social networking and marketing is SO important and it WORKS!  I've always been so turned off by people who jump on the band wagon, who do whatever because everyone else it doing it....yuck yuck yuck.  However, this workshop totally opened my eyes! 

I'm going to try to keep this to the point and not derail like I used to in my diary when I was in grade 7.  This three-day convention has HUGELY affected us.  The entire event was geared to social media, having an online web presence and the many different marketing tools that we all are able to implement.  There's no doubt that Dan and I have learned LOTS and that we have much to improve on our company.  We've acquired information that is REALLY important, imperative and beneficial and we are so excited about it!!!!!  However, this is not the point of this blog.  I should just learn to say what I'm trying to say and stop sugar coating!  I'm learning guys, this is my first blog post sans photographs!

Ok, so what I'm trying to say is that it's ironic that being at this event and learning about social networking and marketing, the key message that I took away is:  WHO ARE YOU?  So cliche I know, but really, who am I?  (I can't speak for Dan, I'll let him express himself in his own ways).  I am honestly one of those people who doesn't have this figured out yet.  Out of the 5 speakers, 3 made it crystal clear exactly what is important to them, and it is this that makes them who they are. Their family.  Their TIME with their family.  They are all about their family.  THIS is their success.  THIS is what I took away from a business marking convention! I'm not trying to say I didn't get anything else out of it, of course I have notes upon notes of what each lecture was on and I can't wait to start improving our business skills.  But the biggest thing I learned is that before Dan and I can start to truly be artists, before we can really connect on a personal level with our couples, before we can start building our vision of Stone Photo, we have a WHOLE lotta soul searching to do.  Dan and I of course care and love each other tremendously, and we care tremendously for our families and our close friends.  We just need to remember that it is these people that make us who we are.  It is these people who care about Dan and me.  And we have completely been caught up, and all the business stuff and technical things about running a business has really cluttered our minds and has lead us off track from who we are and why we do what we do. 

I admit I am not very good at articulating myself sometimes, and I know this whole shpiel will come off as soooo corny and it oozes cheese to some, if not everyone who reads this, but this is honestly what is tugging at my heart.  This is so funny I find, because I've felt for a long time that there has been something missing in our business, in our work, in ourselves and pretty much in my life.  And here I find it, and it's being validated by world top photographers at a MARKETING convention!   Oh how the ways of world works.

Ok, so I could have said all that in like 7 sentences or less, but that wouldn't be me. So now that we've sort of figured this out, I hope you will start seeing many more blog entries without an engagement session or a wedding attached.  Coming from me who did not believe in social networking or "living your life online", I will do my utmost to be more active and honest on this blog.  I want to start sharing with whoever wants to read.  I want to vocalize our challenges, our failures, our success with whoever is willing to listen.

Wow, this is so liberating!  I feel like a have a load off my chest!  Blogging is like therapy!  I highly recommend it ;)

I hope that tomorrow morning, I don't regret writing this.  I am a VERY guarded and private person and I sometimes do things or say things without thinking it through and I know I'll cringe at some point about what I've said in this blog, but this is how I feel NOW at 1:47am on Wednesday morning and that's that. 

Thanks for listen to those who have invested the time, and if there's even anything to respond to, I would love to hear anyone's thoughts.

G'night,
Kat