When coronavirus hit the news at the beginning of January, my friend expressed her worry that it would hit England. This was a concept that I completely dismissed. I never in a million years thought I would be sat writing this blog post 7 weeks into lockdown, with no idea of when this madness might be over.
Overnight I lost a jam-packed event diary, something I was so looking forwards to and proud of. People are no longer booking shoots as they don’t know when we can get out shooting again, not forgetting the financial implications it’s had on people.
As the government introduced furlough, grants and schemes for the self employed, I quickly realised I was about to receive 0 support. To qualify you needed a full year of accounts, something I did not have as a small new business. What a daunting prospect and there’s been a few times I’ve wanted to sit and cry about it, but how can I cry when the picture is bigger. People are losing their lives, so I started looking at what I had to be grateful for.
We’d survive, I still had some part time work, my fiancé was still working and my parents are incredibly supportive people. All those little things I have been meaning to do but hadn’t got round to, I suddenly had an abundance of time to do them all.
I started working through a list of things to do and found a different kind of passion for my business. I realised how much I had been neglecting my business, how much more I could invest in myself and my business. Most importantly, I fell in love with learning again.
I surrounded myself with other small businesses through instagram and groups on Facebook. I started listening to podcasts about business, photography, mindset and motivation. I finished my Training Barn course, I bought the Hair of the Dog Summit and most importantly I invested in a business mentor.
I shot images of my Nellie and my horses, I enjoyed my time at the farm and my daily walks. I came up with plans, blog ideas, photoshoot ideas, a new project and I made a conscious effort to try and show up on social media everyday. I feel super energised and excited to return to events and shooting but in the meantime I am just enjoying this strange peace and period of planning.
So although coronavirus has had a massive negative impact on my business financially, it also might just have brought my business a new lease of life and gained me a new perspective. I am hoping I can get back shooting in June, so if you are interested in a summer photoshoot please get in touch.