I Just Keep Failing

I just keep failing. I fail at every single thing I do. No, this isn’t a joke or me exaggerating, it is the absolute truth!

The first time I tried starting my photography business, I failed. I had no idea what I was doing, and it failed. Moving away probably didn’t help much but, still..

Then I tried again, with a partner, and guess what? It didn’t work out. I was trying to fit into what I thought it was to “be a photographer” and it wasn’t me. What we wanted changed, and we parted ways as friends.

So I started again a third time, and this time it took off! And the business is still going! So then I got ambitious, and decided to apply for Click Pro Elite. I pulled together my portfolio, proudly hit the submit button and…..

yup, I totally got rejected!

I cried and felt sorry for myself for a while, and then pulled myself together, worked on all the different parts of the application that needed work, and applied again – and I got in! Yay!

High on my victory for Click Pro Elite, I decided to rejig my portfolio a bit and apply to become a Hello Artist – and – rejected! The same portfolio, even if there were fewer images.

Another little cry, and then I waited. I waited a long time to apply again. Lockdown happened, I didn’t have any work, and had started my 365 project – and then I discovered something – my true photographic voice, as it stands now. Something clicked and I just finally knew what I was doing, and I knew that this was truly me!

So I submitted again and became a Hello Artist! It was a real achievement because I knew that compared to my previous portfolio this was much better.

When it was time, I also submitted to Hello Pro (the next stage after Hello Artist). And…

Rejected.

So, here I am, trying again in a while, once I have a bit of a breather to apply.

I just wanted to share this personal experience with you all, because it is so easy for us to compare ourselves and our work to others – the internet is full of beautiful work – but even those people we admire so much have struggled. They have failed, and gotten right back up again, and again and again. We are all on our own journeys, and we will stumble and fall – I sure did as you can see! The important thing is finding a community that will help you get up again and give you the love and encouragement that you need.

In the meantime, hang in there.

With Love,

xx Elora