How to Deal with Failure - Car Chats with Bessie

Today I failed. I didn’t just fail a little, a failed alot.

While I was driving yesterday early morning I saw the moon. It was huge, and gorgeous, and beautiful, and I just wanted to get a picture of it. Since I couldn't I decided that I would get up early the next day to get a picture of it.

So, this morning I got up early, grabbed all my stuff, and headed out to the perfect spot to see the moon. I had done all the things let me tell you. I had planned it, I had done all my research, I had looked at Angles and locations, and I was set to get an amazing moon-set picture. The weather wasn't supposed to roll in until 11 in the afternoon which meant clear morning skies and absolutely amazingness.

As I packed all my stuff into the car  I looked up and saw  all sorts of clouds .  Now it wasn't supposed to be cloudy until the afternoon but it was definitely cloudy at 6 this morning . I decided to try for it anyway . I was thinking that possibly the clouds might break just a little bit for me to get a picture of the moon, or if I wasn't able to do that then I was definitely going to be able to get a picture of the sunrise . Honestly, I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to get one picture whether it be the sunrise or the moon set.  There was no reason to even think twice about this . Either way it was a win win. Moon rise or sunrise over the gorgeous blooming orchards. So off I went to my spot .  

I got to my spot and of course lots of clouds .  I wasn't super worried because like I said I was going to get a sunrise photo . I love sunrises they're super gorgeous and pastel colors are just amazing . It was going to be the perfect spot to get that Sunrise so no worries here..   

As the time was passing it was becoming more and more obvious that there was not going to be a sunrise.  I was keeping my hopes up , but in the back of my mind I knew that it was going to happen . The clouds came into the East way too quickly  and right before sunrise .  The morning started to get brighter, the clouds started to light up, and then everything faded… To my disappointment I didn't get a moon-set photo or a sunrise photo . I packed up my things and I headed back to the truck. 

Me being me, I started beating myself up .  I am my own worst critic , and I'm really mean to myself  oh, this is something that I'm working on but I know that other people do the same thing especially other creatives and small business owners .  Now this is where I want to talk to you a little bit about  failure .  

If you are trying something failure is inevitable at some point . You are going to fail at something  and at some moment in your life . If you are creative and a small business owner you're going to fail all the time .  In today's world we are so used to seeing  everybody's highlight reel .  We only see their good things, we never see their failures .

In my opinion,  since we aren't sharing our failures we are doing a huge Injustice to other people . We are creating this false expectation that no one ever fails .

So I wanted to share with you one of my failures . I have made a bajillion YouTube videos  and never posted them because those trips were failures . Something in the trip along the way didn't go right and I didn't get the shot that I wanted. So what happens? Well let me tell you, I don't get to share those videos, I don't get to share those moments, and I didn't get the photo that I wanted.

This happens all the time especially in landscape photography. We cannot control the weather. You can plan all you want but ultimately is up to Mother Nature to be nice and allow you to get that shot.

Did I get a shot today? Yes.

Do I love it? No.

Is it a good shot? Well that depends on who you ask.

Let me know in the comments below what your thoughts are. Here is the image from today;s adventure:

Now with all that being said this is why I'm sharing this failure with you .  We are so used to comparing our behind-the-scenes crap to everyone else's highlight reel . We don't see other people's crap  so we begin to think that were ultimate failures . We begin to believe that we cannot succeed, we believe that it's all our fault, we ask ourselves what's wrong with me? We blame ourselves, we begin to think we aren't good enough, we get feeling down, and we struggle quite a bit with the idea that we should just give up .  

This is me telling you that you're not alone, this is me telling you that it's okay to fail . It is okay to fail you just have to try again, you can't give up on yourself, you can't compare yourself to other people's highlight reels, and you will succeed at some point .  Don't stop trying . If you fail just get up and try again, maybe go grab yourself some coffee , take a nice hot shower , get up the next morning and try it again . The only time that you're actually going to fail is if you stop trying .  

“Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement ”

— C.S. Lewis

Failing sucks… it just does. There is no way to say it other than to be blunt…. failing sucks. So, here are 10 ways on how to deal with failure:

How to Deal with Failure in Landscape Photography

1. Accept how you feel

2. Don’t make it personal

3. Stop dwelling on it

4. Remember that you aren’t a failure just because you had a setback

5. Acknowledge irrational beliefs about failure

6. Ask yourself what you can learn

7. Accept only the appropriate amount of responsibility

8. Don’t get stuck in mulling the situation over for too long

9. Remind yourself - anyone who wants to do things of value in life will fail.

10. Don’t give up!

I hope this blog was helpful and just got you thinking about how you aren’t a failure. I hope that this blog can help even just one person to recognize that they are too hard on themselves, that comparing someone else’s highlight reel to your behind the scenes doesn’t make you a failure, that it is ok to not get the shot everytime, that it is ok to not accomplish what you set out to accomplish on that specific day just get up and try again. This doesn’t make you a failure.

You are amazing. The only time that you ultimately fail is when you give up and quit. Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Share your successes, share your failures, be real, be honest, be kind to yourself, and keep trying.

Wishing you the very best!

Bessie

P.s. Love this post? Check out these similar ones:

Uninspired? Find Your Motivation | Inspiration for Creative Entrepreneurs | Car Chats With Bessie

Recently I was watching a Peter Mckinnon video. I mean ya, everyone probably saw it because he has a bajillion followers. It was all about feeling uninspired.

He called it photographers block . I thought that was just perfect !  The entire video is really good and it was all about things that you could do  to become inspired again , or to get over this so-called photographers block .  

As I started reading through the comments I noticed a reoccurring comment, or a reoccurring theme. There were so many people talking about comparison. They were saying how they can't seem to overcome the hole comparison game, how comparison is the death of motivation, and how social media is really feeding people to compare themselves to others.

Naturally I started commenting trying to help him to stay motivated. Explaining how they shouldn't be comparing themselves to others, blah blah blah. Then I started realizing that I should just create a video in a blog post about this. There are so many people struggling with this .  So here it is my blog post all about  comparing yourself and what I do to make sure that I don't compare myself to others .  

Now it's kind of inevitable right? We have social media in our face, we have the world at our fingertips because we carry our smartphone everywhere we go. So we are getting inundated with so much information .  We see all these people being so successful, and we begin to doubt our self. We begin to think what's wrong with me?  

Stop Comparing Yourself to Other People

I'm here to tell you my friend that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you . You see the problem with social media is we see everybody's highlight reel . Do we even really know  that this is real? That their successes real? That those photos are real? Yet we want to compare yourself to something that we don't really even know  the truth behind it .  The other thing is is we don't see the struggles that these successful people have been through. We don't see how long it's taking them to get to where they are today .  We might have been in business for only a couple years yet we're comparing yourself to someone that's been grinding it out for 10 or 15 years . We have to remember this  or the other idea is to just stop comparing yourself  two other people on the internet . Now hear me out . . .  

I say that we start comparing ourself to ourself .  I'm sure you're kind of wondering what I mean but just listen for a second and you'll totally understand where I'm going .  If we start comparing ourselves to our self we will start realizing how far we've come in our craft . Take a moment and look back at when you first started . Look at your photos, or your Creations, a few years ago . Now compare them to something that you just did recently .  Don't you notice how far you have come ?. 

“ Now if that is not motivation I really don’t know what it is ”

You can see your success . You can see your growth. You can see how awesome you're becoming.  You can see that you are getting better . You can see all the changes that you've made throughout the years to be where you are today . Now if you would have stopped pushing forward you wouldn't be the badass that you are today. If you would have stopped because you kept comparing yourself and thinking that you're not good enough then you wouldn't be as good as you are today. So my friend stop comparing yourself to other people and just compare yourself to yourself. Whenever you start realizing that you are comparing yourself to others, and you realize that you're starting to feel down, you're starting to doubt yourself, and so forth pull up your old stuff. Pull up your old images from years ago and start comparing those to the ones that you just took. Believe me it's going to make you happy, it's going to motivate you, and it's going to make you realize that you are getting better, and that you will continue to get better as time goes on as long as you continue to pursue what you love.

Lets compare some of my photos:

So there you have it. My progression from 2007. Whenever I choose to compare myself to myself I begin to feel so much dang better. I see how far I have come, I realize how much I have grown as an individual and a creative. Then, I become inspired to do more, get better, try harder.

“So lets stop comparing ourselves to other people. Lets just compare ourselves to ourselves. ”

Can you relate? Leave a comment below! I would love to hear how you avoid the Photographers block, how to avoid getting uninspired, how you find your motivation to continue to do what you love.

Wishing you nothing but the most positive 2019!

Bessie

The Creative Process | Inspiration for Creative Entrepreneurs | Car Chats With Bessie

Ahhh, being a creative… We have so many different ups and downs. The creative process is tricky, but it is only tricky when it comes to your mind. We play so many mind games on ourselves it is crazy.

There are a ton of different funny quotes about the creative process. You can find all sorts of images that can make you laugh and that you can completely relate to. I just figured, I would create one myself, explain what actually goes on in our heads, and then share it with you! So here goes nothing. I hope you enjoy, get a good laugh, and can relate to it all :)

The Creative Process | Inspiration for Creative Entrepreneurs

Car Chats With Bessie

So here is my version of the creative process:

1. Yas! This is awesome!

   This is the beginning of it all. We get inspired, have an awesome idea in our head, and are freaking gung ho to make it come to life.

   At this point we gather all the supplies, all the things, maybe some coffee along the way, and then get to creating.

2. This is hard…

   As we start ‘making it happen’ it becomes apparent that the idea is way harder to make come to life than we expected. We begin to question ourselves. Like

   • “What the hell was I even thinking starting this project?”

   • “This seemed so much easier in my head”

   • “Why the crap do I do this to myself”

   • “What is wrong with me? Why isn’t this easier?”

3. This sucks!

   After we get to creating, realize how hard it actually is, and start seeing the product actually come to life all hell breaks loose. Everything gets questioned. We begin to doubt ourself because things may not be going as planned. We get uninspired, sad, and we start all the negative talk…

4. I suck! I should quit.

   Yep, all the negative self talk one can, or can’t, handle. This is in the heart of the project. Where we begin to want to give up. Where we question everything and when I say everything I mean everything. We even begin to question life choices that aren’t even related to the project itself.

   This is where we then also start to compare ourselves to others.

   • “Why do I even try, look how good they are doing”

   • “What is wrong with me?”

   • “Oh crap I can’t ever find anything around here. I really need to get better at being organized.”

   • “I definitely shouldn’t have had all those drinks during New Years”

   • “Why can’t I ever finish a new years resolution? Oh ya, because I suck!”

   • “I suck. People are just lying when they say they like my stuff”

5. This might be ok…

   After kicking our own ass, possibly for days, we start to see the final product. We start to realize that there might be some hope. That there is a possibility that the project might turn out just ok. Maybe not great. Maybe not what we expected it to be, but good enough.

   • “Huh…. maybe it’s not that bad”

   • “Maybe it will turn out ok. I guess I will finish it just to see the final product complete, but I won’t share it with anyone”

6. Yas! This is awesome!

   The project is complete. This phase might take a few days to actually make it to. We might be stuck in phase 4 or 5 for days. When I say days, I mean freaking days. Not like seconds, or minutes, or hours…. DAYS.

   We inspect the project, look at it over and over again, talk to our Mom about all the good and bad aspects of it. You know… why it sucks and why it might be ok. What all the flaws are about the final product. What might make it a pretty cool accomplishment.

   We then walk away. Sleep on it. Inspect it again. Eventually we realize how awesome it really is and we get the courage up to share it with others.

So there you have it. The creative process. The funny, somewhat ridiculous, and oh so very real things we go through on a day to day basis. Being a creative definitely has its ups and downs. It can get crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love being a creative, being able to have a vision of something and make it come to life :)

Can you relate? Leave a comment below! I would love to hear your version of one of the phases, or your version of the entire creative process :)

Wishing you nothing but the most positive 2019!

Bessie

A New Logo for Bessie Young Photography!

A New Logo for Bessie Young Photography!

A new look for my business!!! I am so dang excited to announce my new logo! Holy moly! I have been wanting to create a new logo ever since I started my photography business, but I just didn't really know what to create. This logo has been years in the making and it is finally here! Woohoo!!!

So, what is the deal? Why did I do this really?

I created my original logo in a rush. I started my business and needed a logo, so insert quick pretty logo here. Now ever since then I had plans to change this logo, but I just didn't really know what to change it to. Now after 3 years of being in business I finally figured it out! Ya, 3 years seems like a long time, but it really did take me that long. This entire time I have been trying to really nail down where exactly I want to go with this photography business of mine and how I really want to brand it.

Starting out, my business was jumbled with a  bit of confusion on whether I was a landscape photographer or whether I was a portrait photographer. Well if you have stuck with me this long you know I am both! I definitely am not into pigeon holing myself because I love both equally; however, it has been a struggle to figure out how to work them both into by business without confusing people lol.

To be honest, I still struggle with it a little bit, but I think it finally worked. Now how does this all pertain to my logo? My logo was basic. Very simple and easy; however, I really wanted something that meant something to me and matched my brand. You see I am a landscape photographer and an outdoor portrait photographer that incorporates landscapes into the session. I mean how cool is it to be able to take landscape pictures with beautiful people in them? Well, its freaking cool! I digress.... back on topic :)

My logo needed to match my brand and it took me awhile to figure out exactly what that was. One day I started designing logos on paper. Really trying to make my logo beautiful and something that actually meant something to me. Something that I was going to be truly proud of. Well after multiple attempts I finally got it! It took me almost a full day to design this thing in Photoshop and I am just so dang proud!  So without further a due here it is the new Bessie Young Photography Logo:
 

So what do you think? I would love to know your opinion! Now each item in this logo means something personal to me and I am just so stoked!!!

So of course I had to make some cool Swag!!! Check out the new travel mugs and coffee mugs:

Thank you so much for all your encouragement and support. You are amazing and I don't tell you enough how much I appreciate you. Thank you!

I hope you all enjoyed this blog. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Wishing you a very beautiful day!

Bessie

New Photography Work Space - I Made A Desk - Inspiration for Photographers

New Photography Work Space

I Made A Desk

When I first started my photography business I bought a plastic desk from Walmart. You know, one of those fold up white picnic desks. Well, I have had that desk for a few years now; however, it just wasn't doing it for me anymore. Ultimately, it wasn't very inspiring. It was bland, white, uncomfortable, and just not all that awesome. Now, it worked for the time I had it. It was a great desk and functioned just as it should. It is just that I got to a point where I needed a nice pretty desk. Something that would inspire me to be creative. Something that I wanted to sit at rather than had to sit at.

I began my search for a new desk during the Black Friday madness last yer. I thought that I could get something for somewhat reasonable. Well, let me tell you.... I was wrong. I guess I just have way too expensive of taste :? Everything seemed to be about $1,000 after taxes, shipping, etc so I began thinking that I would just make my own.

If you don't know this about me, I used to run an Etsy shop that was a rustic home decor shop. I created all sorts of fun wood things from log tables to kitchen items. I haven't ever made anything as complex as a desk, but I was up for a challenge.

When I started, all I knew is I wanted it to be rustic yet fit my current living room vibe which made shopping super easy. I went to Lowe's and Home Depot for all my supplies.

I am so incredibly excited for the way that it turned out. It took a few days to make and a few days for the stain to actually dry.

There is something to say for an inspired space. If you are a creative you completely understand. You need to be somewhere that is going to inspire you, somewhere that you are going to want to be, and somewhere that will get your creative mind going. This space is exactly that for me. As I sit at this desk, I just smile. I smile knowing that I made it, because it is beautiful, because it is exactly what I wanted, and because it just makes me happy.

Now, with this new beautiful desk, I will be able to create the Free Stock Images that you all have been asking for! Yay!

I hope you all enjoyed this blog. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Wishing you a very beautiful day!

Bessie

2017 Year in Review and 2018 Goals

2017 Year in Review and 2018 Goals

Wow 2018 is next week!!! Actually it is only in a couple of days. Can you believe it? I know that I am in shock! Serious shock! This year went by so fast.

Being able to do a year in review and goal setting is so much fun. I love looking back on the year and reminiscing on everything that has happened. It is amazing how we forget the little things and don't realize how much actually happened within the year until we actually stop and think about it. So, lets look back on what happened in 2017 for Bessie Young Photography.

2017 Year in Review

1. I split my website into 2!

The biggest thing that happened for my business is the fact that I split my websites. This was a huge endeavor, it took a lot of time, but I am so incredibly happy that I did this! So now, all my landscape images, behind the scenes, how I got the shot, and tips/tricks are on this website. All my everything pertaining to portrait photography is on www.bessieyoung.photography

2. I was able to go on so so so many adventures.

- Death Valley National Park and Badwater Basin

- Corrizo Plain National Monument during the California Super Bloom

- Olympic National Park

- Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington

- Snoqualmnie Falls in Washington

- Backpacking the Ansel Adams Wilderness

- Solar Eclipse in Oregon

- Finding Fall and the Alpine Loop, Utah

3. I started sharing Tips, Tricks, How To's, and Tutorials on my Youtube Channel!

Wowza right?! I mean holy moly man. Talk about a busy year, and that is just the landscape side of my business!

Ok, so now lets chat about 2018.

2018 Goals

1. Create a 2019 calendar and get it ready to sell by October 2018

2. Work on my Sierra Nevada Mountain Wildflower Guide Book.

Yep you read that right! I have been working on gathering content for years and years. Getting pictures of the wildflowers in the Sierra Nevada Mountains can be challenging as they only come out once a year. I finally have taken all the images of the wildflowers that I want in my book. Now, I need to compile all the data and create a book. This is going to be a big undertaking but I am so ready for the challenge and to be able to see one of my biggest dreams come true :)

Growing up I absolutely loved getting nature books. It was something that my parents got me for my birthday quite often. I loved going outside and trying to name all the bugs, birds, trees, and especially flowers. I always said that one day I will make a book, only better. One with good images. One where you can look at the picture and not have to guess. Well, that time has come my friends! That time is now and I couldn't be more excited.

3. Start my shop!

Ok so if you didn't watch the video I am going to be adding a section to my shop that includes coffee mugs, T Shirts, and more for photographers! I am so excited about this. Everything is going to be hand drawn, designed, and created by me. I will then get it printed and everything will be printed and designed in the USA. This was a huge thing for me and took me a little while to actually find a printer that was USA based; however, I found one and am so incredibly excited to start this section of my shop!

So that is everything. My 2017 in review and my 2018 goals. So what are you most proud of from 2017? What are your 2018 goals? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!

Wishing you Happy New Year and a wonderful 2018!

Bessie

20 Inspiring Photography Quotes

20 Inspiring Photography Quotes

by Bessie Young

There are so many famous photographers throughout history that have provided some amazing images; however, it wasn't just their images that were inspiring... it was their actions, the way that they looked at life, and the way that they spoke about it. Their insights into the creative process have guided generations of photographers and guided the way for how we see photography today.

Many creatives get stuck in a creative void. Their inspiration leaves them one night while they are sleeping. When they wake up... they find a black hole. An empty spot in their mind and belly. Something that could last for days, weeks, or even years. This can be a fear of many creatives. Something that comes naturally to them vanishes at the blink of an eye. We, as creatives, have to feed the fire that burns inside us. If we don't feed it, we end up going a little bit crazy. We lose our sense of being... our sense of life... our sense of value.  I have had this happen to me, but luckily it only lasted just a few days. During that time, I felt a little lost. What do I do? Where do I go from here? When I begin to feel this way with photography there are a few things that I do to bring the inspiration, the fire, back:

• I head out into nature

• I schedule a creative shoot

• I review other peoples gorgeous photos (photography forums, facebook groups, and of course Pinterest :)
• I read quotes!

Some of the above ideas are easy to do, but finding inspiring quotes... not so much. I wanted to provide an easy page to provide some inspiration, some quotes that will help you get your creative mind back. It took a bit of research to find inspiring quotes. There are so many quotes out there, but most don't resonate with you. Most are some odd thing that someone said at a moment in their life. But to find a truly inspiring quote can get you back into action. Here are 20 inspiring quotes that I have documented throughout my creative luls:

1. It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter - Alfred Eisenstaedt

2. Wherever there is light, one can photograph - Alfred Stieglitz

3. The best images are the ones that retain their strength and impact over the years, regardless of the number of times they are viewed - Ann Geddes (1956)

4. You don't take a photograph, you make it - Ansel Adams (1902 - 1984)

5. There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer - Ansel Adams (1902 - 1984)

6. A good photograph is knowing where to stand - Ansel Adams

7. Photography helps people see - Berenice Abbott (1898-1991)

8. Photography is a love affair with life - Burk Uzzle (1938)

9. Photography for me is not looking, it is feeling. If you can't feel what you are looking at, then you are never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures - Don McCullin (1935)

10. Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still - Dorothea Lange

“One should really use the camera as though tomorrow you’d be stricken blind - Dorothea Lange”

12. A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera - Dorothea Lange

13. A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it - Edward Steichen (1879-1973)

14. There are only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are - Ernst Haas

15. Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I am going to take tomorrow - Imogen Cunningham

“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are - Philip Jones Griffiths”

17. The eye should learn to listen before it looks - Robert Frank (1924)

18. Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future 0 Sally Mann (1951)

19. Only photograph what you love - Tim Walker - 1970

20. When you photograph people in color you photograph their clothes, but when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls - Ted Grant

And one of my absolute all time favorites:

“When you take a photograph of someone, you take a portrait of their soul - Winna Efendi, Refrain”

I hope that some of these quotes inspired you to get back out there and take pictures.

Wishing you nothing but inspiration and creativeness

Bessie

Some of these quotes were found on petapixel.com

and Brainy Quotes