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Happy Anniversary! (You didn’t forget, did you?)

One year ago today, Psychology for Photographers went live and changed my life forever.

Words can’t express how I feel about this, so I’ll let Dumbledore do the talking:

Want to give me an anniversary present?  😀

Leave me a comment and tell me something you’ve read on P4P that has impacted your life or business.

It can be a post, a quote, a thought – anything.

I’d love to hear what I did “right” so I can create more of it.  (Want to read my favorite post?  It’s right here.)  Also, on Monday I’ll draw randomly from the comments, and one person will win one hour of one-on-one time with me.  Whoop whoop!

Here’s to another year!  Thanks for being the best blog readers on the planet.

When I started this, I figured hey – if no one listens, I can just shutter the shop and go on with my life.  I never expected I’d meet and become friends with so many amazing people, all passionately pursuing their dreams.  Thanks for coming along for the ride.

I’m off to NYC for some much-needed Broadway and tasty food.  But I’ll be thinking of you. 😉  I’ve got a killer post coming your way next week.  If you want your business to be a vehicle for change, you won’t want to miss it.

Until then, happy anniversary!

Hugs,

Jenika

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Jenika

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37 Comments

  1. Jamie Willmott on October 18, 2012 at 7:03 am

    I always look forward to your posts turning up in my RSS feed. Enjoy NYC!

  2. Owen Protheroe on October 18, 2012 at 10:12 am

    Happy anniversary! I really enjoy reading your blog, and have done for months! Your insights frequently apply across a range of disciplines, and I’ve recommended your blog to friends starting a personal training website / business, and a baking / fashion blog.

    This one is particularly applicable to everyone. http://psychologyforphotographers.com/how-to-request-something-from-a-busy-person-and-get-a-reply

  3. Alberto on October 18, 2012 at 11:09 am

    First of all happy yearniversary!
    I’m fairly a new reader and I haven’t read all the posts yet. I read one or two a day, so every morning I’m sure I can read my daily P4P!
    Even though I don’t know much about psychology I’m very very curious about it, and joining it with photography (that it happens to be the thing I like most in my life) makes it for me like what, 4 aces in a Poker hand? Few things can beat it (maybe a photography psychology blog with pictures of ladies in bikini, but I’ve said too much already).
    But beside the psychology side, the posts always feel filled with simplicity and common sense, that kind of common sense that is too often overlooked. And sometimes I found myself shouting (inside): that’s right! That is a healthy way of thinking!
    So, more than a single post or sentence, what I like most about P4P is the mind opening feeling that one gets when reading, affecting both business and life.

  4. Jeet on October 18, 2012 at 11:12 am

    While no one particular post comes to mind, what has really helped me is the sheer positivity that flows from you. There are many points that have brought me out of a slump, even though I am not in photography as a business. I’m just a hobbyist, but some of what you say impacts me even as a salaried individual, and helps me get through tough times in the office.

    As I write, I remember one part which had a huge impact. Your post about having specific things on a blog/website as compared to generalisms. As I went through that, I realised where I needed to apply that: my CV, as I’ve been looking for a change in employment. I realised my CV was full of generalisms without giving concrete, specific mention to what I have achieved throughout my career. And now I hope that little change will help me in my continued search for greener pastures.

    Cheers, huggs and thanks.
    -Jeet

  5. Anna on October 18, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    Firstly, happy anniversary! I would like to just say a HUGE thank you for starting this blog. I love everything about it and as a new photographer I find all of your posts unbelievably helpful! I have struggled a lot with confidence since starting my business but reading P4P has given me some awesome tips and really useful information to continue to grow as a professional photographer. Enjoy your time in New York and I can’t wait for the next post.

  6. Becky on October 18, 2012 at 1:19 pm

    Wow! Just a year? I haven’t been following the whole time, but you know you’re doing something right when your page grows that much over a year! Man, it’s too early in the morning for me to think about a specific post that has helped me, but I like how you don’t sugar coat things. You don’t leave any room for my excuses and I appreciate that. I also love the way you write. I enjoy reading your posts. My business is stalling right now because frankly I just started it at the wrong time. I don’t have the time to make it work so I am just letting it hang there but I am filing away all of the great info you share!! Thanks and happy Anniversary!!

  7. Addie on October 18, 2012 at 1:22 pm

    youve had so many good articles, its hard to pick just one… but the one that comes to my mind first is when you talked about writing about the people you are posting about on your blog instead of what you feel as the photographer!

    Congratulations on one year…. hope the next one is even better!

  8. celine on October 18, 2012 at 1:23 pm

    First of all… Happy 1st Anniversary or like I would say Joyeux Anniversaire 🙂 I must have been one of the very first reader because I received a postcard from last year!! I don’t have one particular post in mind but I always eagerly read every one of them and often send friends (even non photographer!!) to your blog.

    Keep on the great work.
    A Frenchy lost in Stavanger, Norway – Celine

  9. Becky V on October 18, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    Hi Jenika!

    We are in the middle of a crazy move but thought I’d stop and take a minute to say, wow – well deserved congrats. This is my favorite blog by far – I can’t pick just one article. Keep doing exactly what you’re doing. You’ve been such an inspiration and I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll continue to do great things. Thanks for being you. You’ve given me many new perspectives and for that I am so grateful. Enjoy your well deserved vacation. 🙂

    Becky V.

  10. Stephanie on October 18, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    I’ve been lurking for a while and very much enjoy reading your blog. Happy Anniversary! Please keep doing what you are doing. You have helped in giving me confidence. I have two favorite posts that come to mind- The brushing teeth and the one about van Gogh. The brushing teeth one helped me realize that I’m so crazy nutty about photography and the insight was incredible because it’s exactly what I do. There have been so many nights my husband and I are getting ready to go to bed and I’m trying to blab to him with toothbrush and toothpaste stuffed in my mouth. van Gogh helped me realize that I need to just keep on keeping on. Setting up projects for myself has helped with my overall morale- to just keep busy with it. I knew that I needed to just keep setting up projects, but to actually see it out in words did so much encouragement and helped make up my mind and commit to just keep going. Thank you!!

  11. Jessica on October 18, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    Your the only blog that I get really excited about reading. You are constructive while still being so positive. I feel like I get my clients now and can think through my own questions.

    You are also nice. Really, really, nice and that comes through too.

  12. Courtney Haney on October 18, 2012 at 2:46 pm

    You’re post about doing a visual journal was amazing! I did what you suggested and I figured out so much about my style and taste. Not only for my business, but also for me, my clothes, my home! I really feel in touch with a part of me that I haven’t felt in touch with for so long. Just pinning down my style was such a breath of fresh air!! Thank you!!

  13. Allison on October 18, 2012 at 2:51 pm

    It’s been wonderful to get to know you and P4P this year! I went back to see if I could find the first post I ever read, and got lost reading all of the old posts again. They’re just as good the second time around. As someone who just failed miserably (again) at Mini Sessions, I opened up this one this morning: http://psychologyforphotographers.com/what-you-can-do-today-to-boost-business-before-christmas
    it’s just as good as before, and more poignant, because I can see specifically what I did wrong and how I can fix it for next year. Taking notes like a fiend. So glad you felt compelled to start this. Hope you’re Treating Yo Self in NYC! 😀

  14. Candace on October 18, 2012 at 5:03 pm

    Happy 1st Anniversary! I can’t tell you how beneficial and comforting it has been to have your posts to read this past year! I was very pregnant when you started this, and throughout those long winter nights with a new baby I read your advice and tried to put it into practice this spring when I started offering my photography services. Thank you so very much for being you; I can’t wait to see what this year brings!

    I can’t pick a favourite, but this post was very helpful for me
    http://psychologyforphotographers.com/qa-to-facebook-share-or-not-to-facebook-share

  15. Nicole on October 18, 2012 at 6:05 pm

    Happy anniversary P4P! I can’t believe you have only been at this a year, your posts suggest you have been at this much longer.
    I bought your e-book after much hesitation (you never can know what you will get) and I wanted to tell you that it was the single biggest factor that helped me together my website. I knew my target client, not as specifically before as after your book, and I knew how I wanted to be perceived. However, I had not thought about each page as an opportunity to meet my target client’s needs–brain explosion! This concept helped me break down the work into reasonable chunks, instead of just thinking about my website as a whole, panicking and blanking out.
    Thank you so much for your help!
    Nicole

  16. Brooke G on October 18, 2012 at 8:03 pm

    Happy Anniversary!
    I’ve been reading for a while now, and I still remember the first week I discovered your blog, spending my lunch break every day going back and reading all of your posts. When I first discovered it, I was immediately drawn in – as someone with a BA in Psychology, dreaming of starting my own business. You had me at “Psychology for Photographers” 🙂

    The one thing that sticks out to me, and I can’t remember what post it was in, but you were talking about finding your passion, and that it’s the thing you daydream about, the thing you are surfing the web for while at your boring desk job, the thing you can’t get enough of – that was a lightbulb moment for me, becuase I was at work, on my lunch break, reading about photography! I am slowly working at starting a business, and you have really motivated me! Everything you post is relevant and valuable to me, and I’m always excited when a new post pops up.

    Congrats on your anniversary and have a great time in NYC!!
    And most importantly, THANK YOU for this blog and all of the wonderful things you post. 🙂

  17. Tammy on October 18, 2012 at 9:53 pm

    Happy anniversary!

    My favorite comment was from a very recent blog post… actually there are two:

    Mistake #3: Reading all photography blogs instead of seeking a balance between photography and business mentors.

    Most successful entrepreneurs tried several things and had many false starts before they landed on “the one” – accept that this is a process, educate yourself as much as you can, and make the best decisions possible.

  18. Caryn Redman on October 18, 2012 at 10:49 pm

    Love the info you share about sales and what our clients are thinking/feeling in the moment. As a licensed clinical social worker (with a minor in psychology), the information just makes so much sense! Thank you for putting things in perspective and pushing my (hobby) business forward.

  19. Nuvea on October 19, 2012 at 2:00 am

    Hi!
    Love all your posts but the advice on not making one of your early was great. Especially the part about not just reading photography blogs, but business ones, too. Which is why I like your blog. It has both kinds of information.
    Congratulations on your anniversary!

  20. Miki DeVivo on October 19, 2012 at 2:17 am

    Happy Anniversary! I love that you walked your talk and followed your passion to create this resource. I so appreciate how each post is useful and actionable for tangible results right away. The thing that has helped me the most is the concept of examining what customers really want when they hire a photographer–how they’re needs are so much deeper and broader than just needing Christmas cards made yesterday. It’s helped me put into words why I do what I do, how it’s so much more than ink on paper. So thank you, and here’s to many more years!

  21. Will Nelson on October 19, 2012 at 12:07 pm

    I thank you for all of the time and selfless sharing and effort you have put into helping me as well as others who may have come across so many of the same challenges. At least that is how I feel about this work you have done. Even if you never put up another post…what you’ve shared thus far has been priceless and for me life changing. Thank you again!

  22. Lea on October 19, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    I have to say that your content is so great, it’s hard to narrow down to just one post but I’d say that this one http://psychologyforphotographers.com/the-7-minute-website-writing-makeover was pretty awesome for me! I went through and really personalized my site, starting infusing more of that into my FB posts and I already see a difference with the level of interactions I’m getting as well as booking inquiries! Before this post, I tried so hard to be “professional” sounding that I think I literally threw my personality out the window! Thanks!

  23. Kim on October 19, 2012 at 2:03 pm

    So, I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of months now, but missed the post on passion that you linked to before. So so so relevant to me right now! I’m giving my two weeks notice for my day job today and devoting more time and effort into my photography! (Now, let’s just hope my boss doesn’t read your blog. 🙂 )

  24. Jenny on October 19, 2012 at 2:47 pm

    You’ve done so much in just one year. Great work!! I found your blog in August and have really enjoyed your perspective.
    My favorite post was http://psychologyforphotographers.com/struggling-with-marketing-three-truths-a-love-letter
    I have loved photography for years and am just starting to make a business out of it. This post really helped me see one of the big reasons I was avoiding putting my work out there for sale. Thank you,
    Jenny

  25. Megan DiPiero on October 19, 2012 at 3:59 pm

    Happy Anniversary and Happy Travels to you! Thanks for all your generosity and your incredible posts! I devour every one. Reading the Irresistible Website has shaken up all my ideas about websites. I’m no longer satisfied with my pretty pictures, I want the STORY and the CONNECTION to shine through. I want my website to reach out to my target client (I’ve called her Brittney and developed her life’s story) and wrap her up in a hug, followed by a firm shaking about the shoulders to wake her up and challenge her to book NOW! (I’ve discovered Brittney’s a busy girl and she’ll appreciate the call to action and the great experience ahead.) Thanks for opening my eyes to a world of possibilities.

  26. Matt on October 19, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    Congrats! Love the site.

  27. asashia on October 21, 2012 at 1:07 am

    Your favorite post is mine as well! Thank you for being so open and transparent with us…which causes some serious reflection on my part as well!

  28. susan on October 22, 2012 at 3:27 am

    I am only a couple months new to you so had no idea it was your anniversary so HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you!!! Woo hoo! Congrats. I love this blog and have found every single post I’ve read so far is valuable to me in some way. It may not be my photography business or personal life but I always take something good away from it. Thanks for sharing your valuable time to help others. You rock..

  29. Lucia on October 22, 2012 at 4:12 am

    Hi
    I don´t know how long is this supposed to be, but there´s so much I loved about this blog. I enjoyed the post about the two hundred dollar attitude, I had already learned that philosophy from my grandma and I believe it makes a difference in almost any personal and professional relationship. I also found really helpful the posts about selling your photography to women, and meeting your clients´needs, since I am more of a photographer than a business woman, and these posts were true eye-openers and greatly improved my business skills. I shared with my friends (photographers and non-photographers ) the post about Van Gogh and the one about the worst case scenario, since here in Mexico photography market (and basically any kind of market) are truly crappy for young people, and this makes harder for us to take the leap, vanquishing our fears, and follow our passions, and this post is all about it.
    Now, if you have a minute, I would like to share a personal anecdote which I believe relates to this. Besides photography, I also work with glass and I recently took a trip to take a course at the Corning Museum of Glass, were I learned from Loren Stump how to make some kinds of complex murrini, which requires handling a relatively big amount of glass. Back at Mexico, I decided to rent a local workshop to practice for a couple of hours, since I didn´t have a torch of my own back then. I was making this cat murrini with the technique I learned, and while I was working, the workshop owner, trying to be nice and give a good service, kept checking on me every few minutes. But everytime he came back, he kept telling me that that was a lot of glass, and that it was probably going to break. From this guys perspective, the facts were that: a) he is older than me and way more glass- experienced, b) the workshop has a particular brand of torch that I had never seen before and I couldn´t even turn it on on my own c) the kiln happened to be in Celsius, and I only know the annealing temperature on Farenheit, so he had to tell me and set it for me and d) I only know the names of the tools in english, so it took me awhile to ask for the ones I wanted and I looked like a complete idiot. With all these facts, the reasonable decision seemed to be to listen to the guy and work something simpler and smaller. I didn´t. I didn´t listen because a) this guy is really experienced, but he works on fusing rather than flamework, b) he doesn´t usually works with the type of glass I work with, c) he doesn´t know that much about murrini and d) I was just back from learning that very technique from one of the most talented and important flameworkers in the world. I didn´t listen to him because of the same reason that, back while getting my bachelor degree, I wouldn´t listen either to the teachers, students and my own parents when they told me that the research I chose to make for getting my degree was way too complicated and I was never going to finish it. These are smart, experienced and mature people who care about me and give advices with the best intentions, but if I had listen to them on that, I would probably got my degree anyway, but I wouldn´t have gained the admiration of my friends, family, teachers and co-workers when I presented the finished project and I was told it was way above a bachelor degree-level research, and it was one of the most interesting projects they had read. I didn´t listen also because sometimes, your glass has to break so you can gain some experience and learn something. But that´s worse case scenario. It didn´t break. Even when you are young and dumb, there are times to listen to the smart, caring grown-ups, and times to take a leap and believe in yourself.

  30. Janelle on October 22, 2012 at 2:38 pm

    Well, I downloaded your ebook, though I haven’t worked my way through all of it yet. The one line that I really remember reading, though, is that as artists, we need not worry about the imitators, but rather the innovators. It inspired me to be an innovator.

    Thanks so much for starting P4P, Jenika. It’s a much-needed niche in the photography world!

  31. Sarah on November 3, 2012 at 4:12 am

    Wish I’d read and posted in time to be in the drawing, but still wanted to answer. I’ve enjoyed your posts in general, and have had some “ah-ha” moments reading them.

    “*Why* should [website readers] contact you?” Good question! Time to tweak the website!

    “I clutched my props like a security blanket.” Been there…. Time to give up the blanket.

    “Business education can … feel expensive.” That’s where I’m at now — but you’re convincing me of its necessity!

    Keep up the good work. <: – Sarah

  32. Shannon Michelle on December 30, 2012 at 2:58 pm

    Thank you so much for your articles. I can get sucked in for hours on here. One thing you inspired me to do is to change my boring bio into a fun founding myth. Check it out if you get time (http://www.shannon-michelle.com) and please keep writing!! 🙂

    xoxo
    Shannon Michelle

  33. Lewis Fackrell on January 31, 2016 at 10:00 pm

    Fantastic blog and such a resourceful website! Keep it up 😉

  34. Cardiff Wedding Photographer on October 3, 2019 at 9:12 am

    This is such a fantastic blog, loved reading it over the last few weeks!

  35. Richard on December 11, 2019 at 11:25 am

    Only just found this blog love it, looking forward to reading more

  36. Alexander Lewis on April 6, 2020 at 10:10 am

    9 years on from its launch and so much is still relevant and relatable. I have enjoyed reading the updates so far.

  37. Lloyd jones Photography on February 9, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    great blog only found you now glad I did

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