sometimes you need a break from the doing – from the going – from the journey. sometimes you need to think about the destination.
when i tweeted that i was looking for how people define & measure their success, jen kiaba took the task and created her own mental exercise. she envisioned her life as a successful photographer and put pen to paper – or fingers to keys – and let me know her goals.
jen writes of her future:
My portrait studio is successful in that it sees a steady stream of high end clients every month. These days I tend to be more exclusive with the shoots that I book because my portrait packages are high-quality, and I tend to only worth with about 5-8 different clients every month. This means that with only one or two portraits sessions per week, I have the ability to work on personal photo shoots and maintaining my Etsy shop as well!
The work that I create for my Etsy shop also sells very well as stock images for fiction book covers. It was so exciting when I saw my first image as a cover! The money that comes in from those sales helps pay my models for their time. It also helps fund our taking trips to fun locations that fits the style of my shop. Because these models are great friends, then road trips are a blast. And the best part is that while we are on a business trip, it is still like a mini vacation! Right now I’m putting some extra money away for a shoot in Europe! Right now our itinerary is Ireland, England and France. And maybe we’ll pop down into Spain for a little sun and surf!
i love that jen envisions her success as a story. it’s clear that she’s considered the life she wants to live and the balance that life will have. click over to her etsy shop to see more of her work!
how do you envision your success?
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Tara Gentile is a business coach and blogger serving passion-driven entrepreneurs with fresh ideas about 
having read jen’s previous blog about success i find it hard to define my own … i do have a wonderful marriage, i’m proud of my husband (he’s in the af) & everything that he does, & i’m proud of the work i’m producing & the steps i’m taking in getting to where i want to be.
Jen’s a wonderful inspiration to all of us … her work is stunning & as far as a person she is fabulous (yes this word definately applies).
Thank you for asking the question & posting such a wonderful answer.
Success for me is two fold. One side is financial success. Period.
The second side is acutally being able to honnestly say ” I am doing something I love and being paid to do it.
I think Jen’s found the second, thats what we all strive for.
I have been following Jens work for sometime. Shes so very talented and a beloved artist to many photographers. The thoughts, experiences, tips that she shares on her blog are inspirational. Jen is success.
Melissa,
I just saw your post here and I want to cry! Thank you so much!
And Laura, thank you as well for the kind words.
<3
Jen