We hear it constantly, Instagram isn’t real. Don’t compare. Their highlights and your real life aren’t the same. However, we still do our best to show our best and hide everything that doesn’t quite meet the social media standard. Take the new mom for example:
Bounce back, but take it slow.
Be successful, but be there for everyone.
Have a career, but be a mom.
Don’t forget your spouse, but make time for yourself.
Know everyone’s schedules, and don’t forget your own.
Know your worth, but don’t charge too much.
Do this, that, and every single thing
BUT….make sure you smile, shoulders back, chin up, and never complain.
WE ARE HUMAN. It’s ok to rest, to be real. We are real people behind screens with a lot of the same questions and insecurities.
This summer has been hard. I have two beautiful children who are young and need mom’s attention. I’m taking care of my own parents who need my help and support in a difficult time, I’m a wife who could make some more homemade dinners and pay more attention to my husband, and from 12-3am I’m a wedding photographer working my nights away at my desk next to my daughter’s crib. My social media is full of hundreds of photographers like me. Some new, some experienced, some super successful, some giving up. But we are our own worst critics, our own worst enemy.
I saw a friend and deserving photographer be featured for a wedding they shot this past Spring. I was so happy for her! Then I scrolled and saw the Bride and Groom’s names. They were a couple that had reached out to me a few months prior and I had not heard back from. It was suddenly much harder to be excited for my friend. How terrible is that! I felt awful and quickly went back and looked over our emails. What had I done wrong?? Absolutely nothing. Maybe I wasn’t a good fit. Maybe they were looking for something different than I was offering. One lost inquiry certainly isn’t the end of the world.
But it was so easy to let one thing completely crush my passion and motivation in that moment. And why? That’s life. The daily grind is hard. Keeping on when the newness and the close friend support and the community know you and are “over it”, is hard. But it’s all part of it.
So here’s to finding some passion and drive on this Monday simply because I love what I do and the friendships I make along the way! I hope I’ve encouraged you in some way or just let you know that you’re not alone in the rat race. Happy Monday friends- hang in there.
Xx,
ASHLEY K
