This week I celebrated my second year in business! I can’t believe that I am writing those words on the page… it seems like just yesterday that I bought a “fancy” camera  just for fun! When I bought that camera three years ago, I had no plans for a business. It’s funny how the Lord clearly had different plans! He was preparing me in more ways than I’ll ever know, and looking back I can see how he was weaving this into my story years ago.

If I were to share with you everything that I’ve learned over these past two years in business, we would be here for DAYS. So instead, I thought I would share with you some of the key things that I’ve learned since making Kelsie Lynn Photography official. As you’ll see, owning a business isn’t as glamorous as I may portray it to be. However, it’s through the darkest parts that the Lord shines the brightest. 🙂

1. Grace will take you places hustling can’t. I cannot stress this enough, friends. This year is by far the most exhausting year yet. I quickly found myself working every spare minute that I could find in order to keep up. I became frustrated with myself if I didn’t have the energy to respond to my overflowing inbox or edit the thousands of pictures that waited for me. I never really understood how someone could be so drained that they couldn’t do simple tasks like editing or responding to emails until that became my reality. I knew that I couldn’t keep up this pace for long, so something had to change. I had to extend myself grace and overcome the mindset that if I just hustle, hustle, hustle, then I would build my business overnight. By holding myself to a standard of grace, not perfection, I’m able to have more time to rest, and I’m more productive during the time that I spend on my business. Friends, we need to stop believing the lie that hustling is the only way to build a business, because that’s simply not true!
2. Trusting the Lord will take me farther than I ever could have imagined. By choosing grace over my own strength, I’m saying yes to God and His plans for my business. So often we get overwhelmed by the mile-long to do list, that we set our eyes on the finish line and do everything we can to check things off the list. My own strength can only sustain me for so long. By continuously saying “yes” to Jesus and trusting him with my to-do list, he provides for my business in ways that I could never imagine. Owning a business is hard friends; there’s hard conversations to be had, difficult situations to navigate, and there’s the whole trying to avoid committing a felony with my taxes. There is absolutely no way I could do this by myself, let alone without the Lord providing for me day after day. There are so many stories I could share, but we’ll just have to do that over a cup of hot chocolate. 🙂
3. My time is valuable, and I should treat it as such. During the first year of my business, I was a senior in college. While I only took 12 credit hours each semester, I still somehow found myself fighting for time to rest with all of the extra-curricular activities I was involved in. I felt as though everyone else was scheduling my calendar and by the time I got ahold of it, there was no time left for myself. As an introvert, this was quickly draining and I hoped that it would change once I graduated. Thankfully, for the first few months of post-grad life, it did slow down. However, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’ve been quite busy this wedding season! So much so, that I’ve only had 3 weekends between the end of April and the end of the year that don’t have something photography or wedding related (not including holiday weekends, thankfully!). As you can imagine, I’m quickly coming to realize how valuable my time is, because when I say yes to something, I say no to time that I could be resting, spending time with friends, or just doing something that a normal 20-something would do (…not even sure what this is, but I’m sure it is fun!). Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change a thing about how full my calendar is with serving amazing couples, but I am learning the importance of rest and spending my time intentionally.
4. Choose community over competition every single time. This is so incredibly important. Over the past two years I have developed such a passion for community. Community is a place to build each other up, while competition simply tears people apart. Some of my best friends in Columbus are photographers, and I’m so thankful for that. We are able to relate to each other on a level that no one else can. We can learn from each other, support each other, and create together. Does it get hard? Yes, it does. It’s so hard to not compare yourself or have hurt feelings if someone abuses the relationship. But that is an even better opportunity to love them as Christ would. It’s an opportunity to meet other creatives and cheer for them in their businesses.
5. Comparison really is the thief of joy. I’ve written a blog about this before (it’s one of my all time favorites!), but it is so near and dear to my heart. I would be lying if I told you I didn’t compare myself to my peers. While it has been one of the largest ongoing struggles I’ve faced these two years, it is not something that defines me. If I let myself feel defeated in the game of comparison, it completely drains my joy, the joy that the Lord has given me for this business. That feeling is not from the Lord and He hates to see His children hurting that way.We are all called to something greater, something higher and something with purpose. Worrying about what others are doing will only hinder what the Lord can do through you.

While these two years have been challenging, they have been so incredibly rewarding. I know more about myself, my identity and my purpose, and I’m so excited about what the future holds. I know I have big plans, so I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store! Thanks so much for joining me on this journey so far. Here’s to the next 2+ years!