Photo Credit: Alyssa Hollis
Photographer Burnout is Real!
How did I get where I am today? A few years ago, I was here; photographer burnout.
As long as I can remember I’ve taken on too much, but I didn’t know the breadth of this until I tried to teach 4th & 5th grade full time, shoot 10-15 weddings, as well as numerous families and seniors, all in one year. Doing so led right where you think it would, friends, major burnout. By the end of my second year doing all the things, I needed a break. Overworked, unhappy and physically and mentally unhealthy, I got out; of it all.
How I Reached Photographer Burnout
Throughout life, I’ve worn many work hats, each experience leaving me with valuable perspective and knowledge. Jobs include babysitter, pizza maker, retail sales, server and bar tender, stocker of shelves overnight, elementary teacher, marketing specialist for commercial real estate, and owner of a photography business.
Since middle school, I’ve had the drive to work and earn my own cash. However, I always thought quantity to be the way to you made it in the world. Work, work, and more work til you get where you want to be and you’ll be happy. Constant hustle is not sustainable for any human being, especially when your time is being spent on tasks that don’t feed your spirit. It’s a constant battle I fight to this day.
Let’s Back Up
College brought me to Bemidji State University, where I majored in elementary education. During my senior year, I took a photography class and we worked mainly with analog film cameras and darkroom processes. It was my favorite class and my creative side was ignited.
After graduation, I moved to the Minne-apple with hopes of landing a teaching job where I’d live my days out to retirement. My naive young self thought adulthood looked like this: college, job, husband, babies, retire, travel. There’s nothing wrong with this path but I panicked. I was fresh out of college, in my early 20s and already I was planning my retirement? This couldn’t be it, right? I felt unsatisfied and unfulfilled.
I looked into attending Art Institutes International, MN, with little money and no full-time job to help pay my bills (again, naïveté paid off). There’s a beauty to the amount of crap you’ll put up with when you’re young; living in close-to-condemned apartments on tiny part-time paychecks, schooling & working non-stop and using limited free time to hang with friends and live life in the fast lane but man, was it exciting and damn fun.
Getting Closer
Following AI, my gigantic family came in handy. I photographed my cousins’ weddings, children and family events.
Over time, I built a reputation as a solid wedding photographer and ran my business for eight years while substitute teaching on the side. A long-term subbing gig eventually led to a full time teaching job and I took it and ran. Enter: burnout.
After getting out, I took an entry level marketing job that didn’t require nightly homework and just existed for a while. Those three years of merely being, not working toward something have been great although unfulfilling. My soul longs to create, to build, to succeed. It won’t be ignored any longer.
Fast Forward to Today
Now I bust my butt for what I want to do and the goals I have for my life. I’ve let go of what others think and am going with my gut. Over the years, I’ve realized being happy doesn’t have to do with hustle or money or things, rather with time and what you fill it with. I choose to fill my time with activities that inspire me and fill my soul with warmth. One of those activities is creating photographs and films and following through on ideas I have, no matter how far fetched they seem. I’m learning to live by listening to my feelings and internal pushes & pulls.
Please know that I don’t have it all figured out and don’t plan to ever have it all figured out. It’s a constant struggle balancing work and personal life and there’s constant guilt that goes into choosing. Most importantly, I’m learning to deal with it but am far from balance.
As we’re all navigating our way through this thing called life, let me know if you have any tips about living in the moment or if you saw yourself in my story. Comment below; I’d love to hear from you!
