Sometimes I feel like the initial ‘interview’ portion of my photography consultations are “The Annoying First Grader Phase”. Why you ask? (Good, you’re a little like me, CURIOUS!)
Your grade school teachers always told you to answer WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY. SOOOOO important. I wholeheartedly believe that we to think about all these elements for a successful photography project. The intended purpose, meaning, usage, your audience… it is all important in turning your vision into reality and implementing the final products into real-life marketing strategy. It may seem like it takes a lot of thought to put into snapping pictures, but we are looking to turn heads and burn ideas into our audience’s memory.
WHY, Why, why? That’s the biggest question you need to ask yourself. Why are you doing what you do? What is your goal? Why do you want to achieve that goal? Your website, for example, is a tool to help you achieve a goal. Simply HAVING a website is not a strong end goal. Your website is supposed to work for you… so what do you want your website to achieve for you? Another example: ranking better among your competition is not a strong end goal – why do you want to rank better? If you need more business, that’s a great reason… but if you’re swamped with work, you may want to refocus your goal. You could still work on ranking higher, but maybe you need to narrow your niche or your geographic region to fine-tune the type of work or type of person you want taking action.
Developing a Deeper “Why”
In 2013, I completed a thought provoking l exercise for the first time called SEVEN LEVELS. My fellow students and I wrote out an everyday goal, such as “I want to earn more money”, and the second step asked WHY I wanted to earn more money. Then WHY I wanted #2, and WHYI wanted #3, and WHY I wanted #4… until I reached SEVEN answers. Let me tell you, that seventh answer was the bomb, not to mention the growth and exploration of each of the preceding levels.
I may seem like a curious and annoying First Grader when I’m interviewing you and asking WHY this, WHY that… but the WHY is so important. Your WHY can lead you to a very sentimental purpose that could mean a lot not just to your clients, but to you.
My WHY still holds true today… are you curious what my seventh level is?
“By helping the people around me, I can make a difference in this world… butterfly effects that can change the thinking of generations to come. Knowing this can help me achieve true peace of mind and total satisfaction in a life well lived.”
What’s even better, you don’t need anyone or anything to do Seven Levels yourself but a pen and piece of paper. Find a quite place and block off 30 minutes to 1 hour to try SEVEN LEVELS for yourself. Let me know what conclusion you come to, whether a personal or business approach. And…
