No time for free projects? This might change your perspective

When running a photography business, they quickly can end up being pushed aside, but that's a huge mistake! Let me explain… 

What do I mean by a project shoot?

A photoshoot where I have no customer, no horse owner or business, no art buyer or gallery expecting any outcome from me. Just my camera and my idea. No one pays me, but no one expects anything from me either.

That's a project for me.

Why would I photograph for free? I am running a photography business and need to pay the bills from that… Well - there are two very good reasons:

1. I need this creative space to not burn out

I love my customer shoots dearly. I am a service provider through and through and genuinely enjoy this part of my business. But when I am at a client shoot, I mostly stay within my comfort zone. My comfort zone is where I produce reliable results, where I create the images my customers see on my website and the images they expect when they book me.

I always work a little bit as a mind reader and try to figure out what my customer wants. Of course I create images in my style and leave room for creativity, but overall I stay in familiar waters.

So far, so good. This is my business, and creating the images my customers book me for is my job.

There is just one problem: after a while, this can become limiting. It feeds the part of my soul that wants to create beautiful images for others. But the other part – the one that wants to experiment, explore new ideas and occasionally fail – that side stays hungry. I need both.

This is why I do projects in between my paid work. To simply have fun and step out of my comfort zone.

And here comes the important part: the focus stays as pure as it can. I create a framework to experiment and have room for failure. I have done projects where I came home and thought: "Well, that was nothing." - And I still consider them a success. Because the goal was never to create a masterpiece. The goal was to try.

Project shoots have shaped my work more than any client assignment ever could. They are where I learned what I am actually drawn to, what excites me, and what feels true to me creatively.

That process of finding your own creative voice – and learning to trust it – is exactly what my Masterclass CREATIVE COMPASS is about.

2. They actually do pay the bills - but first much later

So far it's all fun and games. But I still have to pay the bills. I have two small kids, a dog, a household, hobbies, and a business to run. So where do I find the time for unpaid projects?

I make it.

Because over the years I noticed something interesting: it's always these images that generate the most long-term income for my business. The images that came from curiosity, experimentation, and play.

These are the ones that later end up selling as artwork, attracting new clients or opening completely new opportunities - years after I took them!

So while I don't have a monetary goal in mind when I press the shutter, I almost always look for one afterward.

Creating personal work and turning personal work into income are two completely different skills. One is creative, the other is strategic. Learning how to bridge that gap has had a bigger impact on my business than almost anything else.

Learn my exact framework for creating long-term passive income with your existing pictures in my masterclass, PROFIT PATH.

So let this be your reminder today:

Even if you are right in the middle of busy season, go out and create something just for yourself.

Not because it has to make money.

Not because it has to be successful.

Simply because staying curious is part of staying creative.