Before I get into what to leave behind in 2024 (and what I’m going to be leaving behind), I want to say I am so happy to be back writing on this blog. This is such a great way for me to keep my lovely and amazing followers and friends up to speed with what I have been doing. I am so truly grateful for everyone who has stuck with me throughout the last 15.
In October 2021, I moved from Seattle to Paris, driven by a long-held dream. Despite being called brave, I struggled to adjust and lost my passion for growing my photography business, even though I loved capturing moments in the city. I felt a lack of momentum and drive, which was evident to friends, leaving me feeling stuck.
A photographer friend visiting Paris encouraged me to teach, noting how my energy shifted when discussing work. While excited about the idea, I initially felt like a failure and questioned what I could offer that others didn’t. Reflecting on Marie Forleo’s book, Everything Is Figureoutable, I remembered that everyone has unique gifts. Over the past two years, I’ve learned that certain speakers resonate with me more than others, even when sharing the same messages.
In November, I began to focus on what brings me joy: helping others and sharing my photography skills gained over 15 years. I constantly seek new information to improve my methods, which contributes to my success. By December, I felt energized and clear about my future, realizing that the universe was supporting me as others approached me with project ideas that aligned with my goals. I’m excited to announce that my friend and I are launching a branding business to help new ventures grow, alongside co-hosting a workshop for photographers that addresses both photography and mental health to overcome mindset barriers. Exciting developments are ahead, and I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter for updates.
By December it hit me. I was solid in my plans for the future and felt this massive surge of energy and excitement. I felt like I was back. It had been forever since I felt this way. I had played around with the idea of starting a branding company or doing a workshop, but it felt overwhelming and I felt like I couldn’t do it alone. The funny thing is that people ended up coming to me asking to start projects up that aligned with what I wanted to do. It was as if the Universe was telling me “You got this. We support you.” So there it is- the big news. My dear friend and I are starting a branding business to help new businesses grow with great content and copy to grow their small business. On top of that, I will be co-hosting a workshop for photographers that not only focus on photography, but mental health to help move through major mindset blocks that hold artists back from creating the life and career that they want. HUGE things are happening this year and I can’t wait to share more, so be sure to sign up for the newsletter to be the very first to know.
All this being said, I am leaving some things behind in 2024 that makes me a little sad. One of them is photographing weddings full time. I love photographing weddings, and I plan to still take on a few, but I am only taking on a small percentage so that I can focus on helping others build their businesses and careers. I have been insanely blessed having a thriving six figure business over the last 10 years and I want to help others achieve their dreams too. I will also be taking less social media planning and photography editing services. If I can help photographers learn how to curate social media or edit their photos better, to me that is much more useful and beneficial. Learning new things is scary, but it has been so rewarding personally. Learning new skills and daring myself to go where I have never gone has given me self confidence that I never had before. I have more faith in myself and knowing that I can achieve so much more than I thought I’d be able to achieve.
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One more thing that I am doing that has scared the living crap out of me to do. I’m starting a podcast. Yes, I am starting a podcast. That is the craziest and scariest thing I have said to anyone and it feels absolutely insane saying it. As a huge fan of podcasts, I never in a million years thought I could do it, but I see a need for it. I have been blessed to be on so many amazing podcast episodes and want to be able to share my knowledge with others. As a bonus, I want to tell stories of all the incredible things I see and people I meet here in Paris. With so many new things, I am going to be launching a newsletter to keep you informed when anything new comes out or is announced. You can sign up by clicking this link HERE.
In 2024 I want to leave behind negative self talk and feeling like an imposter in everything I do. I recently listened to an episode of the Mel Robbins podcast where she interviewed her daughter about feeling like an imposter and how she overcame it. It was an incredibly profound episode for me and I took so many important messages from it. I hope you get a chance to listen to it and my wish is that you can feel comforted the way I did after listening.
So… what are you leaving behind in 2024? What is no longer serving you? Is it a practice, mindset, friend? Leave me a comment and tell me what you’ll be saying “au revoir” to this year.
Big hugs,
Courtney
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