If you’re a creative entrepreneur – there is a 100% chance you have experienced the challenges of loneliness and lack of support that our solo-ownership-positions offer.

Thousands of questions. Thousands of decisions. Day in, day out. Most of us can handle the bulk for the exchange of freedom –

but SOMETIMES we just need someone who has BEEN there or IS there with you in that stage of business.

While I fully believe that working for myself is worth it 100X over – one thing is typically lacking for us that the corporate world does not lack:

Community.

Today we’re dissecting that, and also offering suggestions and solutions if you find yourself out there in the same boat!

“I was too scared to reach out to anybody. I was too scared to walk past a photography studio in the city and say ‘Hey! I really like this!’ because I felt like being young, without a degree, in a big city like that – you were just nobody.”

– Roslyn hogno

• I (Becca) come from an extremely small community where the nearest Rising Tide meetings are 1-2 hours away – BUT here in the USA, we have seen a rise of creative communities supporting each other as a whole, and we usually have the ability to get connected somehow if we want to.

• Roslyn, however, has had the same struggle in Australia. She currently looks to photographers in the US for education and support in her entrepreneurial journey, and has for the past 6-7 years. Watch the video to find out the impact of COVID on this.

We’ll cover:

• At what point she realized there was no community (pre- IG, pre-TikTok)
• What happened when she reached out to photographers online or in-studio (hint…most were older guys)
• Overcoming the odds while she was young in business, did not have a degree or a rich family
• What made Roslyn dive in headfirst years later to seek community
• How she coped and found community – even post-COVID in a ‘world behind screens’

“I’m going to find community on my own – they’re not going to come to me. I just have to dive into this headfirst.”

– roslyn hogno

• How to reach out to your ‘competition’ to create community
  • Can I take any work off of your hands?
  • Can I do the same for you?
  • I’m here to help you and I’d love to send inquiries your way!
  • Encourage them: “That wedding you just shot was STUNNING!”
  • (Remember they are probably feeling scared and the exact same way! We’re all just humans and we all have our own battles. They’re probably desperate for acceptance as well.)

• How to find people to grow your community
  • Reach out to friends (mom friends, church friends) and ask if they’ve heard of any other photographers
  • Facebook Buy/Sell Groups Post: “Hey I’m a local photographer – I’m just reaching out to see if there is anyone else in the community who would love to collaborate on a project!”

• Some of my recommendations to find community as a creative entrepreneur:
  • Creative @ Heart
  • Rising Tide Society

How to find Roslyn:

https://www.instagram.com/roslynclarephotography https://www.facebook.com/roslynclarephoto https://www.roslynclarephotography.com

Roslyn is a wedding and portrait photographer based in NSW, Australia! She lives in a small community in the Snowy Mountains of roughly 10,000 people and has been shooting for just over 10 years, and full time in business for 4 of those! Her shooting and editing style is very unique in her market, and she leans towards light, airy and colourful images with joyful couples and families who love the outdoors and their mountain environment!! Roslyn has been educating other photographers and small business owners in her local market for 18 months and specialises in helping new photographers find confidence in their personal brand and photography business.

She has a Personal Branding Course coming in 2021, and an online shop coming!

If you’re interested in learning more, make sure you Subscribe to my Channel!

Loved having you here!! Thanks for stopping by!

till next time,

Becca