make meaning Archives - Page 16 of 16 - ⚡️Kristen Kalp

Posts in "make meaning" Category — Page 16

Intuition 101: your best guidance is in your gut.

Deep within you is a voice whispering about what it is you really want to be doing in the world.  It could be talking about a tweak to your business; it could be urging an overhaul; it could be pushing you to walk away and start something new.

You don’t have to trust that voice. You don’t have to even acknowledge it.  The voice of intuition can seem crazy; it can seem odd; it can make you laugh and it can seem completely absurd — but, because you bothered to click over here, play along with me and consider that the voice might be worth listening to.

When I work with clients one on one, I’m always trusting that voice. The things that come out of my mouth can seem absurd, even to me! Recently, I challenged a brilliant photographer to have a show. A full-on, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, jazz music in the background, prints on walls in a chic space show of his photography. He was so convinced that a full gallery show was beyond his realm of possibility that he didn’t understand how I could even ask it of him. But the voice of my intuition persisted. I said, “I know it to be true for you — will you take that on as a challenge?” He said, “Absolutely.”

He researched having a show. He found out how much the framing would cost and how much the printing would cost. He researched all the details of having a gallery show that I don’t even know about. Then he said, “I don’t want to let you down, but this is way too expensive and it’s not going to work.”

A few weeks later, he e-mailed me to say that an art collector had stopped into his studio, absolutely fallen in love with what he was doing, and was completely financially backing a gallery show.

That’s the power of the still, small voice deep within you.

I challenge you to acknowledge that voice.

I challenge you to acknowledge that yes, you hear that whisper, and you know what? The voice might be right.

What the voice is saying doesn’t have to be a big deal, it doesn’t have to be scary, and it doesn’t have to be something you act upon immediately. If the voice is recommending a big change, it’s not a change you have to do this instant.  Acknowledging is all I’m asking.

Consider that the whisper of intuition you hear could be smart/wise/right.

Especially if it’s whispering about how the thing that lights you up can become a part of your business.

Acknowledge the possibility without shutting it down, saying it’s not possible, writing it off as silly, or saying any of those judgmental things we say to ourselves. You know, the things that are awful: “You’re not talented,” “You’re not good enough,” “You should be further along by now,’ “You can’t do that,” or “That’s just not going to happen.”  The still, small voice of intuition is NOT that voice.

The voice of intuition is soft, gentle, and interested in nudging you toward possibility.

Try to ignore your mind’s stream of mean or berating thoughts about yourself for long enough to acknowledge the nugget of truth that’s trying to present itself.

The voice of intuition isn’t confined to massive, life-altering events, either! It can be as simple as, “I don’t want to work with this person,” or “I do want to work with this person.” (Because boundaries.)  It can be as seemingly unimportant as feeling that your marketing e-mail should go out tomorrow instead of today, or vice versa. It’s doesn’t have to make sense in a logical or typical way.

Further, feel free to let your intuition take the reins on tiny things you don’t view as terribly significant. Start playing with the voice and seeing what it presents to you. Then, bigger and larger tasks will be easier to give to that voice, which people call intuition. (And which, incidentally, I am only beginning to acknowledge and play with myself.)

For today, acknowledge the voice of intuition. That’s the first step.

Yes, it exists.  If only as a teeny, tiny whisper.  See where it takes you.

P.S.  Stop drinking the unicorn blood (and put down that horcrux).

Be the pink tree.

It’s Spring.  There are 9.8 million brown trees waiting to unfurl their new leaves.

And there are a few trees getting all the attention.

The pink trees.

You know the pink trees — the ones that aren’t afraid to bloom a little early.

To be a little different.

To show up first and start dancing.

To be the center of attention.

To rock their unique talents.

To share their gifts with all the world.

To be outrageous in their boldness, their cleverness, their commitment to color.

Be the pink tree.

When the rain comes and the mud sucks at your boots.

When you’re tempted to bloom with all the others.

When you can no longer bear being anything but yourself.  Entirely yourself.

Be the pink tree.

P.S.  I’m proud of you.

Every strip club needs a bouncer.

Your strip club (see this post, if you’re confused) is now flourishing!  Those marketing techniques you mastered have filled the club nightly, and Crystal’s g-string is stuffed full of singles at least four times a night.  But…there’s a problem.    You serve Chimay, your clients want Bud Light.  The club offers lap dances starting at $95, and some clients want to pay $15.

You, my friend, need a bouncer.

Prices are often your bouncer.

Listing your session fee, base package price, and/or basic collection price can be effective in weeding out your less-than-ideal clients.  (Listing no price leaves too much room for assumptions about how ‘cheap’ or ‘expensive’ you are!)

Text can be your bouncer, too.

Using adjectives to describe your work as ‘classic’ will deter those who are looking for modern images.  ‘Upscale’ or ‘elegant’ can trigger the dollar-signs that keep clients with a Craigslist budget from looking any further into your work.  ‘Alternative,’ or ‘rock’n’roll’ text can attract the indy crowd, while clothing guidelines touting the wonders of smocking on children’s clothing will please the traditional consumer.

Let your images do some bouncing, too.

Show only what you want to sell, one hundred percent of the time.

If you don’t want to sell a single image of a couple looking at the camera, don’t post one.  If you’ll puke before shooting a couple on the beach at sunset, avoid showing those images to anyone.  Ever.  Teach your clients how to dress though the images you place in your portfolio, and help them choose locations and portrait scenarios the same way.

Oh, and take a tip from Crystal: call security when a client sets off alarm bells.

If an evil (or potentially evil) client happens to slip past the bouncers, deal with ’em efficiently and break ties if at all possible.  (Because boundaries.)  That pain-in-the-ass client only gets worse when you ignore him, give her bad customer service, or try to appease her with freebies.  End the relationship as soon as humanly possible.

P.S.  When you let out your weird and attract your peeps, you need a bouncer less and less.