Time out in Glencoe in March - it is turning into a yearly retreat

THE STORY DETAILS:

What: My very own story

When: January - December 2024

Where: All over the place!

Another year of learning

Reflections on 2024

2024 has been a year of two distinct (almost) halves for me; January - July was a whirlwind of activity and productivity and exciting shoots, workshops and retreats. By contrast, August - December has been very different; five long months dominated by life events serving me some big lessons and giving me lots of opportunity to reflect on my business and life.

What follows is not a list of my top ten highlights of the year, but instead six learnings, realisations or moments that have had a big impact on me and my family. I’d call 2024 a year of growth I think, and I’m coming out the other side better for it.

1. You can only go so far alone

There are only so many hours in the day, and no matter what any 25 year old childfree business coach/work life balance/lifestyle influencer says, not all time is equal and there is absolutely no chance of me starting my day with a quiet cup of tea and journaling in this phase of life. Mums know that we have to be savvy with how we spend our time and the choices we make. For me this year, that has meant starting to get some help within my business.

Handing over tasks can feel incredibly hard - in a small business, it feels like you have to be omnipresent and authentic in all your social media interactions and posts, and how do you do this if someone else is doing it on your behalf? Find the right person though who ‘gets’ you (and maybe even sees things more clearly than you can yourself) and it can all start to make sense. I work with Vicky, who has really helped get some things in order, and I am planning to get her to help me with some more things come the New Year. Spending time online and in person with other photographers has also given me lots of short cuts in my workflows and provided answers to business and editing questions. I’ve also gained some wonderful pals and I’ve loved all the Wild Women coworking events and workshops this year - they have given me a great sense of community and kinship, as well as opening up space for creative exploration.

2025 will see some changes to our home life - we will definitely be getting some help with keeping our house clean, and hopefully some flexible childcare too. Freeing ourselves from some of the domestic labour will open up more time for creativity, family and play so I am seeing it as a business investment and mental health necessity, rather than a luxury.

The wonderful Vicky (who now has some beautiful new photos for her website from me!); making time and space for creative play; my lovely pal Vanisha glowing at the Clapton Wild Women play day.

2. Curiosity gets the cat some interesting work

I am not a natural when it comes to ‘small talk’ and the idea of going to network events can bring me out in a rash. However, something happens when I have a camera in my hands - it is almost like being behind the camera gives me permission to ask the questions I maybe wouldn’t be brave enough to ask in a normal conversation. I am always trying to draw out real emotion and expressions when I am taking portraits, and questioning people often gets me there.

Connecting with people and being curious leads to the most interesting conversations and opportunities. During 2024, I pushed myself to go to network mornings and mum events and even drinks out with some of my new neighbours (most of whom I had never even seen in the street). I asked the questions I would ask if I had a camera in my hands. And I came away from all these events feeling like I had met some really interesting people, heard some inspiring stories from normal everyday folk, and even picked up a few jobs. My sons are incredibly curious and watching them follow their noses has been inspiring too - if I want them to continue being brave and open and honest, then I need to be too.

*Me by* *Becky Wood* *at the Wild Women retreat in May*

**3. I underestimate myself**
A trait shared by lots of women I think… sometimes it takes other people pointing things out to realise just how much we have to offer.

It always surprises me how interested people are when I talk about my previous life in education because I was ‘just’ a teacher - but actually you learn a lot about society and people from working in the public sector. I have been guilty of seriously underselling how much my teaching career informs the workshops and events I run - I work hard to offer different events with a range of purposes and personalised outcomes for the attendees - and I know from attending other events that this is not usually the case. And I am also guilty sometimes of underestimating my experience in the photography industry - I have been taking client work since 2016, which is eight years of being paid to take photographs for other people. That is a long time - over a fifth of my entire life actually! - and I am aiming to celebrate my experience and be more vocal about my skills in 2025.

4. The hustle life is over

I shot over 100 sessions during 2023 when I was still only working part time as a photographer; I haven’t even counted this year but it is a lot less. I’ve re-thought how I want my weeks to look - what time I actually have and how I want to spend it - and this has led to me structuring my shoots and pricing differently. Starting my planning from how I want life to look rather than chasing some arbitrary numbers means I am more intentional about how, when and where I work, and protects the creative outcomes I want to achieve.

I’m also just not interested in hitting certain numbers for the sake of being able to say them, or show off - the connection with the people I am working with is the most rewarding part of this job and that deserves nurturing. This end of the year has been slower and more intentional, and I’ve enjoyed my work so much more for it. I can feel the shift and I know more personal, meaningful work is coming in 2025 - for both me and my clients. At the start of the year I wrote a big list on A1 paper of things I wanted to achieve and stuck it on my office wall - that got ripped up when we moved house, and it is fair to say that the 2025 planning will look quite different.

5. Renovating a house is not for the faint hearted

We bought our wreck of a house in June 2021; we moved into a still unfinished home at the end of October 2024. To say it has been a journey would be an understatement. We have learned a lot; about ourselves, about how people behave, about building control regulations…! My next blog post is ‘Ten things I’ve learned about business from renovating a house’ so look out for that one - so many valuable and transferable lessons that I will be carrying through to my photography business. It has been a pretty painful process at times so I may as well use the experience to make my own client experience the best it can be.

**1. Mother Nature made me do it**
Baby three coming spring 2025!

What to say except that pregnancy is one of ***the most*** humbling life events for me, second only to bereavement in my experiences. Extreme pregnancy sickness (hyperemesis gravidarum or HG) is my nemesis and it has absolutely wiped me out, again. I suffered with both my boys and I am adamant that the way we forget the bad bits of pregnancy and childbirth is Mother Nature’s biggest trick. I feel lucky that this time round I am not a schoolteacher on a relentless timetable having to start my working day at 7.30am; rather, I have been able to go at my own pace and make the decisions my body has needed.

August and September were particularly awful, and I spent a lot of time on the sofa or in the bathroom. I had to step back from work, pass on enquiries and slow right down. Do I feel like I’ve been in hiding? Yes I do, and this photo feels apt. It is only in the last 2-3 weeks that I have felt human again most of the time, and able to really enjoy life. And so, that is how 2025 will start - enjoying the small things, working intentionally on things I love, and soaking up my boys before we have another baby at home making them seem grown up overnight. And of course, I’ll be documenting it all and honouring this stage of life. To next year’s adventures…