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Mental Health

This week, I am talking all about mental health. Specifically, the way it affects life as an entrepreneur and everything that comes along with it. 

Ottawa Wedding Photographer - Mental Health
Ottawa Wedding Photographer - Mental Health

Managing expectations

Much of my self worth is dependant on my business. When I have clients rolling in, it soars but during slow season, my self worth crashes and I know I am not alone in that. The reality is that I have built a business around my identity, developed a brand that is very much dependant on who I am and separating my business from who I am is a very difficult process with blurred lines. Many entrepreneurs feel the same way and I often make a point to talk to them about these feelings to get a sense of camaraderie within our community. It's incredibly helpful and I hope that one day, I might be able to detach from this form of thinking but for now, I will push through and do my very best. 

Ottawa Wedding Photographer - Mental Health

What am I doing?

I suffer from a lot of imposter syndrome. I often find myself thinking “Who am I to think I can do this?” This industry is so full of “fake it ‘till you make it” moments that I started to wonder if all there was to it was faking it. I am often faced with situations I haven’t run into, but do my best to get through them as though I’ve done it a million times. I think that’s part of owning a business and growing as an entrepreneur. The process is a roller coaster and it always ends with me being beyond proud of my work and being too exited to share the images with my couples but man, that roller coster is rough. You can ask Nick, I'm sure he's tired of hearing me go through it every time but I know he's always there to encourage me. 

Ottawa Wedding Photographer - Mental Health

Fear of failure

I think this one has been something I've dealt with my whole life. It's not just professionally; everything I do has to be perfect and anything but is a failure to me. I know - it's terribly naive and impossible to achieve but it's something I deal with on a daily basis. Some context, I refused to play pool for years when I hung out with friends for the fear of being terrible at it in public. Eventually, I embraced the failure and I am known as the worst pool player among my circle but you know what? I am okay with that, it's always so much fun anyway! Plus, Nick always wraps his arms around me to show me how to do everything properly just like in a cheesy romantic comedy... who knows - Maybe I’m awful on purpose now!
I know so many people who have this issue that I have lost count. It's incredibly humbling to know that I am not alone and the small group of close friends I have is incredibly supportive. 

All of this to say, you are not alone. We all have our strengths and weaknesses but at the end of the day, we are here for each-other. I want to make one thing clear though. No matter who you are, a client, a friend, a colleague, heck even if we've never met, I am ALWAYS happy to meet up and chat over coffee if you need someone to hear you out. I know what It's like to feel alone while you're surrounded by people and just wanting someone to listen to your woes. I will always make time for that. Don't hesitate to reach out! I do need an excuse to get out of the house so I'll jump on the opportunity!

Sophie Fortier