How personal work makes you better at paid work

25 September, 2025

Yesterday I met with the group of photographers who’ve signed up for our personal project workshop in Chiang Mai next June (there are still places if you’re interested).

Shooting well crafted and conceptual personal work is not just for shits and giggles (though it’s a wonderful way to fuel your creativity and keep you loving your job).

It’s not just to help get you paid work (though it is hands down your most effective marketing tool), and will certainly placate an agent who’s working hard to get you briefs.

Making work for yourself gives you the opportunity to treat yourself like the best client you ever had. To brief yourself on the most wonderful interesting job you ever shot, and to practice planning, executing and delivering that so that you get better and better at delivering for clients.

And yes, to deal with the problems that arise and NOT give up.

I work as a consultant to photographers around the globe and when I meet with them one to one I get a truly insightful understanding of who they are – through their work and our conversations. (You might have discovered this already!)

But one thing I don’t really get a good insight into is how they are when they’re on a job, or on set, or managing a production.

When I meet photographers in person on a location workshop, I get to see a whole new side of them.

  • How focused they are on getting the results they intended.
  • How well they communicate within the group, and to potential talent and crew.
  • How good a team player they are.
  • How they cope with curveballs and dead ends.

These are all aspects of a typical production and so it’s fascinating for me to witness them in action. I love learning about how the photographers handle different situations.

When you’re working on a brief for a client, and you hit hurdles, how good are you at problem solving or pivoting? How well do you prepare for your meetings and productions and what does your team think of you?

Consider making personal work in a way which prepares you for this.

At the very least it will inspire people to hire you