A Disappointment

I'm interrupting our Kansas City trip report to take a minute to write what's on my heart.  

Many of you know a couple of weeks ago I took on a major project in my photography journey.

I took school pictures for a local, private christian academy.  

I was thrilled for the opportunity!!!

The picture day went amazingly well. I thought the pictures turned out fantastic, and I was hoping for a big success especially after putting in at least 20 hours of painstaking editing/preparing online galleries, along with the grueling 7 hours of set up, shooting, and take down.  Not to mention time and expense in preparation and gear.  

So far, only 8% of parents have purchased photos.  

Not exactly a success story.  

: (  

I'm trying really hard to not be so disappointed, but I'm a big dreamer and it actually never occurred to me going in to this endeavor that parents may not want to buy school photos.  

A big lesson in setting realistic expectations.  

Stupid life and all its details.

 (right now I'm picturing in my head a cartoon version of life taunting me with reality, loving its own details and waving them in my face)

Man, life is mean!

I'm also trying really hard not to just accept this like a poor victim.  

I've tried to ask the questions like

 "what can I do about it?"

"how do I make the most of the situation?"

"what am I empowered to control in this?"

"how can I get a better outcome?"

Parents have 6 more days to purchase before the gallery is taken down.  

Maybe they are procrastinators like me.  

And if they are not, I'm trying to work through my disappointment now. 

And by work through my disappointment, I mean cry it out.  

Here's a few quotes that made me feel a bit better...

"A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success."

-Elbert Hubbard

"Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success."

-Dale Carnegie

"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure."

-George Edward Woodberry

"I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate."

-George Burns

Ah, that's better.   

This blog saves a lot of money on therapy.  : )