There are little opinion boxes at the bottom of each post, and I do watch them. There is an option to love, like, dislike, or agree with each of my posts.
Several of my blogs over the last number of weeks have been voted by readers to be 'disliked.'
Most of these posts are similarly themed; they are posts in which I mostly talk about wanting to expand my business reach, whether I talk about wanting to make my business more successful, the strategies I plan to undertake to accomplish that, or things that are coming up.
It doesn't bother me in the least that people would dislike something I have to say. We are each entitled to our own opinion; however, in the aforementioned posts, I am not blogging about opinions. I am posting facts, strategies, upcoming events...things that should make most people excited.
Well, they should excite most people who want to see me successful in my part-time photography business, anyway.
That means, obviously, that there is a person (or a group of persons) who does not (do not) want to see me succeed.
I should be glad that I have stepped on some toes, though, shouldn't I? I should be glad that someone is not wanting to see me improve my business, or get more clients, or try to generate income with something that I enjoy. If I am making people feel uncomfortable by doing these things, then perhaps I am doing something right.
As Winston Churchill said:
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."
The thing I stood up for, and continue to stand up for, and will continue to stand up for, is my fighting chance to do something that I love.
I never said I wanted to be the next Ansel Adams, the next great fashion photographer, or the next photographer being sought-after by Hollywood elite. I never even said that I want to do photography full-time. (That would be awesome, but I find it unrealistic for me and the rest of my dreams.)
All I want to do is take photographs of people at memorable times in their lives and help them to remember the moments that make life special.
The part of this that bothers me is that anyone would want to see someone else unsuccessful, floundering, failing.
If I do fail, flounder, ir face-plant, it will be because of me, not because of someone disliking my blog posts.
Clients seeking a photographer will pass me by if they do not like what they see, so my little, part-time, limited photographic offerings should not be a threat to photographers with a greater arsenal than what I have. Every photographer has something different to offer to their clients: a different vision, a different style, a different attitude, a different way of editing, a different choice of location, etc. I am no different.
Now, if I have blogged about something in those posts that is nonsensical or that is not a recommended path to follow --like it's a direction that someone has already tried, and failed at-- I would love to hear about it. I would love to be redirected to a more recommended path. I can be reached at rebbecca.ella@gmail.com for anyone who has recommendations.
I should also mention that several of my posts --including a handful of the 'disliked' posts-- have been voted otherwise as well: as like, love, and agree. I see those, too, and I thank the readers who have so voted.
Like I have said, the negative votes don't affect my desire to hold a camera or keep blogging or any of that; my skin is pretty thick. The only thing the negative votes on these posts affect is my worldview.
I have long held it close to my chest that there is good in everyone, and that we are all connected, and that we all want to see each other lifted up and happy and doing well and succeeding in life.
The fact that there are people who would try to take those things away from someone else or limit those things for others does not surprise me, but it does hurt my heart.