Update from Nathan: Pre-Expo Jitters

Hey all. I haven't been as active on here as I would have liked lately, so I wanted to give you a little peek 'under the hood' as to why.

For the last 4 years I have been trying to build my business as a videographer, specifically as a wedding videographer. In 2022, I took a huge leap and quit my full-time job as a teacher and went all in. It should be noted that part of that calculation was the increasing success of this channel and the support of our patrons as a fallback. For that I am humbled and so appreciative, of your support, and really Ryan's hard work for making this place what it is. I love it.

And no, I am not going anywhere. Working with my best friend continues to be the most exciting part of my day.

I'm sitting on the eve of one of the biggest leaps I've ever taken in my business. I applied to be in a much bigger wedding venue than I've ever attended, and invested a large amount of money in the event. There will be higher paying clients, which sounds great - except they will have more scrutinizing eyes, a lot more people that have seen videos and are going to compare me to others, and for the first time at an event like this - other videographers. I know I'm going to stand out like a sore thumb amongst industry giants. I am going to feel vulnerable, exposed and my imposter syndrome will be through the roof. I will constantly be telling myself that I'm fine, and not to worry, that I have just as much right to be there as the next person.

But that doesn't mean it will work.

I'm mostly telling this to you, our patrons, because I love that this community of people are here for various reasons, but one of the reasons is that you like us. Crazy as that sounds, but you like what we do, and you joined. I like that feeling of being liked. I need that feeling to get me through the next 3 days.

And yes - there will be more things in the future that distract me from this channel, so I get that this isn't the only thing that takes my attention away. But it is the biggest thing that I've ever signed up for. It's in my head, and it is eating at my confidence.

I'm not a big fan of cross-promoting our stuff on here, my business, Ryan's podcasts, so don't think that's what I am looking for. I guess I just need to feel like I can do it. That's hard for me to admit, but it's true. I don't really need followers to get that - just people that genuinely like what I do and tell me.

Feel free to browse my Instagram page in the link, or just leave a comment below. I regularly check on the comments on Instagram, and I'll check here before I leave tomorrow morning.

Thanks again Welpdom. This community (and all of the cool things we get to watch and review) is amazing.

~ Nathan