Grab a pen and paper, your notes app on your phone, or just think each through each of these prompts and write your notes down later.

1. Let’s start with a brain-dump. I want you to write down every single thing you’ve ever heard or thought about money and being a photographer. The stuff that pops up in your head when you’re pricing a shoot or sending a quote.

They might be things people said to you. Things you picked up in art school. Stuff your family believed. Or just sneaky thoughts that don’t feel like yours but are somehow living rent-free in your head.

Here are some to get you going:

• ‘You’ll never make real money as an artist.’
• ‘If you raise your rates, clients will ghost you.’
• ‘Making money means selling out.’
• ‘You’re not good with numbers.’
• ‘You should just be grateful for the exposure.’

Write them all down; the dramatic, the subtle, the silly.

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Write here:

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1. Now pick three of the beliefs that feel the most real or sticky. The ones that make your stomach twist a bit when you read them

   And I want you to rewrite each one. Turn it into something powerful. Something you want to believe.

If you wrote ‘I’m not good with money’ – flip it to:

‘I’m learning to take care of my finances, and I’m getting better every month.’

If you wrote ‘No one will pay me that much’ – try:

‘The right clients are excited to pay me well for my talent and professionalism.’

If you get stuck, imagine your dream mentor – someone you really respect – whispering in your ear. What would they say to you?