The third goal. And tips, please?

So an idea I've been tossing around in my head has just taken its first step to becoming more than just an idea. I want to become a professional freelance photographer (this is goal #3. See my last post). The idea has been there for a while, I just haven't had the time to fully look into it and decide whether or not to make that first big purchase (a digital SLR camera), but today, I finally had the time. My mom and sister were over to help with the garage sale, and my mom offered to take Evelyn home with her for the rest of the day and overnight, and tomorrow too, since she has things to take care of at home and it'd be difficult for me to host a garage sale alone with Evelyn at home. So this afternoon, as I've been selling more of our stuff that we don't need or want, I've been researching buying something that I've wanted for some time and actually need if I'm going to really do this. And I've done it (not with the garage sale money, that wouldn't be fair). And I feel really excited and ambitious about it. And I think I got a good deal on a professional camera that comes with two lenses, a bag, and a tripod. I knew that having the camera would act as a discipline factor--now I have to put my all into this goal.

And it'll be a slow process, I know. I have experience with photography and digital-editing skills, including Photoshop, I have have taken an introductory photography course, and I have a passion for this. Once I have the camera, I have to learn how to use it, learn how to get creative with it, and then I have to practice practice practice. I figure I'll begin by offering to take photos for free for friends and family, something I do anyway (I take so many photos it starts to become obnoxious. I need to delete a bunch because they take up so much room on my hard drives). For example, I have a friend who has aspirations to be a model, and she met up with someone who had aspirations to be a photographer, and they traded "services," each ending up with the beginnings of a portfolio. I could definitely do that. And have you seen photos of my child? She screams photography portfolio :)

Then I'll have to make a website, maybe get business cards, get some ads out there, word of mouth (that means you, dear readers, eventually!), and since my dad has recently started a successful business that he runs from home, I'm sure he'll have plenty of tips for me (right Dad? I know you're reading this).

But that's down the road a ways. First I've got to have my camera. And be patient. And while I don't have to time for a lot of things, this is something I do have time for. As a grad-student and stay-at-home mom, it's really difficult to find work outside of the home, at least in the line of work I want to do, with the skills I have (I'm an English major, remember? That joke that goes around about English majors not being able to find work, that's true). But this, this is something I can do, since I'm already doing it anyway!

Something I learned in my photography class is that we are exposed to an increasing amount of images every day, that, in the growing digital age, we "read" more messages through images than through words. In other words, there is a market for images. And, after all, this is America, the land of entrepreneurship. Right?

Have you ever thought about or tried to start your own business?