A Quiet Reflection on 2023
Photo Credit: Chris Trieu
Looking back, 2023 was quite the year. It was the first year I really felt momentum in my business.
I’ll preface this by saying 2021 and 2022 were, by and large, enormous struggles. I got laid off in early 2021 (my previous career as a marketer) and most of 2022 was spent questioning whether I could actually make a whole career out of being a creative. I battled major imposter syndrome as I waited around for work to roll in.
So, this post is not intended to be braggadocious, but rather, to show that a 180-degree turnaround is very possible in a year. And as a creative solopreneur, I’m learning that no one else will celebrate the wins with me, so it’s up to me to acknowledge the journey I’m on and how far I’ve come.
This past year, I hit a significant milestone: My business revenue exceeded my previous income at my 9-5.
Obviously, I have business expenses now that I didn’t have when I had a job — but it’s still an achievement I’m extremely proud of myself for.
Here are some more numbers to sum up 2023. Some serious, and some just for fun:
39 shoot days
63 interviews
62 (unpaid) vacation days
777 personal photos still to go through and edit
4 messages mistaking me for another photographer named Richard Lam
19 times ghosted by potential clients
June and October were my busiest months, whereas I had no work in January and February. That’s the wild ride of freelance life. I’m hoping to build some long-term retainer partnerships with clients this upcoming year to have more predictability month-to-month.
I’m super grateful that being my own boss has allowed me to travel freely. One thing I still struggle with though is feeling like I’m missing out on opportunities when I’m out of town and something comes through my inbox.
Here’s a quick recap of all my travels this year:
February: Four days in LA to witness Lebron break the all-time scoring record
April: Six days in Toronto for my nephew’s 2nd birthday
May: Two weeks in South Africa on a press trip, meeting some incredible people in the travel industry and going on safari for the first time
August: A week and a half in Spain split between traveling with friends in Madrid, a friend’s bachelorette party in Ibiza, and exploring Barcelona solo
September: A month in Asia with my girlfriend, with ten days exploring Japan and three weeks visiting her home country of Taiwan
October: One-day layover on the way home from Asia in San Francisco, and getting a quick tour of the city courtesy of one of my close friends
October: A week in Costa Rica, working on my first documentary project with an ecolodge I first visited back in 2021
December: Getting to spend a week at Christmas in my hometown with my family
In 2024, these are a few of my overarching goals:
Combine travel and work more
Work on more projects, but maintain a healthy balance of work and play to avoid burning out
Carve out time to work on passion projects
Here’s to all the possibilities of the year ahead!