What do you do when someone says hi to you, and you have NO FREAKING IDEA HOW YOU KNOW THEM?
I'm 55 years old but I'm telling you now age has nothing to do with what I'm about to say.
For as long as I can remember I've been bad at remembering names.
I remember passwords even locker combinations but I can know you for years and look you dead in the face and draw a complete blank on your name.
To tell you just how bad I am
I forgot to add the first name field on the form you filled out to be on my newsletter list.
Yes, the struggle is real 😂
Anyway, just so you're not all, "Do I know you?" or "Um....and you are....?" whenever you see me in your inbox, let's get to know each other. That way, we don't have to fake it.
Me: - Born in 1963 in Fort Worth Texas, six days before JFK was assassinated it also happened to be my dads birthday. I can only imagine what my poor mother was thinking at the time
- I was featured in Parade Magazine
- On most days, I wake up at noon. Seriously like I'm not a morning person at ALL! My mom told me even as a baby I'd stay up all night and sleep all day. What can I say? I love day time sleeping. For some it's daytime drinking, for me, it's sleeping
- My superpower is making oven baked, slow cooked, fork-tender bbq ribs and they're damn good if I do say so myself. My great grandmother, we affectionately called Big Mama, taught me how to make biscuits on a pot belly stove she kept in her dining room when I was five years old.
- My first real jobs I worked at a variety of department stores. First Sears where I sold house paint and Bloomingdales and Macy's where I sold costume jewelry
- In my last corporate job, I was a trainer at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. Met tons of celebrities on a daily basis but the highlight was serving mint tea to Sidney Poitier on Mothers Day and Mick Jagger insisting on helping me set up a dining room table for a luncheon he was hosting
- But the job I enjoyed the most was tutoring 4th and 5th graders helping them with reading and math after school. That opportunity prompted my love of teaching!
- The grossest job I ever had was a temp gig loading ceiling fans into the back of big ass truck in Texas, in August! 🔥
- I first fell in love with photography just after moving to San Francisco 30 years ago this year! I cut my teeth on a Yashica FX-3 film camera but temporarily abandoned my new hobby after the 1989 earthquake destroyed my school.
- Picked it up again in 2005 after working as a Junior Web Producer for the now defunct Creative Planet, then known as Planet Point.
- In my job I was assigned all of the photography clients so I got to spend my days scanning the physical portfolios, they'd ship to us and set up an online iteration of their book on our web platform.
- Spending hours looking at all of that amazingly talented work reawakened my interest in photography because in 2006 I left the hotel industry for good to pursue photography full time.
- In 2008, Friday, December 12th to be exact, I was let go by my last photography client, he hated to do it, but the great recession made it impossible to keep going.
- Fortunately, along the way, I taught myself web design and internet marketing more specifically how to set up and write online newsletters and 45 days later in January 2009 after I was let me go I reinvented myself as an Online Marketing Strategist for photographers and launched a telesummit for photographers followed by the Monetize Your Gifts Masterclass for Creative Entrepreneurs a few years later!
- Both summits were a hit and overnight I went from nobody knowing me from a can of paint to having a mailing list of over 1000 people join my lists
- Soon after I launched the Photo-Marketing-Mentor blog and a podcast that I later I turned into a self-published book in 2010 titled Eye On Marketing: 41 Days From Struggle and Confusion to Clarity and Profits.
- I wrote the book in response to the never-ending struggle that all creatives (not just photographers) deal with trying to navigate the constant changes establishing and maintaining a successful presence online.
- I still help my clients set up a highly effective online presence rather it be a blog site, design a lead magnet (sometimes called a freebie) and connecting it to an auto-responder to build and grow their email list. Or navigate the craziness of social media. I help freelancers, creative service-based professionals, creative entrepreneurs, solo-preneurs, and other types ending in preneur (I'm a samplepreneur).
- Are you a whatever-preneur or anyone who wants to stand out online? I can help you with that.
- I'm obsessed with Million Dollar Listing New York (it's the only Bravo show I can stomach) and Empire (although I just heard it was canceled)
- I love to travel and nothing gets me more excited than exploring a new city with my camera.
- My favorite birthday meal is good Thai Curry and apple pie ala mode! Cakes are ok, but gosh darn it give me a good piece of pie and I'm golden.
- Even though I'm a professional photographer I absolutely hate having my picture taken (although I know a LOT of photographers that feel this way, not sure what that's about, but anyway) I do have one professional photo and maybe one day I'll update this sucker.
- Until then here's how I look after a really good photographer friend tricked me into getting this headshot done at an event. I can live with it 👇🏽
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| | Now it's your turn
Write and tell me something so I can say, "Hey, I know you!"
If you don't know where to start, what's one weird thing only friends know about you?
What was the easiest money you ever made?
What's your favorite way to express yourself creativity? (mine is photography and occasionally painting)
How'd you come across me? (I always want to know this.)
Or, what one meal would you have for the rest of your life if you had to eat the same thing for dinner every night?
Mine is good Thai food, and homemade apple pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Rodney
ps - I really mean it, write me back! I love hearing from you.
pps - I've heard that a good way to remember someone's name is to picture them doing something that makes you laugh or brings you joy whenever you think of them.
Hasn't always worked for me, but I like to think I'm getting better.
😁
Are you listening to the Create-A-Proneur podcast? New Episodes Come Out Every Tuesday!!
Pssst! If you forget why you're hearing from me, Rodney Washington, it's probably because you signed up for a superb freebie on my site, getpaidforyourcreativity.com. If you don't want these emails, you can say "Toodles" any time (even if the kids are no longer saying that). Also note that occasionally links may be affiliate links. From time to time I'll promote things for a commission, but only things I like and believe in that I think you'd like, too. |
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