We meet again! For this weeks blog post, I really wanted to dive more into the plans I have for the future for both myself and my business. I’m a huge believer in that the growth of my business is also affected by the way I live my day-to-day life; my habits, the way I carry myself out in public and how I put myself “out there“, and more. After all, how can I convince my clients that my space is meant to feel like home to them if my own home/life are in shambles, I’ve got a poor outlook/attitude, and so on?

As always – grab a blanket, pull up a chair, and take a sip of your favorite coffee/tea. Let’s dive into some of my personal and business goals for the remainder of 2026.

Mind, Body, and Spirit

“The mind and body are like parallel universes. Anything that happens in the mental universe must leave tracks in the physical one.” — Deepak Chopra

When I made my move to North Carolina, I made it a large part of my personal mission to do the work I needed to not only see more of the good in the world, but to be a contributor of that good as much as possible. I’ve always envied those people who seem to have a knack for staying positive, calm, cool, and collected. High stress and anxiety run rampant in my family, so needless to say – staying level-headed doesn’t always come so naturally to me. In the past, it’s been “easy” for me to blame or excuse situations or opportunities going sour, or even being okay with not jumping on those opportunities, on my fears of failure, not being “good enough“, or heightened anxiety in general. I did a lot of that work in order to change my mindset, the way I act towards others, and the confidence I have in myself and the work I do. I won’t lie though, I feel like I’ve lost the plot a little – especially on the coattails of planning my own wedding, my rebrand, and more while working 2 “outside” jobs as well.

My Confession: I’ve let the stress, anxiety, frustration, doubt, and insecurities get to me far too much. It’s time to really hunker down and gain control of it all where I can, because I truly believe that what goes on on the “inside” (mind/spirit) has a huge effect on what happens on the “outside” (body/quality of life).

Making My House a Home

Literally and figuratively.

My husband and I both are the type to thrive in routine, but the moment our routine gets thrown off – everything else goes out the window with it. Laundry starts piling up, we start missing or going for fast food meals, our gym schedule gets neglected or abandoned completely – and this goes on until we find our footing again. Another Confession: It’s taken us far too long to figure out that we also have to work with the ebbs and flows of life – not against them. However, we’re learning that even if we can’t keep up with everything the way we want to when life does what life does and gets hectic, that doing what we can helps a TON when things start to calm back down. And I know what you’re thinking, “isn’t this obvious?“, because definitely feels like it is (especially now). But when you’re in the thick of it all and you’re tired, hungry, haven’t had a chance to just sit down and relax – all you want to do is sit on the couch and doom scroll with your favorite snacks in-hand (I know it can’t just be me…).

Anyways, with the goal of being able to keep up with housework and normal life responsibilities has come with the added mission of finding a place of our own. A place we can call home for ourselves – no roommates included. A place where we can build an office space and at-home studio. A fresh start and stepping stone to becoming the best versions of ourselves and being able to invest in a better place and more equipment for our Photography and Videography businesses (to give more context – my Husband and I currently stay in a 2:2 condo with 2 other people, and 6 animals). Hopefully, we’ll soon be able to invest in another camera body and lens as well.

The To-Do List

Although I have a ton of exciting goals for the future – it’s not lost on me at all that you can’t just sit around and wait for the growth and opportunity to come knocking on your door by itself. While we wait for the right time to move into a bigger and better space, we’ll be working on upgrading our lifestyles and quality of work where we can. From investing in Photography courses to Spring Cleaning – here’s a quick look/summary of what our plans are for the future;

• Sign up for Photography Courses or intake more Photography Education in general (books, podcasts, video tutorials, mentorships, etc.)
• Respond to/find more Second-Shooting opportunities to gain more experience at larger/more formal events
• Invest in more/better quality equipment, including lighting, backdrops, and (hopefully) another lens.
• Declutter and downsize to prepare for our time to move into our new space
• Ordering marketing materials and (hopefully) take space at a Vendor event for more networking and outreach
• Continue planning Styled Shoots, Vendor Showcases, and other networking events to help get my name out there.
• (Possibly) Obtain partnerships with non-profit organizations for future Charity Events and to start developing a Preferred Partners/Vendors list

And more!

I can’t wait to really hone in on my Photography skills and enhancing my quality of work and client experience. I’m not in a rush to get there – but I really cannot wait to see how my business evolves in the next year or so as all of these changes and upgrades take place. It’s so important to me that not only am I building a successful brand – but that I’m building a meaningful one, too.

‘Till next time!

Katelynn | Ruhe Liebe Photography