A few days ago on the way home from a shoot I was standing on a subway platform and playing a game of solitaire. Yes, a little dorky, but to make myself feel better about it, I play the advanced version (and win!) Over and over. Like 1,219 times.
Anyway, on this particular day I noticed a guy out of the corner of my eye coming to stand closer to me. He had on an old raggedy coat with a hoody underneath that he had over his head and held his hands in his pockets with his head down a little. Instinctively, I moved slightly away from him, and since the platform was a little crowded I found myself gravitating toward a group of people who were more ‘fresh pressed.’
Was it the clothing? Was it the body language?
I looked up to see his face, and truth be told, he didn’t look like a guy you would worry about. He was not terribly angry or sad, not rough, really, except for the clothes. But at that first glance – in that first moment in my peripheral vision – there was something that caused me to move away.
I started to think about this one a little more. Then I started to apply it to myself. At the moment, I’m hyper aware of my body shape and more to the point, my lack of wardrobe items that fit properly since I’m still losing baby weight from number 2. I’m fairly thrifty when it comes to making clothing purchases that will only fit me for a few weeks (well, in reality it’s months but let’s let my ego ride with weeks here), so I’ve been making do for the last year.
Reality check: what am I saying about who I am to the world and my clients through how I dress? I like to say that I’m an ‘It’ girl, that I’m well put together, that I can and do have it all, that I’m ‘cool’, but without a ton of work and thought going into my appearance. A little on the natural side, a little on the artistic side, a lot on the professional side.
But what does my appearance really say?
At the moment, it probably says: I don’t have time for myself, how I look is not supper important to me, dressing a post 2 baby body is a challenge for me. And occasionally, the best one: one of the kids threw up and I hope no one notices because I can’t change a 3rd time before I go to a shoot – me.
But what I’ve not been thinking about is how my clients see me: do I instill confidence in them by how I present myself? Do I look like I know exactly what I’m talking about when I sit down with them to go over styling choices and select what will give their images the right impact?
Perhaps it’s not as bad as I think it is, but then when was the last time I took time to look in a full length mirror at myself? Time to go shopping!
What are you saying to your clients through your physical presentation? What do they learn about you through your images? Is it time for an update?
Drop me a line if you’d like a complimentary consultation to look at what images you are currently using. l’m happy to help in anyway I can!
