Perceptive Photographer #25: Being a professional photographer

I had a career change that has resulted in me doing my photography full-time now. In talking about that process, I have always said that I am going to do full-time photography, but several of my friends have said something to the effective of "Oh, so you are about to become a professional photographer." That notion struck as nerve. As if to say that what I was doing before wasn't good enough, professional or valuable. As I started to look at my own reaction to that word and what it means to me, I realized that a lot of the labels we put in front of our name, photographs, and projects can really have a huge impact on what we see as the value and meaning of the work. In this podcast, I explore what being professional means to me and how we might use this labels to create more significant meaning in our work, careers, and life as an artist.