Jennifer Denison on Learning Outside Your Comfort Zone
After leaving my longtime staff-editor position, updating my skills and networking became critical. I had worked for the same brand for two decades, and although I always sought ways to improve as a writer, photographer and editor, I had little time to commit to classes, workshops and seminars, especially those outside of the equine niche. Most of my networking centered around meeting story sources and readers that I encountered while traveling—on a company credit card—to gather content. Deadlines and travel consumed my life and, honestly, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
As a freelancer, it’s not always economical to travel far for stories so I’m not on the road as often as I was, nor do I have co-workers to brainstorm ideas, offer advice when I struggle with a story or provide constructive criticism in the editing process. To say the least, freelancing can be lonely, which is compounded when you’re naturally introverted and uncomfortable asking for help. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut or, even worse, your comfort zone!
Here are three ways I’ve incorporated regular learning into my growing freelance life to keep myself fresh, expand my network and invest in the future.
1. Sign up for a workshop. If there is a photographer, writer, videographer, or even horseman, artist or craftsman you admire, visit that person’s social media pages or website and see if they offer workshops. Don’t let the price deter you; I promise, once you commit, you’ll find a way to pay for it. In fact, I once sold my sofa to pay for a ranch roping clinic!
In April of 2021, Freelance Remuda Co-Founder Kate Bradley Byars was not able to attend a workshop with Western-lifestyle photographer Chris Dickinson that she has arranged to write a story about for Western Horseman. She kindly shared that opportunity with me. That workshop changed my perspective: I realized that if I didn’t invest in myself and my knowledge, nobody was going to invest in me as a freelancer and jobs would pass me by.
After the workshop, I immediately signed up for another one and even a third. Then, in the spring of 2022 I co-taught a workshop with Chris. It took setting serious savings goals and taking on a little extra work, and most reputable workshop hosts offer monthly payment plans. The investment has paid off in my confidence, the quality of my work and increased awareness of my specialty, which has led to inquiries and assignments. Plus, I’ve developed a network of likeminded photographers and enjoy following their careers and sharing knowledge.
Last spring, after being cooped up for several snowy months, I craved connection with other creatives. Facebook read my mind and added to my feed an advertisement for a Western brand photography and influencer workshop with Kenzie Holmberg @bonafidecowboy in my area. I liked not having travel expenses and the familiarity of Western, but I didn’t know much about brand photography and nothing about influencers, so I signed up. At the retreat I learned a bit about fashion photography, licensing images to brands and the power of social media. But my biggest take-away was the realization that we are all “influencers” for the publications we work for, our freelance businesses and the horse industry, and there are so many ways we can better represent them if we think like influencers.
2. Pursue online learning. I get it, family, animals, finances and work schedules make it hard to leave home for a week to attend a workshop, but there are still ways to learn remotely. During my first month of freelancing, I wasn’t sure of what I was doing, and I feared not having any assignments and growing stale. To keep myself sharp, I turned to online courses in photo editing—a skill I never had a chance to develop on staff. There are plenty of online learning opportunities through MasterClass, Creative Live, Santa Fe Workshops and even YouTube. Pick something you want to learn, and I bet there’s a class for that.
Another option is to find a mentor who is willing to do one-on-one remote learning sessions through Zoom or another meeting app. I’ve found this most effective if there’s something specific I need help with that can be addresses in an hour.
3. Attend a conference. Many freelancers in the equine industry attend the annual American Horse Publications Equine Media Conference. I’ve attended most of the conferences since 1996, when I started my career and it’s been a helpful for learning, networking and seeing a broad perspective of the horse industry.
This summer, however, I decided to attend the Agricultural Media Summit in Palm Springs, California. A joint effort of the Ag Media Council, Agricultural Communicators Network and the Livestock Publications Council, the summit is dubbed “the largest gathering of the agriculture industry’s top writer, editors, photographers, publishers and strategic communicators in the United States.” The idea of all those unfamiliar people was daunting to me, but I challenged myself to connect with at least five people a day and get a business card. I quickly learned that digital business cards are a real thing now, and some people wanted to swap QR codes rather than paper cards, so I logged on to the Blinq mobile app and created by own within minutes.
Similar in format to AHP, the three-day event included meet-and-greets, an awards’ banquet and seminars on media, marketing and ag-industry issues. Attendees could stay an extra day and tour the Temecula Olive Oil Company and South Coast Winery for an extra fee.
I didn’t know a sole and met few horse-crazy people like me, but I stepped outside of my comfort zone and visited with representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture, universities and livestock associations. I also talked to farming publication editors and photographers, who shared a common bond for media.
What impressed me most about the conference was the high attendance of students, mostly agricultural communications majors, from colleges around the United States. Most were members of the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, and they showed such enthusiasm, professionalism and fun. They even dragged me on the dance floor to jive during the welcome reception—not something I’d normally do!
Sometimes learning is not only about receiving, but also giving. At this phase of my career, when I see students with passion and an eagerness to make their marks and a positive difference in the ever-changing media landscape, I can’t help but want to help them and then give them the reins just as my mentors did for me.