The top thoughts and posts for 2011 on The Collective

I’ve written and prepped well over 400 posts this year for The Collective. However, until this moment, I haven’t stopped to think about the common threads running through so many of these articles.

The 3 categories for The Collective are fairly broad – photography, business, life. So much can fit into those categories and in 2011 a lot did. As I thought back, here are 4 specific areas you and I seemed to focus on in 2011.

1. Freedom.

This, of course, is my word for 2011. I loved this project. I highly encourage everyone to try this concept. The key is to hold yourself accountable. Find a friend, your spouse, start a blog or journal – find some way to make yourself process your word.

Here are 3 key thoughts I have about freedom.

1. Freedom comes by being intentional. It’s not an accident. Freedom is fought for and won.
2. Freedom is a choice. It’s the difference between thinking, “I have to work.” and “I get to work.”
3. Freedom is heavy. Being responsible for everything in your life is taxing emotionally and mentally. It’s much harder than when you are tied down to job, relationship or way of life.

2. Change and Fear.

2011 seemed to be a year of change or sensing change for many of you. Karey Miller, Ken Kneringer, and Charlene Larkin all wrote about it. Change bring with it fear – fear of the unknown.

Nothing will be the same, but that is okay. We’ll continue to move on.

3. Standard.

There is a industry-wide concern about what really makes a professional photographer professional. There is a concern about what professional photographers are charging their clients (not enough in too many cases).

There is a general sense that the standard is too low, but not a general consensus on what a standard should be.

4. Innovation and Creativity.

You and I are pushing forward, looking for what’s next. We aren’t content to sit back, watch and wait. We want to be on the cutting edge.

I have spent a lot of time on what it takes to be creative and innovative, but so has Amy Parrish, Josh Hanna, Jael Thorpe and others.

Those are 4 of the threads that ran through many of the posts from 2011. Here are the top read posts from 2011 according to Google.

2011’s Top 11 posts

1. 6 rules to a better workflow by Lori Nordstrom
2.  Have you reached the pinnacle? by Josh Hanna
3. Are you charging what you’re worth? by Andy Bondurant
4. Senior submission winners
5. Real life example: Growing your senior biz (pt 2) by Amy Knollmeyer
6. Instagram: the new, best way to market your business by Andy Bondurant
7. 7 Steps to a successful fashion show by Jen Basford
8. Add a hand-written note to your business (pt 1) by Lori Nordstrom
9. 5 articles on how to market to high school seniors by Andy Bondurant
10. Real life example: Grow your senior business (pt 1) by Amy Knollmeyer
11. A business and industry at a crossroads by Ken Kneringer

Other interesting stats…

2011 Top 3 pages (besides the homepage)

1. About
2. Shop
3. Design Products

2011 Top 5 authors (number of posts – besides Andy)

1. Kia Bondurant
2. Mark Ellis
3. Aurelia Stratton
4. Amy Parrish
5. Joy Vertz

2011 Top 5 selling items

1. Sparkle Marketing campaign
2. spa Notes 3
3. spa Notes 1
4. spa DVD training series
5. Fast. Easy. Marketing: Using Instagram & Tumblr to painlessly market your studio.

Happy New Year! I can’t wait to share all that 2012 brings both me and you.

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