Being a professional photographer can be draining. Don't get me wrong - I love what I do - but being a creative entrepreneur can be ten times harder than being an employee for someone else's dream.

One way I keep my creative spark alive with all the other stuff that need to be done alongside shooting my clients is to have a personal project. You've probably seen my 52 Weeks project up on the blog. I choose one photo of my daughter every week to post. Sometimes I have 10 to choose from, and sometimes I have to remind myself that I need one to post on Sunday!

At the end of the year, I am going to put together an album. 52 photos of Reagan throughout the year, doing the things she loves (coloring, running outside in rain boots, lounging, etc). It's really become a memory keeping thing for me too.

If you decide to do a personal project - or get back to an old one - here are a few things to think about.

1. Choose something that you care about, not only what you think people will want to see. You want to keep your interest and creativity peaked and feel that connection so that you don't become bored.

2. Carve out time to make it a priority. I am guilty of getting lost in the busy-ness of life, and it drains me. Personal projects often serve as a project to fill us up too.

3. Be prepared. Know what you need, if anything, how you'll execute it, who you might need help from, etc. The better the plan, the better your project will be.

4. Put a timeline on it. Intervals, deadlines, whatever works best for you. I do mine once a week, and I post on my blog on Sundays. Normally during naptime. It works pretty well most of the time (don't mind that I post 4 today because I lost my SD card....).

5. Keep your enthusiasm. Tell your friends & family about it, and let them enjoy the project too. They can also serve as accountability partners if you fall behind!