Drawing a line under the debt. Take two.

bd80s

How annoying that your solicitor hasn't picked that up yet! grrrr 
but looks like there is progress even though its slow......

One-step-at-a-time

Drawingaline said:

The kind of work she is interested in is much more Instagram based 🙄 she basically wants to do either proper fashion photography or concert photography. 🤦 I have warned it's probably a little like acting, 5% make it the rest don't. 

This is going to sound like an awful lot of gloom and doom, but concert photography is more like <0.1% success rate, and that's before Covid decimated the live music industry. It's been one of my side hustles for many years, and it can be pretty unforgiving (and I say this as someone who has had decent clients and made some money from it).
She'll need to build up a good portfolio, stick to her guns about getting paid, have a very thick skin, be prepared for most people wanting something for nothing, and make sure she learns the business side inside out - copyright, licensing, usage contracts etc. Most of the money these days is in licensing photos for merchandise, but to get into those kinds of situations you generally need to be either well-established or in the right place at the right time to get the kind of photos that major artists will want!
Because it's seen as a glamorous occupation there are many, many people with well-paid, full-time jobs who do it for fun/free gig entry and who are happy to give their work away just for the kudos they get. The venue I used to work for before it folded was one of very few to offer house photographers a small wage (most venues expect you to cover your own expenses, sign terrible contracts and let them use your images for free). Media budgets are shrinking, many outlets use stock sites which pay the photographer peanuts, and a lot of the very experienced pros I know do weddings or commercial work or run workshops or have other jobs to make ends meet (including four who regularly work with world-famous, multi-million selling artists). Some bands and organisations do still pay very well, but crowdsourcing has killed a lot of the opportunities that used to be available. If none of this puts her off, she's probably got the temperament for it!

Drawingaline

One-step-at-a-time said:

Drawingaline said:

The kind of work she is interested in is much more Instagram based 🙄 she basically wants to do either proper fashion photography or concert photography. 🤦 I have warned it's probably a little like acting, 5% make it the rest don't. 

This is going to sound like an awful lot of gloom and doom, but concert photography is more like <0.1% success rate, and that's before Covid decimated the live music industry. It's been one of my side hustles for many years, and it can be pretty unforgiving (and I say this as someone who has had decent clients and made some money from it).
She'll need to build up a good portfolio, stick to her guns about getting paid, have a very thick skin, be prepared for most people wanting something for nothing, and make sure she learns the business side inside out - copyright, licensing, usage contracts etc. Most of the money these days is in licensing photos for merchandise, but to get into those kinds of situations you generally need to be either well-established or in the right place at the right time to get the kind of photos that major artists will want!
Because it's seen as a glamorous occupation there are many, many people with well-paid, full-time jobs who do it for fun/free gig entry and who are happy to give their work away just for the kudos they get. The venue I used to work for before it folded was one of very few to offer house photographers a small wage (most venues expect you to cover your own expenses, sign terrible contracts and let them use your images for free). Media budgets are shrinking, many outlets use stock sites which pay the photographer peanuts, and a lot of the very experienced pros I know do weddings or commercial work or run workshops or have other jobs to make ends meet (including four who regularly work with world-famous, multi-million selling artists). Some bands and organisations do still pay very well, but crowdsourcing has killed a lot of the opportunities that used to be available. If none of this puts her off, she's probably got the temperament for it!

Thank you so much for the insight! I honestly don't think she will make it, but I am not going to stamp on a dream just yet 😂 she hates the idea of wedding photography, but I imagine that may change once she has bills to pay! Photography is much more mainstream with people's access to decent camera phones, and Instagram, and I am much more concerned with the A levels she is choosing to take and wish she was going more of a STEM pathway, especially as she has the capability to do extremely well. But I refuse to be the kind of parent who pushes a child into a career they will hate, if they love something they have more chance to excel, and it is not my life, it's hers. 

We won't be in a position to financially assist her long term and she was talking today about being unsure of what she wants to do, she is still at the chopping and changing stage of life! But she did get a photographer reflector thing for £5 from the charity shop she is helping at, she was very pleased with that, and very mse 😂

Drawingaline

Solicitor contacted me today saying that she still hasn't heard anything from sellers solicitors, I know the EA said she has sent more than one email so she is going to try to call them tomorrow as she thinks they must have the wrong emails address 🤷 I am going to email the EA tomorrow with the email address I use for her, so they can pass it on too. Just to cover all bases 🙄

Contract for the sale signed, enquiries answered (indemnity policies will be required 🤦) so all that is going first class tomorrow morning. 

Still nothing about the mortgage, am going to be chasing the broker tomorrow to see if they can at least get an idea where the application is, they have had it 28 working days! Just give us a yes or no please!

savingholmes

Hope things sort with the house deal soon. Sounds frustrating

Drawingaline

Solicitor emailed to say contract pack is in the post from sellers solicitors, so should receive that this week. Finally!

More messages from MA, mortgage company querying some direct debits for life insurance 🤷 and payments to our loan. Sent the closure letter off along with descriptions of the direct debits.

Woke to a bit of an emergency this morning. One of the kittens wouldn't get up or eat and then had a rear end explosion containing an ear plug 🤦 little devil keeps finding them and playing with them. They are now safe in a pot and one kitten rushed to the vet. They gave him some paste, and said he had a slight temp. Had to postpone his neutering as should have that tomorrow. He has basically curled up in his bed and slept all morning. He has had a wee, and a cat treat paste thing, and is finally prowling around and showing some more interest in playing. No proper food yet, but he is so much better than this morning, we were really worried. Have everything crossed he will be back to his normal devilish self by this eve. So one kitten is being done tomorrow and devil cat on the 18th.

Drawingaline

Devil cat seems much better this afternoon. Little horror! 

Just reread solicitors email and it would appear that the searches haven't been started for the house we are buying 🤦 looking on our councils website it seems to be an absolute maximum of 10working days, so hopefully they should come back around the same time as the first set of enquiries. And hopefully after we have a bloody mortgage offer! 

savingholmes

Glad kitten is okay. Good luck with the timing of the rest. I think when you haven't moved for a while it is easy to forget the amount of stuff involved.

Drawingaline

Been a stressful week what with kitten drama, back to school drama and house drama! Nostalgic for those first weeks of lockdown where I wasn't even slightly stressed. Trying my best to not overcommit again. 

Drawingaline

here is a picture of Kitten A, he is the non devil cat 😂