The Fear of Irrelevance

0:00Hey, friend. Welcome to the Art and Soul Show. I'm your host, Lisa DeJaso, a mom, a photographer, and entrepreneur. Tune in here for pep talks, conversations, and advice on photography, creativity, mindset, business, life, and that messy in between. This is the place where you can go when you need a boost of encouragement, a kick in the pants, and inspiration to pick up your camera. This is the Art and Soul Show. Hello, my friend. Welcome back.

0:30Today, we're going to be talking about something that probably has been on my mind for a while. So let's be really honest for a second. There is a fear that most photographers carry around, but rarely say out loud. It's not just fear of competition. It's not just fear of a slow season. It's deeper. It's heavier, and it's sneakier than that. It is the fear of irrelevance. That whisper that creeps in when you're scrolling Instagram at midnight. What if my best days are behind me? What if people don't care about my work anymore?

1:03What if I've been replaced and don't even realize it yet? If you've ever felt that, you're not alone. I have felt it many times, too. Sometimes it hits when you see the new photographer in town. Cheaper, shinier, booked solid, and suddenly everyone's tagging her and hyping her up, treating her like the new queen bee. And there you are, sitting wondering, what about me? What about all the years I've been pouring into this?

1:33Sometimes it hits you when you see your own long-time clients commenting on someone else's posts, or worse, booking their minis. You smile politely, but inside it feels like betrayal. And sometimes it's subtler. It's trends. Everyone's shooting on a 35mm for those wide storytelling images, and here I am happily working with my 135 or 200 because I adore those soft painterly backgrounds. But the doubt creeps in. Am I outdated? Should I change? Or editing? Oh, editing.

2:06A new present pack is out, and suddenly every feed looks the same. Light and airy one year, orange people in the next, moody matte tones the next, filmy butt vibes after that. Everyone seems to be buying the new action set, and you start questioning yourself. Do I need to overhaul my style just to keep up? And that's the fear of irrelevance. It's not just about money or bookings. It's about belonging. It's about the fear of being forgotten. And when that fear, shows up, our brains don't hold back. One small, slow month feels like your career's over.

2:44One ghosted inquiry feels like you're just not worth booking anymore. One reel that flops, well, that's the algorithm. And apparently the algorithm has officially declared me irrelevant. One new photographer getting hype? I'm just some yesterday's news. Sounds dramatic, maybe. But tell me you haven't had at least one of those spirals. Because here's the thing. Irrelevance isn't about numbers. It's about how we feel. And when we see attention shifting to someone else,

3:14we equate that with losing our place. It's brutal. It's lonely. And it's human. Let's sit in this trend piece for a minute, because it's such a sneaky part. Remember when selective color was all the rage? That was when it was first started. Or when watermark placement was the biggest drama in photography groups. We laugh about it now, but at the time it felt like those things mattered. And fast forward to today, and it's the same cycle. Presets and actions and gear and styles and a trend

3:45hits and suddenly you feel like if you don't adapt, you'll be left behind. But here's the danger. When you start chasing trends, you risk losing your voice. And clients don't hire you for being trendy. They hire you because something in your way of seeing resonates with them. So let's peel back those layers. The fear of irrelevance isn't just about bookings or likes. It is about replaceability. It's that gut punch thought, if I don't keep up, someone else is going to take my place. I'm going to

4:18be forgotten. If I don't adapt, no one will care. And under that is the deepest fear of all. Maybe I was never special to begin with at all. And that's the voice that hurts. That's the one that makes you question everything. But here's the truth. Irrelevance isn't up for debate. Let's define relevance differently. Relevance isn't likes on a post. It isn't keeping up with presets. It isn't booking every client in your town. Relevance is impact. It's a family who treasures

4:51the photos you took five years ago and still looks at them every single day. It's a newborn mom who cried happy tears when she saw her gallery. It's the wall where your images hang woven into someone's daily life. That doesn't fade because someone else is trending. Relevance isn't popularity. It's a legacy. I once had a family come back to me years after their first session. Their kids were practically grown by then. And they told me we still look at those photos every single day.

5:21They're hanging in our living room and they're part of our story. Did they care my editing was trendy? Did they ask if I switched from a 35 millimeter to a 135? No. Did they mention presets or actions or algorithms? No. They cared that I captured their family in a way that felt timeless to them. And in that moment, I realized trends burn fast, but timeless work lasts. Okay, quick humor break because if we don't laugh at ourself, we'll just cry. The number of times I've declared myself

5:53irrelevant because one post didn't perform? Too many times to count. The number of times I've convinced myself my career was over because a new photographer booked out a mini session. It's embarrassing. The number of times I've been tempted to buy a trendy preset pack just to see if it would magically fix my self-esteem. Let's just say my hard drive could use a detox. We're dramatic creatures and sometimes we need to step back and realize how ridiculous it is that we're basing our worth on things like

6:24algorithms and action sets. And here's what actually matters. The families who trust you year after year. The moments you freeze in time that outlive us all. The images that hang on walls, tucked into albums, pulled it at weddings and anniversaries and funerals. That's relevance. That's irreplaceable. And no new trend, no cheaper photographer, no viral reel can erase that. Here's what I want you to take with you. You don't have to shoot on a 35 millimeter. If you love your 135, you don't need

6:56to buy the new preset pack just because everyone else did. You don't need to chase trends to matter because your relevance isn't built on popularity. It's built on impact. And the truth is you are not replaceable. No one sees the world the way you see. No one else connects the way you connect. No one else tells the stories the way you tell them. And that's what makes you relevant. So the next time you feel the fear creeping in, that fear of irrelevance, I want you to stop and remind yourself. Relevance isn't

7:29given by an algorithm or a client or a trend. It's built in the quiet, consistent ways you keep showing up. You keep creating and you keep serving. Yes, there's always going to be someone new, someone cheaper, someone shinier, but that doesn't erase you because you're still here. You're still creating. You're still leaving images that matter. And that my friend is relevance that can't be taken away. I hope you've enjoyed this pep talk, my friend. I'm sending you so much of my light and my love

8:02today and every day. I'll see you next time.