From Day One to Day 22: What Worked When My Camera Plan Didn't
My camera plan failed on day two. 22 days of filming later, here's what worked instead, and why making it smaller made all the difference.
THE CAMERA COMFORT ROADMAP
10/7/20264 min read
From Day One to Day 22: What Worked When My Camera Plan Didn't
Back in August, I wrote a blog post about the 12-week roadmap I made to get comfortable on camera. I made it gentle, simple, and, I thought, easy to implement.
I lasted one whole day.
If you read that post, you'll know it ended with no tidy bow. I didn't know when I'd pick the camera up again. So this is the update I didn't know I'd get to write.
Day two, and the weeks after
When my demand avoidance kicked in on day two, I felt like a failure. And I was so confused. Why wasn't this working? I'd made it as easy as I possibly could.
Looking back, I think the first hurdle was still too big for me. "Ten minutes a day, every day, for four weeks" sounds gentle on paper. To my nervous system, it was a mountain.
But here's the thing. I love creating content. Filming, editing, all of it. It feels like a calling, something in my bones. So I wasn't willing to let this one go. I sought out help from a coach, and I tried again.
It's a skill, not a personality trait
The thing my coach, Lilly-Mae, said that changed everything: talking to camera is a skill you can learn. Nobody is born knowing how to do it. It's odd. It's unnatural. And it can be learnt.
She compared it to video editing. I wasn't born knowing how to edit. I had to learn it, and I did. So why couldn't I learn this too?
That shifted something for me. It stopped being a test I kept failing and started being a skill I hadn't practised yet.
The mirror
Her first task for me was low-stakes and easy access: talk to the mirror, every day, for the week we were working together.
The first session was awkward and weird. I could see myself, and I was essentially talking to just me. I talked about the challenge she'd set me and how I was feeling about it. I lasted about a minute. Which, for the record, is more than enough.
And then something unexpected happened. After once or twice in front of the mirror, I wanted to pick up the camera. Not "should". Wanted.
So I did. Sooner than either of us expected.
Back to the camera
The first time I picked the camera back up, I was bursting at the seams with things to talk about. I wanted to record something for social media, so I did. It was weirdly easier than the mirror.
Now I use it as a daily diary most days. If I've got something structured to film for social media, I record my talking points instead. Just yesterday I recorded a presentation about my business.
I've been filming for 22 days now. I've only missed one.
The missed day
I'd spent the whole day at my relatives' house, lifting heavy stuff out of the attic and moving things around. I got home, went straight to bed at about 7 pm, and didn't wake up until 8 am the next morning.
And I didn't feel guilty. There were circumstances out of my control that day. I picked it back up the next day and haven't stopped since. There's a rule going round on socials: never miss two days in a row. That's the only rule I'm following.
The messy day
Not every day has been a win. I'd scheduled myself to film a video about how fed up I am with AI slop on LinkedIn, and I thought I needed to get it done that day, so I filmed it in front of my friends.
It was scary, and it bloody showed. I was nervous, and I went 110% over the top. It came across as aggressive and nothing like me. I had to redo it twice on my own before it felt right.
Since then, picking up the camera has felt a bit more like hard work. That recording spooked me. Right now, I can film on my own or in front of my husband, but not in front of anyone else. Yet.
Some days are harder
My confidence fluctuates. It depends on my mood, where I am in my cycle, my mental health. Some days are harder than others, and right now is one of those times. I'm still showing up, but I'm not going to pretend it's always easy.
What's different now
My confidence and my delivery to camera have genuinely grown. But the bigger shift is that this finally feels sustainable. It's something I can keep doing for my business, not a plan I'll abandon on day two.
And it means I can help my clients with their camera confidence too, because I've been exactly where they are.
If you're stuck on your own day two
If you've tried and tried to talk to camera and you're just not getting anywhere, make the barrier to entry lower. Much lower.
Talk to the mirror, or the front camera on your phone
Start with one word. Then one sentence
Talk about your day, how you feel, total rubbish
Use it like a diary. Nobody has to see it!
Don't give up if it's something you think could help your business. It's a skill. You can learn it.
Want to learn this with me?
I'm turning everything I've learnt into camera confidence training for neurodivergent business owners and creatives. Gentle, low pressure, and built by someone who's fallen off the wagon more times than she can count.
It's not ready yet. But if you'd like to be the first to hear when it is, pop your email below.
