I get a lot of my inspiration from collaborating with other creative people. I used to have this mindset that I had to come up with all the ideas myself and produce an entire shoot myself, but now I really enjoy working with other people who have great ideas and inspire my thought process. I'm also trying to learn the discipline of variety. I need to stop trying to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results from my work. To keep my work fresh, I do best when I experiment and try things I've never done before.
I've been making a living with my photography ever since I graduated college. The main thing for upcoming photographers to learn is how to price their work and how to negotiate their prices. You have to believe in what you are worth and stick with it even during these rough economic times.
I'm currently readjusting my goals. Just within the last few months, I've completely changed my future in photography. My old goal was to push weddings as high and fast as I could, but now I'm really wanting to create a commercial portfolio. I'd love to be shooting more commercial/editorial/advertising assignments in the near future.