I have always been someone who thrived on learning and knowledge.

I was always the “annoying” one in class asking more and more questions, reading books, researching online, doing all I could to obtain as much knowledge and wisdom as I could. 

With photography, it was no different. Once I picked up a camera and started taking pictures with it, I spent hours upon hours looking up various tutorial videos, photographers’ blogs, reading manuals, experimenting, and practicing, to figure out how to be the best dang photographer there ever was. 

Unfortunately for me, I found out quickly that I’m more of a hands-on learner and there were just some things I couldn’t learn just by watching youtube or reading an article. I needed a human being to interact with! Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but as I started to get into “this photography thing” at 14 and wanted to get better, I thought reaching out to other more experienced photographers was the way to go.

Wrong. 

Turns out, photographers weren’t the most helpful people in the creative business. After many failed attempts to shadow people, be an assistant, or sit down for coffee to pick their brains, I realized that it wouldn’t be as easy as I thought to “learn from the pros.” For a long time, I felt that I was alone on this journey. It discouraged me at first, but it didn’t stop me. It pushed me to do whatever I could to get better…. on my own. 

Within the past year since I went full time with my own business, I thankfully found professionals and fellow creatives willing to help and educate anyone and everyone possible who were on this photography journey. I became connected with hundreds of photographers near and far, at all stages of their career. And I also grew a LOT; in talent, in marketing, in business strategy, in learning who I was as an artist, and in knowledge. 

For a long time I’ve always known I had a passion to teach and have had dreams of being a part of leading a workshop here in the Treasure Valley, but it wasn’t until this last spring when a high school student from my old school asked if she could job shadow me for her Economics class. It was that evening with Larissa when I really realized I had more to offer than I gave myself credit for. I could start encouraging and educating budding photographers now! 

So, with great excitement and quite a few butterflies in my tummy, I am now offering one-on-one mentoring sessions for photographers of all ages and stages! 

Now I am not saying I know everything. In fact, if there ever comes a day where I even feel like I know everything there is to know about photography/business, I hope that’s the day I decide to pack it up and move on to something else. But what I do know is that I have learned a lot from other creatives, and from my own personal experiences being a self taught photographer. And while I don’t know everything, I do want to share the knowledge I have obtained to help lift others and give them tools so they can grow their passions and business. 

“A rising tide lifts all boats.” This quote by John F Kennedy is something we say frequently in the creative group I’m apart of “The Rising Tide Society” and I love it because it’s so true! I have no desire to try and keep all my knowledge to myself. That is not how to grow me or my business. I want to be a business owner that helps other people grow their business. I want to use my momentum to lift boats that are setting out to sea. 

If you’re interested in learning more about what sessions I’ll be offering, you can follow the link below and shoot me an email about what you’re looking for! And don’t forget to check out adorable Larissa, the one who pretty much inspired this whole endeavor.