Starting a Photography Business

I’ve always been a creative, but I never found the right outlet for it. I can’t draw or paint (though I probably could if I wasn’t scared of messing up). But I’ve found a way to channel creativity through my work - hello, Excel & SmartSheet! Give me a data-heavy KPI Dashboard or a project tracker that auto-generates documents, notifications, and so much more? I’m all in.

As much as I love being able to express my creativity as part of my day job; I found myself in an incredibly rough case of burnout making my creative outlet feel more like a chore. I tried a few other things before settling on photography like punch needling (ruined it in 10 minutes), paint by numbers (my eyesight can’t handle it), making candles, etc. While I enjoyed the trial and error of finding a creative outlet; photography ultimately won the gambit.

I started in working in Human Resources in 2014, got a psych degree in 2017, and in 2020 landed what I thought was my dream job (HR for their distribution center) with a company that’s under the umbrella of a major fast-service restaurant (yay!). But then, one month into my new role, COVID hit and suddenly I was managing everything from the standard HR activities to COVID policies and case tracking for 300+ employees. There is no other way to describe working for a start-up company classified as “essential workers” during a pandemic than utter chaos.

I was great at my job, but I was also the go-to person for everything. I had zero boundaries which led to my burnout. By the time 2023 rolled around, it was affecting my health (and I’m still recovering at the end of 2024). Enter my future-husband, who helped me realize my burnout was due to my lack of boundaries, people pleasing tendencies, and inability to say no. When I tried to set boundaries or develop a sense of a work/life balance, I faced leadership that made it tough:

• A “butts-in-seats” leader who didn’t believe in remote work but spent his time in his ‘seat’ browsing recipes to make for dinner.

• A manipulative leader who’d do anything for people who shared his religious view but wouldn’t offer support to those with differing views.

The final straw came when I was gifted a $5k vacation as a ‘Thank You’ (which was nice but still felt like a slap in the face compared to a raise). Then, my boss, who I loved and admired offered a new role within our parent company. The burden on me grew, but I had already started planning my ‘Band-Aid’ vacation to Arizona. I focused on finding new work that would help me prioritize a work/life balance and shortly before the Arizona trip, I had a final interview with a really great company. I ended up accepting a great job offer while in Arizona (on my band-aid vacation) and resigned on my first day back in the office after my trip.

Resigning caused a bit of chaos at the company, and I loved it. I felt like a weight had lifted off my shoulders. I could finally breathe.

Ironically, my ‘Band-Aid’ vacation turned into one of the best weeks of my life. Arizona stole my heart. I loved hiking, exploring gluten-free eats, and discovering the numerous vortexes throughout Sedona. And that’s when I discovered my passion for photography- capturing moments I never want to forget. Whether it was photos of our 5am hike to Devil’s Bridge, the helicopter ride around Sedona, exploring the Grand Canyon or hiking Antelope Canyon (enter new obsession with slot canyons), I want to help capture those moments for others to be cherished for the rest of time.