We were lucky to catch up with Brianna Parks recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brianna, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Honestly, I don’t think imposter syndrome is something that just goes away, but I do believe there are things you can do to combat this feeling.
I’m in a creative field, so it’s only natural to feel like an imposter when I see so many talented individuals around me who do the same thing. One of the largest things I’ve done in my life to combat this is deleting social media. I deleted TikTok last year. I redownloaded it earlier this year to post some comments, but I haven’t scrolled. It’s been so freeing. While Instagram is the main platform I struggle with, limiting my time on the app and changing my explore page to be about recipies/quotes/travel as opposed to my competitors work (other photographers) has also been very freeing.
It can be so difficult to feel “enough.” I’m a firm believer of taking baby steps. Celebrate your wins, journal about your success, look at the facts, and at the end of the day, stay in your own lane. Looking at others’ work does nothing but bring about feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I began my photography business at the end of 2018/beginning of 2019. At the time, I was in college studying to go to medical school. Long story short, I was creatively unfulfilled and realized medical school wasn’t for me. That’s when I decided to switch my major to sociology and try a new hobby, which happened to be photography.
I offered a ton of free shoots in my small college town before I was approached with a $300 offer to photograph a wedding. I thought I had won the lottery. You should have seen my face. After that first wedding, I was hooked. You’re telling me I can photograph beautiful events and get paid for it? Sign me up!
I photographed big weddings for about two years before I decided to make the switch to photographing elopements. I traveled everywhere for work – Iceland, Hawaii, Alaska, Maine, Yosemite – you name it. It was just an incredible time in my career and where I really grew as a photographed.
I then got tired of traveling and decided to stick to my home base which was the Pacific Northwest. After about a year of this, I niched down even further to specialize in elopements around Northern California and Olympic National Park. I’ve never been happier and am so excited for this change (it implements in 2025)!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Asking For Help: When I first started, I didn’t want to ask for help. I wanted to show everyone that I could do this on my own when in reality, I was struggling. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when it comes to business advice. There is always someone willing to lend a hand.
Comparison: This is easier said than done, but when I first got started, I was comparing my chapter 1 to someone’s chapter 50 and it left me discouraged. Celebrate your little wins, whether it’s your first booking, first sale, or first 10 followers on Instagram. It will leave you feeling so grateful.
Keep Going: It’s so cliche, but not giving up has been a huge skill I’ve developed along this journey. I look back at all the handful of times I wanted to quit and am so happy I didn’t. If only I could go back in time and say “you have no idea what’s coming, keep going.”
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Educated by Tara Westover is a book that will always stick with me. Her story of resilience is so incredibly inspiring.
The book is about Tara’s life. She grew up in a survivalist Mormon family and shares her story of how she went from no education to obtaining a PhD all on her own. She didn’t have anyone there to guide her along the way, but she figured it out. She talks about her own struggles with imposter syndrome and her story of self-discovery. I recommend this book to anyone, but especially to business owners. While this book deals with education, I think you will see that there are a lot of similarities to her story and yours.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://briannaparksphoto.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/briannaparksphotography
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/briannaparksphotography
- Other: https://pinterest.com/briannaparksphotography https://tiktok.com/briannaparksphotography
