We recently connected with Erin Loughlin and have shared our conversation below.
Erin , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Does anyone actually overcome imposter syndrome? Oh my goodness, she’s a beast! Long story short, I haven’t. In artistic spaces, and with every artist you admire online in your pocket, it’s hard not to compare yourself to others. I try and focus on my work month over month, noting improvement. I am always working to improve my technical skills as well as my emotive storytelling abilities. I do this through both the education/coursework put out by the artists who I love, and trial and error in the field. It’s one of the reasons I love being in the labor space for a little longer, I get to be creative with light, framing and angles which make for interesting photos. So basically, I’ve realized imposter syndrome is here to stay and so is my passion and willingness to try new things and become a stronger artist. We coexist and I’m okay with it.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Like a lot of folks, 2020 upended my career a bit. Not because I was let go, but because I could no longer find a caretaker for my infant daughter while I was at work. I was in the airline industry for six years prior to Covid, I met my husband there and our daughter turned one in March of 2020. The job itself was never “love” for me, although I regret nothing, it afforded me so much opportunity to see the world and I met amazing people. I stepped back due to family logistics, but separating myself from that path wasn’t hard for me to do.
In between 2020 and the start of my Birth Photography business I gave birth to my second daughter and restarted the baby daze. I had a beautiful home birth, surrounded by an amazing team of women. My youngest would be two before I jumped into photography. I knew Birth was the niche I wanted to pursue so I started by taking a course specific to that genre (Birth Becomes You). A few discounted births and a whole lot of networking later, I am making moves in this amazing space and capturing what I love. What I love being emotive, documentary storytelling focused on human connection. There is no faking it, it’s as raw and real as it gets which is pretty badass.
Along with birth, I capture a lot of intimate maternity and motherhood moments. All* sessions done in-home, as I feel that’s where the heart of client stories are. My focus is always on human connection and bonding – parenthood is naturally full of those beautiful moments. I’ve recently added underwater maternity to my offerings (*the exception to the in-home sessions). It was a huge investment and a leap of faith but so many people feel that connection to their bodies in water and I find it wildly artistic and fun, so I am rolling with it! Those sessions take place in a private pool or Lake Michigan. My sessions are all body positive, inclusive, and never judgmental, I think we are all beautiful and deserve to have images of ourselves as we exist. Our bodies go through amazing transformations as we create life and age, I think that deserves to be documented and honored.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Sheesh. Three qualities/skills/areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey.
Positive attitude – I think being able to envision your goals downline and work towards those, without taking the set backs or climb with (too much) negativity, makes a huge difference in success. Keep on running!
Networking – From the beginning I knew that being successful within this intimate space would rely heavily on the recommendations of trusted community care providers. I made it a point to connect with doulas and local birth centers as well as local play spaces that serve my ideal client. I’ve done branding work for several birth workers and appear on their websites as well as events for the a couple of play spaces serving ages 0-5. My work is linked within their online presence and my business is top of mind when people ask. I feel so much of business is relational based. This extends to clients as well! If they have a positive experience they will sing your praises to friends in the market for the same service.
Growth mindset – Starting something from scratch leaves endless opportunity for growth. I was talking with a group of small business owners the other day and mentioned, “even if I was caught up on everything I needed to do, I’d still have 700 things that I could be doing”. In that moment, I was frustrated by it all, but overall I choose to look at it as an opportunity. There’s never an end, always more to propel you forward. I truly feel that everything builds off of the project before it. Either a new skill is learned or the newest session brings new eyes to your work. With that in mind, never underestimate a passion project. Not everything you do as an artist is going to bring in a physical paycheck. But future clients see that work, they see exactly the type of session that you can create and want to keep creating and they see themselves in those images too.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
The amazing photographer/videographer who served my family during the birth of my second daughter has also been an amazing recourse and cheerleader! Her name is Jacinta Lagos and she is a powerhouse of an artist and an amazing human and friend. She’s phenomenal at her craft and always willing to help me grow. She’s been such an amazing support, having her in my corner (and region) has put me at ease knowing I have someone who sees the importance of this work ready to back me up and serve my clients in the event that I am unable.
I stumbled upon an intimate online community called We Are Memory Catchers (led by Michelle McKay) pretty early in my journey. I feel very lucky to have found her online community and free resources. Her emotive storytelling/documentary work and process really speak to me and she has a high vibration that I am drawn to. I have purchased a couple of her detailed courses as well and just really love everything she puts out. Couldn’t recommend her enough.
My local community of small business owners has also been invaluable. A sounding board for ideas and people to chat with who understand the weight of doing everything by yourself. Also people who speak your name in rooms of opportunity right there in my neighborhood. Shout out to Jessica Ortega (Giggles Play). Lauren Fallon (Birth by Honeybrown) and the list goes on and on.
Beyond that, Birth Becomes You, the educational community who I took my initial coursework and gained certification through has been an amazing resource. The course was excellent but I think the community of birth photographers has been even better. They are a group of people who understand the pain points and challenges and are there for you if you ever need to process at 3am. It’s a pretty remarkable group of people and I am very grateful to have them a click away.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.loughlinbirth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loughlin_birthandfamily/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
