Melissa Maschek shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Melissa, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Rescuing injured birds of prey as a volunteer for the Avian Conservation Center
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey there! I’m Melissa Maschek, the photographer behind Melissa Miley Photography. I’m based in the Isle of Palms and Charleston, SC area, and I’ve been capturing love, laughter, and golden-hour magic for over 15 years. My style is warm, bright, and natural—think candid moments, genuine smiles, and lots of sunshine. Whether it’s a beach wedding, a playful family session, or a cozy couples shoot, I’m all about making people feel comfortable and having fun while we create something beautiful together.
What makes my brand unique? I’d say it’s the personal touch. I love getting to know my clients and making each session feel like a celebration. I’m not just snapping photos—I’m telling your story in a way that feels real and joyful.
Outside of photography, I also dive into interior design for a property investing business that I run with my husband. We’re into live-in flips, DIY projects, and turning houses into homes. You can follow along with that adventure on Instagram at @HouseThingsAndStuff—we share everything from thrifted finds to design inspo and renovation updates.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Who was I before the world told me who I had to be? Honestly, not all that different from who I am now—just a little messier and covered in glitter. As a kid, I was always drawn to art and animals. I’d spend hours making crafts from my giant “Barney Bag” (yes, the purple dinosaur one!) and befriending every forest creature I could find. I was that kid who’d try to rescue baby birds, talk to squirrels, and turn sticks and leaves into masterpieces.
Fast forward to today, and I’m still that same soul—just with a camera in hand and a few more dogs. I’m a photographer and designer who gets to create beauty for a living, and in my free time, I foster and rescue dogs and help capture injured birds of prey for the local avian medical clinic. It’s a wild, wonderful mix of creativity and compassion, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Turns out, the world didn’t change me too much—I just found ways to turn my childhood passions into a grown-up life that still feels like me.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one kind thing to my younger self, it’d be: hang in there, kid. I know things feel messy and uncertain right now, but your life is going to get so much better. You’re going to grow into someone strong and creative and full of heart—and you’ll get there by following that inner compass you’ve always had, even when you didn’t realize it was guiding you.
There’ll be times that really test you—moments that make you question everything. But no matter what, your inner flame won’t go out. It might flicker, it might dim, but it’s yours. No one can take it from you. That quiet strength inside you? It’s real. And it’ll carry you through more than you can imagine.
So keep being you. Keep feeling everything deeply. You’re going to find your way—and it’s going to be beautiful.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies the creative world tells itself is that you have to choose between passion and security. Like, you can follow your heart and live in scarcity, or you can take the “stable” route and feel like you’re slowly dying inside. I used to believe that too. I thought being an artist meant accepting struggle as part of the deal.
But that’s just a story—a really convincing one that keeps a lot of brilliant people stuck. The truth is, if you argue for your limitations, you get to keep them. And I think sometimes it feels safer to cling to those limits than to risk rewriting the rules. Because rewriting them means facing the unknown, and that’s uncomfortable.
I broke that ceiling. I built a life rooted in creativity that also gives me stability, freedom, and abundance—not just financially, but emotionally, spiritually, and energetically. It wasn’t about being lucky or exceptional. It was about being willing to try, to pivot, to unlearn the scarcity mindset I’d inherited.
Entrepreneurship cracked me open. It forced me to grow, to stretch, to confront every belief that told me I couldn’t have both freedom and security. And I think the real question isn’t “Can it be done?”—it’s “How much expansion are you willing to allow?” What’s your tolerance for extraordinary? Because the life you want is probably just on the other side of the limits you’ve been defending.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Oh, totally. A few years back, I hit a big goal I’d been working toward for a while: I had about 95% of my life tasks outsourced and multiple passive revenue streams flowing. On paper, it was the dream—time freedom, financial freedom, all the boxes checked. But once I got there… I was kind of bored. Like, really bored. I had all this free time, and all I wanted to do with it was create—which, ironically, was already my day job.
So I started shifting things. I pulled back on the outsourcing and got more hands-on again. And it was such a good move. I realized how much I genuinely love the act of creating—daily, with my own two hands. It feeds my soul in a way that delegation just can’t. That pause gave me space to breathe, reassess, and think about the longer-term dreams and legacy I want to build—from a place of balance and sustainability.
Now, I still outsource a lot, but I’m way more intentional about it. It lets me focus on the projects that stretch me, help me grow, and light me up—both in my work and outside of it. That whole experience was a real shift for me, and it helped me reconnect with where my most heart-centered work actually lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.melissamileyphotography.com
- Instagram: @MelissaMileyPhotography, @HouseThingsandStuff
- Facebook: @MelissaMileyPhotography
- Yelp: @MelissaMileyPhotography
Image Credits
Portraits by Little Runaway Photography
Interior Design Photos by Melissa Miley Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
