Alyssa Wilkinson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Alyssa, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
My normal day is a juggling act, which can be entertaining since I’ve got some pretty terrible hand-eye coordination. All jokes aside–we are in a busy stage of life right now. I’ve got to make sure I allot adequate time to motherhood, my faith, my career, my relationship with my husband, renovating our home, and maybe finding a little time here and there for some unrelated creative endeavors that fill my cup. Sometimes it feels like every single one of those things is a chainsaw and that if I drop them I’ll lose everything I’ve worked so hard to build. (Or at least a toe or two.)
When I start to feel like that–like everything is imperative and emergent–I know I’ve lost a little perspective somewhere along the way and it’s time for me to take a little step back and catch my breath. Yes, there are a few non-negotiables each day–I have to make sure each family member knows I love them. I’ve got to make time for God. And there are usually deadlines in my work life that I need to make some sort of progress toward. But when I start viewing them as chainsaws instead of privileges, then it introduces a sense of lack and fear into my everyday routine that stifles my ability to love, serve, and create. So my normal day includes a lot of juggling. But it also includes knowing how to evaluate the weight of each responsibility and know when I can set some of those things down and they will be just fine for a while.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Absolutely! I’d love to. My name is Alyssa Wilkinson and I guess the best term for me would be a “creative entrepeneur,” even though that sounds so obnoxiously pretentious. Simply put, I’m an author and a photographer. I’m wildly passionate about two things in life: 1.) Actively creating more than I consume, and 2.) Finding beauty everywhere. I feel remarkably blessed that I have the opportunity to do both of those things by documenting moments for families and individuals through photography and crafting stories that hopefully shine a light in the world around us. It’s a wonderful place despite all its imperfections and I hope that through my photos and my writing, I can create pockets in time where people have the chance to appreciate that.
In photography right now I’m working to juggle my incredible existing clientele in Texas and Utah while building new connections here in South Carolina, where we just moved. I’m also striving to make sure my sessions feel as genuine and comfortable as possible, because that really shows through in the end result.
In writing, I’m currently working with my publisher on the last stages of prep before my debut historical fiction novel, UNLUCKY CHARM SUMMER, goes to the press for its release May of 2026. I also just signed a contract on a second, wildly different book that I can’t wait to share more about soon! Exciting stuff happening.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Ooh, this is an excellent question. And a poignant one. I’ve got a photograph that reminds me of who I naturally was before I started cutting off edges to fit the mold that the world made for me. In the photo I’m about eight years old, dressed in a periwinkle leotard, white tights, chunky sandals, and a confident smirk. I had just finished a ballet recital and I remember feeling like I was on top of the world. I KNEW I was destined to live a great life as a prima ballerina somewhere in Europe.
…
Yep. You heard me right–ME, the person that just described themselves as having terrible coordination in the very first question, as a peak athlete. Some people probably would say I was delusional, but I like to think that I was just unafraid to dream big. I was equally as confident that I’d also become an author, an award-winning photographer for National Geographic, and an ice-skating veterinarian, so you can see how large a scale I was planning on. As a kid, I was confident. Maybe not necessarily in my current abilities, but in my potential to become whatever I wanted.
And then, I heard the message over and over from the world and opposition that I wasn’t good enough. And that I never would be, no matter what I did. It was ridiculous to think otherwise. And that insidious, acidic belief started to seep into the cracks of my soul and poison my hope. And so I picked smaller dreams, and I threw away my notebooks, and I hid my work from the world.
My sweet angel mother would dig through the trash and save all the notebooks I threw away. I remember fighting her on it one day.
“Why do you insist on keeping that junk?!” I yelled.
She just shook her head.
“You may not see the value in it right now, but maybe one day you will again.”
It took me until I became a mom myself to see what she meant. Living small was not serving myself or anyone else around me. I didn’t want that life for my children–I wanted them to live vibrant, passionate, useful, dream-filled lives. And I wasn’t modeling that for them. It was hypocritical of me to keep living the way that I was.
So I dusted off my dreams and started putting myself out there, no matter how ridiculous it felt. I started with photography, and writing followed a few years after. The rejection came–plenty of it. And it stung. But this time I had my husband and my mom in my corner, cheering me on and helping me resist the temptation to shrink.
“It just takes one yes,” my mom told me.
And then the yes came. And they have continued to come.
And slowly, yes by yes, and even no by no, I have felt my younger self peek out from between her fingers and lift her head–unsure, at first, but then growing in confidence and comfort with imperfection. Slowly, I’m reconnecting with her and trying to channel more of her confidence–not necessarily in my current skillset, but in my determination and capacity to improve in my creative endeavors, day by day.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d love to go back, hold her cheeks in my hands and look her in the eyes, and reiterate something my mom always told me, but I never listened to until I got much older.
“Choose not to let your trials and mistakes define you, but refine you.”
I felt things so deeply and took everything so hard. Every mistake I made felt like the end of the world. There are so many things now that I still look back on and regret. But you know what? Now, with my perspective as a mother, I see how young I was. (And in the grand scheme of things, still am.) Of course I would stumble. Of course I would trip up. And of course life wouldn’t be perfect. How could it be? It’s my first time being human! A learning curve is just part of the experience.
I’d want to remind her to be kind to herself, and others. To give grace. And to not be deterred by imperfection. It’s all part of the refining process, and the ability to learn, grow, and transform is a remarkable gift. Creating anything is a remarkable, messy, incredibly refining process. Don’t shy away from it.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I think the biggest, most pervasive lie in any creative endeavor is that everyone else feels like they belong there, and you are the only one who feels inadequate.
Isn’t that a nasty one? The reality is, probably 99% of us feel imposter syndrome. Yep, even that highly-accomplished, insanely-talented person you are thinking of and comparing yourself to right now. Sure, there’s a percentage of people that genuinely have never felt the self-conscious sting of comparison, but they are the exception, not the rule.
I’ve been in rooms with New York Times bestselling authors who are performing at a level I can only hope to obtain a percentage of one day, and even they have admitted feeling small and uncomfortable and insufficient on a daily basis. Isn’t that crazy?! The sooner we accept that everyone feels like an imposter, the quicker we can release ourselves from that limitation and just pursue our dreams with hope, joy, and without comparison.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
Honestly? I feel most at peace when I’m creating. There’s a “hum” of peace that starts inside me and reverberates until it echoes through my whole being.
That’s how I know something really special is being created. I’ll feel it during photoshoots when my clients start to loosen up and their true relationships with each other begin to shine through. It stops being a photography session and it becomes a moment of connection–a core memory–that I just happen to be present for to document.
I’ll feel the hum while writing, too. There’s a flow state that I begin to tap into where the it feels like the story is telling itself to me and I’m just documenting it as it is revealed. It’s a gorgeous feeling, to feel like you are doing what you were made to do. And really, that’s the point of this life–to learn and to create. I really do think there is a spiritual aspect to creation, no matter how that manifests in your life, and peace naturally accompanies that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://awilkinsonbooks.wixsite.com/home
- Instagram: @awilkinsonbooks @awilkinsonphoto
- Facebook: Alyssa Wilkinson, Author // Alyssa Wilkinson Photography
Image Credits
Headshot: Amy McNett Photography
Engagement Photo: Alyssa Wilkinson Photography
Bridal Photo: Alyssa Wilkinson Photography
Maternity Photo: Alyssa Wilkinson Photography
Newborn Photo: Alyssa Wilkinson Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
