Story & Lesson Highlights with Bonnie Aunchman

Bonnie Aunchman shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Bonnie , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
First 2 hours of my day is a 10k step walk, a smoothie and no phone. 🙂

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a Commercial Photo Stylist working for brands in the Lifestyle Market, styling home, food and wardrobe. Started my career owing a modeling agency and transitioned that agency into a styling agency with my existing clients to both book models as well as style their photo shoots for ad campaigns, magazines, catalogs and TV commercials.

While continuing to photo style, I now teach and mentor aspiring/new stylists and creatives on the business side of the photo styling industry on pricing their services, contracts and how to book (& retain) clients.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
As a child I have vivid memories of my mother instilling in me that “all things are possible” for me and always defending and lifting me up, know matter what. As I grew, I somehow was able to see realistically that “I can be wrong” (and that’s ok!) I was able to balance that and still keep that mindset and positivity that we are able to make dreams reality in our life.

From early on I was the “creative type” from coloring, arts/crafts to drawing ~ it was all about the creativity. That was fostered from my relationship with my mother ~ and continues today as I remain (& love!) the creative industry of styling.

When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
When sad, being creative and being in nature always seemed to help me. Growing up on the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts was always a point of joy and happiness for me. Being in nature (sun and water!) and creativity always seemed intertwined to me. Building of castles, creating with seashells ~ it always distracted me (if I was sad) and gave me an outlet of creativity and happiness. Fun and sun always seems to diminish sadness and remind you to be grateful, even when we are young.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say it’s about maintaining “peace and calm” in my life. Business life has changed so drastically since I first started. Now, it seems like everything/everyone is centered around “creating content” endlessly and using AI to make it more efficient. (To the detriment of maybe losing our authentic voice and viewpoint?) We have several platforms that available to us (which is something to be grateful for in promoting our businesses). Creating content seems to demand the need for us to be on our phone non-stop. I now gravitate toward more quieter platforms and ways to promote my business. And to your earlier question “What do I do in my first 90 minutes of the day?”, I make sure I start and ease into my day with a calmness that lends to happiness. (walk in nature, smoothie nourishment and no phone) It’s possible to have a thriving business without the “hustle and bustle”.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
I think my clients would miss my total help/involvement into styling their brand campaigns. While I’m hired to give style to their visuals, I tend to help with all things campaign ~ from copy writing, graphics, messaging, complete creative direction to connecting my clients with each other for strategic collaborations.

Through the years, I have always educated myself on all aspects of the business by attending classes, workshops, seminars, and tradeshows to further educate myself to be valuable on a higher level and brought those skills into the photo shoots/styling I was hired to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bonnieaunchman.com
• Instagram: @bonnieaunchman
• Linkedin: @bonnieaunchman
• Other: Pinterest: @bonnieaunchman

Image Credits
Headshot: Photographer: Jamie Bannon

Portfolio Work and Behind the Scenes Images: Photography: Wayfair