We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin Beckett. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.
Erin, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
When I started my photography business, I wasn’t necessarily looking to find my purpose–I just wanted to make a career out of being creative. Little did I know that it would lead me to my purpose and my passion.
I think the real key to finding your purpose is to try different things. Don’t feel like you have to stick with something just because you made the decision to do that one thing at some point in your life. Before I started my photography business, I was a software engineer and did not consider myself a people person. I was yearning to do something more creative professionally, but felt like I couldn’t since I went to school for computer science. I finally decided to just go for it anyway, and after starting my business, I realized how much I actually love sitting down with people and getting to know more about them.
I absolutely love talking with my clients and learning about the insecurities they have about stepping in front of the camera, and the struggles they have with self-confidence. These are things that I have struggled with myself, and it brings me so much joy to see how excited my clients are when they see portraits of themselves that they love.
If you want to find your purpose, whether that’s life in general or professionally, don’t be afraid to experiment. Try new things out, even things you may think you won’t like. You might surprise yourself and find something completely out of left field that turns into your passion and your purpose. It took several years of experimenting with different photography genres to find what I am most passionate about, so if you feel like you are searching and searching and not finding what lights you on fire, don’t give up–you’ll find it!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a portrait photographer and owner of Erin Beckett, LLC in Waukesha, WI. I am in the business of empowering women by creating portraits that make them go, “HOLY ****, that’s ME?!?!” when they see their photos.
The photoshoot experience I provide is so much more than you showing up when I tell you to, me clicking the shutter on my camera nonstop, and then sending you a gallery of a million images to sift through. After your photoshoot is booked, we have a virtual or phone consultation where we go through all the details of your photoshoot–from what to wear to the vibes you want to give off in your photos. We also discuss any must-have photos that you want to create.
I am all about empowering you just as you are. So I encourage you to come to your session with your hair and makeup as you normally would wear it, so you don’t feel like you only look amazing in your photos because of a makeover. You are going to love your photos so much, you won’t be able to stop looking at them!
To take that one step further, this year I launched the Embrace Portrait Project. This is a project I started to encourage women to embrace their bodies as they age. No one enjoys the wrinkles, age spots, and sagging skin that come with aging. No one enjoys the traumatic events that inevitably happen while navigating life. Embrace is all about helping women accept these things, so I highly recommend coming with no makeup on at all! I know that sounds crazy and scary, but it’s such a great way to see yourself in a new light.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Ha! Three is so limiting! But if I have to pick three, I will say being okay with hearing the word “No”, knowing your numbers, and having a support system. When you start your own business and are putting products or services out there, you are putting a piece of yourself out there. When someone tells you “No”, it can really hurt because it feels like they are rejecting you as a person, even though that is not the case at all. You want to make it your aim to get as many noes as possible. The more noes you get, you’ll slowly build up a tolerance to them and they will start to hurt you less and less. Eventually, you’ll realize that the more noes you get, the more yesses you’ll get because you are out there putting in the work.
Know your numbers! This might be the most important one because if you don’t have your numbers down, you will not make a profit. You must be sure you are charging enough to cover your costs of goods sold and your costs of doing business. Don’t be surprised if you do all of your calculations and learn that you should be charging a lot more than you thought. The numbers don’t lie, so don’t give in to the temptation to lower them to make yourself feel more comfortable. You have to make a profit to stay in business so that you can continue to help those you want to help with your business.
Having a good support system is also vital. This could be family, friends, a business coach, or other business owners. Besides my husband, one of my best support systems is a small group of other photographers I am friends with. We constantly bounce ideas off each other and ask each other for input whenever we are having problems with clients, vendors, or business in general. It really helps knowing you aren’t alone and that you have other people going through similar situations. Find someone who will cheer with you on your wins and lift you up when something doesn’t go as expected.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Eat a box of chocolates in bed! I’m kidding–although I technically have done that before. I think that it’s important to acknowledge that sometimes business and life can become overwhelming. That’s just a part of existing, so don’t feel bad when you get overwhelmed; that will just make it worse.
I tend to shut down and not want to do anything when I get overwhelmed, which I think is the same for a lot of people. I have been doing mindset coaching to help me break through blocks, and I have learned a lot of great techniques through that to help me when I am feeling overwhelmed. One of the techniques I really love is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping. I won’t go into all of the details because I may get some wrong, but basically, I physically tap nine points on my body while saying a phrase that helps me process whatever the issue is. So I might say something like, “Money flows to me easily and effortlessly,” as I’m tapping if I am having a slow month and I am getting overwhelmed with the idea of not having the funds to pay bills.
If the overwhelming feelings are piling up and getting too intense, I would definitely recommend finding someone to talk to who can help you work through the overwhelm. That could be a business coach who can help you put systems in place with your business to help things run more smoothly, or it could even be a therapist if life in general is overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It doesn’t make you weak or a bad person.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.erinbeckett.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ErinBeckettPhoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErinBeckettPhoto
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinbeckett/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuA1POtnhwSqmG3vlrG-_cg
Image Credits
Erin Beckett
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