We recently had the chance to connect with Sarah Harrison and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Sarah, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Honestly, I’m still figuring that out! My husband and I just welcomed our fourth baby and my daughter starts first grade here in a couple of weeks (we homeschool). Most days we have a gentle morning with breakfast and lots of play and reading. After lunch is when our youngest two nap and our older two have quiet time so that I can attempt to get work done. After nap, we will usually go outside or somewhere else before dinner. Whatever work wasn’t finished earlier gets done after the kids are in bed! I often tell my clients to ignore any emails they receive at 2 am.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Sarah, I am a mother to four beautiful children and a wife to an amazing videographer. We just recently moved to Greencastle, PA, and I am so excited to meet and tell the stories of the families here in the Pennsylvania/Maryland/West Virginia area.
There are wonderful photographers in this area who take beautiful pictures. However my goal for every session is not just delivering beautiful pictures, it’s to weave your story into each image, freezing moments that you can look on years later and still feel every emotion.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
This is an easy one – my dad. My parents sacrificed a lot while my brothers and I were growing up, but he was never one to complain about work, even when he wasn’t treated fairly.
He’s taught me the importance of walking through whatever door God opens for you. Some jobs we did as a family, like cleaning a section of the school we attended (I didn’t understand at the time that it was to offset tuition a little) or cleaning the office where my dad worked (y’all, we got really good as mopping). My dad’s whole side of the family even owned and operated four different Quiznos at one point (I was the “someone called in sick or didn’t show up” fill in, earning my whole $5/hour at 13 years old. I felt so grown up.).
Given that I am now an adult and am able to look back at the timeline of his work, it has been wonderful seeing him step into the position he has now. I am so proud of him.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
As cliche and typical as it is, the fear of failure is what often holds me back. I started my business in the middle of 2020 (great year, right?), and I know I probably annoyed other established photographers as the 100 other newbies and myself popped up in the middle of a pandemic.
The question I often saw was, “Isn’t the market oversaturated?” There definitely were, and are, plenty of times I ask myself if there is even space for me. Can I take a moment and share what took me a while to believe and remember? It doesn’t matter how saturated the world says a market is. If God called you to it, He will make the room. Matt Gottesman eloquently says, “When your work is assigned, you don’t need to fight for space…you just need to take your place.”
I won’t lie and say everything is smooth sailing. It’s definitely not, especially right after a big move. But every time I’ve doubted what I am to be doing, God has continually reaffirmed that it’s two things right now: raise my babies and love on moms with the talents He has given me.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Another easy one. I don’t know if you would define it as cultural, but my family always comes before my work. No amount of money is worth their lives. I even have it built into my contracts that I get 20 minute pumping breaks for events longer than four hours or my baby is brought to me to eat.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
I’m not sure this is the direction y’all really wanted this interview to go, but the answer is Jesus. This is literally what he calls us to do. Matthew 16:24 says, “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’.” It is hard to wrap my head around sometimes, especially when it feels like we’re here for material gain, but everything I do is for Him.
At the end of the day, I know I’m only in my client’s lives for brief moments of time. My hope is that even when I stop taking pictures, or if I pass away tomorrow, what’s left is not only my children and my family, but that the families I worked with felt loved and seen. I want them to be able to say, “She saw me when I felt broken and confused in my postpartum body” or “She gave me hope that everything was going to be okay after my divorce”.
When everything is stripped away, my prayer is that I am simply the hands and feet of Jesus to everyone I meet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.oakhoney.co
- Instagram: @oakhoneyco
- Facebook: @oakhoneyco
Image Credits
@oakhoneyco // oakhoney.co
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