Meet Alicia Stone

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alicia Stone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alicia , really appreciate you opening up about a very personal topic with the hopes that it can help someone out there who might be going through it. What can you share with us about your journey with postpartum depression and how you overcame PPD? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

I was struggling with PPD before I even knew I was.

In 2018 I had my first child and for many years following I silently struggled with the heavy effects of PPD because I truly didn’t know. I didn’t know the nuances and layers of PPD, dumfounded to the depths–resigning my knowledge of it to simply *being depressed.* And never once did it cross my mind that I could be dealing with something, at the time, out of my control and far bigger than myself.

It was the birth of my second son, when depression inevitably did seep in, that I began to dig and look into the many layers of PPD and what it tends to look like. Being educated far more than I was at the birth of my first child, I can look back and clearly see the imprint PPD had on my life and how it touched my relationships and my own self-esteem. My PPD with my second child was so strong that, in truth, the first few months of my son’s life is a blur. A haze. But when we know better, we fight to do better. At least, that was my choice. And so, when one my oldest friends in the world, after hearing my heart and struggles on the phone one day, said to me, “Alicia, I think you might be struggling with PPD…” Well, I dug my heels in and chose to learn and find healing through something that isn’t spoken about enough.

Taking it to my doctor didn’t help as he brushed me off and prescribed a pill to hush me up and after only a month of taking the medication, I knew it was not a route for me–having left me numb and feeling incapable of love at all. In truth, it was one of the scariest months of my life. Since 2020, I’ve looked through many avenues to climb out of the trenches of PPD (some smart choices and other not so smart choices). From near starving myself in hopes to reach my *goal* weight and find happiness (I did hit my goal and I did not find *said* happiness) to clinging to my faith in moments when my depression just about did me in, I’ve tried just about every avenue I could think of in the last five years.

Ultimately, it was through the clinging of my faith in Christ, holding to the joy born from my sweet family, and investing in myself and the things that fulfill my passions that ultimately led me through that heavy fog. Where I inevitably found myself traversing through what only can be described as a long tunnel toward the light. Where hope and joy are so clear before me but where days it can seem those truths are stifled by some unseen storm off in the far distance that dimes the very light before me.

And as someone that does struggle with my mental health and has navigated deep depression, I’ve found that healing really isn’t linear. In the different season’s I’ve faced, through a near divorce, two miscarriages, and many other struggles in between, I’ve come to learn that each day offers a new hope and ability to take one step at a time toward that light. Some days are really bad and I struggle to get out of bed but most of my days are beautiful and so fulfilling, where it’s a steady stride with a pep in my step as I venture onward.

So what does that (not so silent) battle look like personally to me? Reading my Bible, Worshipping, & leaning on my immediate family and my church family. Pouring my time into my Photography and a book I pray to one day have published. Looking at the love and adoration in the tiny faces that call me Mom and knowing that they make my life so much better and that I don’t want to miss a single moment of their sweet journey, if I can help it. Seeing a Biblical Therapist that can help my husband and I navigate the things that are still unknown and find healing in the hurting parts.

Ultimately, it was silencing the “suggestion of how to heal” from the world around me and clinging to the many blessings that birth peace in my life. Harboring love and encouragement from the people that love me most. And fighting for the things that fill me with a burning passion and fuel my creativity.

It has been one of the hardest battles of my life that I’m still navigating after two failed pregnancies in the past two years, but it is not an impossible one. It is no longer bigger than me nor does it look so scary or unknown. Because when we know better we CAN choose to do better. To fight to BE better. If there’s one thing I pray my story can relay, it’s that. The fight is worth it. Stay another day–take another step. The light is there, I promise.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am the face behind Alicia Stone Photography, a portrait & wedding photographer! I have the immense pleasure of being paid to capture the beautiful chapters of people’s lives. My business “motto” is “Telling Stories through the Art of Photography.” And trust me, I know this idea isn’t new by any means to the world of photography but for me, it’s a little deeper than just a brand.

As a natural born creative, right brain thinking individual, I truly thrive on creativity! And the particular avenue that my creativity really flows and thrives is in my writing, something I’ve been doing since high school. As an avid book nerd, having ready hundreds of books and having obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in English for the single sake of going to school to read even more books (no, I’m really not joking), getting to navigate my work with photography often feels like an extension of the writer & reader within me.

To my logic brained thinkers that may not make much sense…but it really is the only way I can describe this phenomenon inside me.

Yes, this job allows me to capture beautiful images of even more beautiful people but learning to allow both of those worlds and passions to collide has truly brought me so much joy in my work. In the first few years, I felt I had to wear a certain “hat,” if you will, to fit into the mold of what your average photographer’s work looks like. In the last two years, I’ve really charged myself with stepping out of what most people want and leaning into what stories do I as a creative want to tell and how. And how does that look in my photography; in my visual art. I’m not there yet and I’m still learning–in truth, this business of mine is still a wee little baby–but I’m really excited to see where this takes me. Already, my clientele has boomed in the short time that I’ve let my creativity drive me and I’m seeing more and more people not only choose me, but trust me with some of their most beautiful stories. It just goes to show you that when you offer the world your genuine, and in my case quirky self, there are people out there that will not only connect with that, but crave it.

Seriously, someone pinch. I really feel like I’m dreaming most days.

I have many really big dreams for the future that include stitching my love for fantasy and fiction with the art of my photography and really digging into the ropes of Photoshop but right now, it’s about learning who I am behind my art and how I want to share that with the world. And in truth, the unknown of that can look pretty scary and intimidating at times, but when I set my mind to something I’m passionate about, it’s very rare I just let it go. Needless to say, I’m very excited for what the future holds and when it comes to my dreams for Alicia Stone Photography…let’s just say they are fantasy, grande scale dreams. Truthfully, I don’t think I know any other way to dream.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I believe the three most impactful skills I possessed in the beginning was that of my outgoing personality that made my clients feel comforable, my eye for composition (though I didn’t know it at the time), and my willingness to learn and educate myself on my craft.

If I’m being honest, and I totally am, I was really uneducated in the beginnig on how my camera worked and the light triangle (ISO, Aperature, Shutter Speed). It took a tough conversation with an old friend that is also in the trade and a desire to do better to push me forward. Once I came to the realization that I was being lazy in my photography, I fought to do better. Hours were spent on YouTube as I cleaned the house or navigated life as a SAHM to educate myself. I tasked myself with doing free or heavily discounted sessions to get practice or just pulled my camera out and took random pictures inside or outside of my home. Because practice is practice and so long as you’re trying, you’ll eventually get it at your own pace.

My advice would be that whatever you choose to put your mind to, do it at full force. People will know if you’re being lazy with your craft (even those with an untrained eye–I can’t tell you how many compliments I’ve received from people outside my craft praising my growth in the last few years) and the more work you put into the thing your passionate about, the more it will shine through in what you’re doing. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to learn when there are so many free sources at your fingertips (I’m telling you, Youtube helps a LOT if you find the right people). And I’m not opposed to going to school for your craft, I’m just saying if you can’t (I couldn’t) you have so many options. Be willing to grow and learn and understand that’s a truth we all have to accept. None of us start off perfect and so long as you’re open to growing and learning, there’s very little that can truly stop you.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

As my brand grows and I embrace my nerdy side, I’d love to find more like-minded individuals to collaborate with me as I expand my personal art. One of my dreams in the future is to branch out into a fantasy style photography and really creating a sense of whimsy in my work. Ideally, to hone in that art and craft, I’d find fellow nerds to model. Think hard core epic fantasy lore with suits of armor and elvish or fairy dresses in fantastical locations. Pretty much anything from J.R.R. Tolkien to Brandon Sanderson and everything in between! My dreams in this avenue are big and I’m ready to play so if that interests you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Contact for Collaborations:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: aliciastonephotography

FB: Alicia Stone Photography

Website: aliciastonephotography.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aliciastonephotography.com
• Instagram: aliciastonephotography
• Facebook: Alicia Stone Photography
• Other: Email: [email protected]
  Pinterest: Alicia Stone Photography

Image Credits

Alicia Stone