We were lucky to catch up with Beth Cleveland recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Beth , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
In any field, especially in a creative one, having a healthy relationship with your self-esteem and understanding how that supports how you’re able to show up in your business is challenging but so valuable. I think it’s okay to be okay with the fact that the journey will not be linear and just giving yourself the benefit in any situation is so huge in encouraging real genuine confidence.
What has helped me a lot is surrounding myself with people that are also speaking warmly and positively about themselves and their work. Having that and encouraging my own inner monologue to be my BFF and biggest advocate has been important to me. Also being able to remind myself that there is room for me and for everyone in my industry helps me be able to take risks and have the confidence to follow through that there are clients out there that will welcome it.
Without fail though, if you’re on team “ fake it till you make it”, the blind confidence to believe in yourself is so powerful and should be practiced as often as possible.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have been intentionally photographing portraits and events since 2018, and even more seriously since 2020. It’s now my full time gig and I’m really lucky to live life in this way by working for myself.
Right now I am really focusing on weddings and my clients’ experience, and truly figuring out how to best serve them when they’re trusting me with important life events. I think getting your photo taken, especially with people you love and whom you are outwardly expressing that love with, is so vulnerable. It’s more important to me than ever to base that experience on whatever is most comfortable for every individual client.
I really care about people and I want them to feel that while we’re working together and then to see that in their galleries when all is said and done.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
In hindsight the qualities that I think have helped me progress in my business is absolute full trust in myself, being optimistic to a nauseating degree, and taking on the challenge to be incredibly disciplined as a form of self care. I always like to say “ this is for future Beth”, and I really mean that, showing up for yourself is everything and will allow you to show up for others as well.
Everyone’s journey is so personal and unique to them though, no one thing works, especially in a creative field as everything is subjective. Which on one hand is frustrating to not have a clear path of a bunch of specific parts you can accomplish that adds up to a whole, or the “ideal career” that you’re trying to obtain. Though, on the other hand it gives so much freedom to curate something that works well for you and it may look different from people around you, but it’s your version of success and that’s all that matters.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The challenge I’m facing currently, and one I think I’ll always be facing, is just balance. Balance professionally, balance personally, the balance between personal and professional! It’s so easy to spread yourself thin in a field where you’re spending evenings and weekends with your clients. It sometimes feels like you’re living through experiences your clients have, and not leaving enough room to make sure you’re experiencing things for yourself as well. That can be tough when your schedule is opposite of most, so just being more thoughtful about that is a challenge that I’m slowly working on.
Contact Info:
- Website: bethclevelandphotography.com
- Instagram: @bethclevelandphoto
Image Credits
Beth Cleveland Photography
