Meet Christa Reed

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

Hi Christa, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?

When we talk about self care it’s often in an aesthetic context of a little indulgence, or to give ourselves a treat after a difficult day or week. This is how I used to view self care.

In early 2024, my doctor advised me to make very significant lifestyle changes. I was told that continually neglecting my health could have serious long-term consequences, and it was a scary realization. It ignited a desire within me to really explore and redefine what self-care means to me.

Now, I see self-care as a routine of essential daily practices to support my long term well-being. It’s about remembering to do the little things that support my physical and mental health. My current focus is on nurturing my body through proper nutrition, regular exercise, and adequate sleep.

Do I sometimes get caught up in late-night photo editing marathons or experience hectic days where I’m definitely feeling stressed and not focused on self care? Yes, but the other side of self care I’ve learned is that you need to maintain some balance even when you’re super busy. Life happens, but we still need to care for ourselves.

I used to believe that to be constantly busy was the key to finding success in life. I planned to make time for self care later, once my life met my very rigid definition of success. My entire outlook has shifted since I prioritized self-care.

By focusing on daily well-being, my mental and physical health have significantly improved. I’ve also experienced a remarkable increase in my creativity and growth as a photographer. This shift in mindset, leaning new definitions of self care and success, has not only benefited me but also positively impacted my clients, which is incredibly rewarding.

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

I specialize in photographing elopements, weddings, and portraits. It’s an incredible honor to document the important moments in people’s journey through life. The trust clients place in me to preserve their lasting memories brings me so much joy.

I want to show people how amazingly beautiful their lives are and capture the essence of people. I want to document all the authentic emotions of my clients’ experiences through vibrant pictures. I have the belief that everyone deserves to feel comfortable, uplifted, and celebrated during their photography experience.

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?

Three important skills that have significantly impacted my journey are resilience, determination, and cultivating a growth mindset. I’ve learned that to accomplish your goals, you need both determination to set them and resilience to persevere through setbacks. Keep on going when life gives you challenges, always keeping your goals in sight.

Developing a growth mindset has been the biggest but most rewarding challenge for me because photography often encourages a perfection mindset. This makes it challenging to cultivate growth. So many photographers are afraid to make mistakes. But creativity is a beautiful mess full of imperfection, so in order to have growth you really need to embrace imperfection and learn from it.

Not every outcome will turn out like you envisioned it, and that’s okay because it will still turn out. The important thing is that you are learning from each experience. This mindset allows me to constantly come up with creative solutions and consistently progress in my career.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

Overwhelm can creep up on you. Learn to recognize your early signs of becoming overwhelmed so you can take a step back. Taking a break and a few deep breaths really helps me focus and not let the overwhelming feelings control my actions or decision making.

Often overwhelm starts because we don’t feel in control of something or we have a need that’s not being met. One thing to know about this is the only thing we have any control over in life is ourselves.

The clarity this realization brings once you learn it is so awesome! Then you can check in with yourself and figure out what you can do to meet your unmet needs. This process of reflection will really help change how you’re feeling. When you feel overwhelmed you can use this thought process to identify realistic actions you can take to meet your unmet needs. This will help you to move forward with what you’re working on, whether that’s a long term goal or your daily tasks.

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