We recently connected with Christine June and have shared our conversation below.
Christine, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I always have a side project I’m working on – something that doesn’t necessarily bring in income, but something I want to try or experiment with. Currently, I’m working on a series of self-portraits which has turned out to be surprisingly healing.
I strongly believe that one has to creatively play with ideas to keep their spark and passion going. That play could be something as simple as coloring, rearranging a room, taking an art class, or doing something in a new way. Falling into a rut is surprisingly easy so keeping an open mind about a new creative project and knowing it’s okay if it doesn’t turn out perfectly is important. There’s no wrong way to play and you just may find your new favorite thing!
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?
Coming into the new year I’m still focused on my portrait business and serving my clients at a very high level. Capturing portraits of my client families is very important and special to me, but being able to take the time with them to walk them through every step of the process is what I love.
As a portrait photographer, I don’t want to leave any part of the job undone or leave my clients with a DIY project. Many of my client families don’t have the time or expertise to figure out what size portrait would look good on a particular wall or how and where to have an image printed and framed, or how to install it on the wall. I’m not done until their portraits are installed and everything is perfect.
I’m launching a new portrait campaign titled Between the Sheets, which is for women, especially mothers, to help see themselves in a new light. Before and after the fun portrait session, I have writing prompts for each client. Before the session, with questions and writing prompts, they get to discover who they are becoming and after the session, they receive a personalized writing prompt and create a love letter to their body. In a world filled with diet culture and making women feel like they should always be smaller, I’m making a movement for women to find deep self-love, gratitude, and thanks.
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?
1. Investing in myself. I believe investing in relevant courses and coaches or mentors is a good investment. Learning from others who have been in a similar stage of business and have leveled up often gives me a shortcut to my next success. I could learn these things on my own through trial and error but it would take so much longer to find success.
2. Learning through failure. This is my most common and least favorite way to learn. It happens so often! When something doesn’t work, fails, or backfires, it’s important to take away what I can do differently next time.
3. Push through fear. There are a few things I avoided for years due to fear. Fear of failure and fear of looking awkward or stupid. In doing so I probably delayed success for much longer than necessary. Now when I see fear creeping up I try to remember what I tell my kids: that the brain creates the same reactions to fear and excitement. Increased breathing and heart rate, dilated pupils, and sweaty palms.
I try to imagine my fear as excitement and keep moving forward! It’s almost always worth the risk.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Being in overwhelm had been a common experience for me as a solopreneur. When I find myself there with a scattered brain, not knowing what to do, I try to find a quiet place to sit where I can close my eyes and focus on my breathing. It may be a meditation or just a calm space to relax for a few minutes, but as my mind clears decisions come to me more easily and the important next steps emerge.
Contact Info:
- Website: ChristineJune.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christine.june.photography/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/christine-june
Image Credits
Christine June Photography
