We recently connected with Julia Valdesalice and have shared our conversation below.
Julia, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
Being in a creative industry, overcoming burnout is a real challenge. When I first started my photography journey, I was inspired by my own children. I was determined to capture beautiful family moments for not only myself but my clients. The drive to perfect posing, lighting, expressions kept me going. Until it didn’t anymore and I felt overworked and bored. I knew I had to make a change that might not be popular with my clients, but in order to maintain creativity and drive, I needed to shift for myself. That’s when I went in studio and learned how to pose newborns. Again, the learning and practicing of something new helped stop the burnout. This has happened several times throughout my journey and each time I’ve gotten close to burnout, I shift gears. The newest gear shift has been being trained in color analysis. As I style my photography clients by making suggestions on wardrobe and color choices, it was an obvious pathway to keep me energized and interested.
Knowing that what drives me is when I feel challenged which involves learning and practicing, has helped me overcome burnout.
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?
First and foremost, I am a mother of 2 daughters and a wife to the greatest man on the planet. I also have 3 cats and a dog who I enjoy being with far more than humans!! My passions are fitness, nutrition, beauty, fashion and photography. Somehow, I’ve been able to take those last 3 (beauty, fashion and photography) and mesh them into my career. Lucky me!!
My goal is to make women (and men too) look and feel their best where they are at certain milestones in their lives. Whether you are expecting a new baby, becoming a parent, or starting an exciting business venture, I want to capture you in the most beautiful way. Because, after all, any of those accomplishments are bad a**.
The newest and most exciting add-on to my photography services is color analysis. I’ve been trained and certified and now able to provide my clients with the invaluable knowledge of knowing what colors make them most vibrant. This helps with confidence, outfit planning, cost savings, closet decluttering, and more! Let’s face it, when we look good, we feel good! This service is being offered as private sessions at my photography studio, or through house parties and boutique events.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Advice I would give someone starting a career in photography is to seek out an experienced photographer and learn from them. Knowledge is power and by finding a great mentor, you are shortening your learning curve drastically which will keep you from spinning your wheels and not gaining traction. It’s important to always be professional and let your clients know how valuable they are to you. Often times I see photographers sharing how stressed out they are or how over worked they feel or how annoyed they are that people are questioning their pricing. My advice would be to keep that to yourself and always show gratitude. Lastly, it’s important that you know your worth. Photography is fun and as photographers, most often we love our job but it’s still a job. There will be many times where friends will ask you for favors. Do they work for free? Neither should you. It’s hard to say no but you have to create boundaries.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents truly instilled hard work and dedication in me from a very young age. They taught me to follow through with commitments regardless of the circumstances. If I wanted to skip dance class when I was 5, I better have had a fever! The whole “I don’t feel like it” was unacceptable. I have had a job since I was 14 years old so I could learn responsibility, accountability, and time management.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.juliavphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julia_v_photography/ AND https://www.instagram.com/juliav_lifestyle/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
