We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kaitlin Earnest. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kaitlin below.
Kaitlin, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. 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.
When the pandemic started, I was hit with a huge wave of anxiety– way more than I had ever experienced in my life. A year later, when the pandemic was still raging and I got pregnant, that anxiety level increased even more. It was to a point where it felt like I couldn’t function. I could barely leave the house, and couldn’t be around people except for my family. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I started having other physical symptoms that led me to be in and out of the emergency room at least once a week. No one could figure out what was going on with my body, but they assumed the symptoms would resolve once I had my baby. He was born (healthy and super cute!), and all my symptoms were still there. The tests and ER visits continued, and I wasn’t getting any answers. I had a hard time communicating with my doctor at the time– he would talk over me and I never felt like he actually listened to what I was saying. He kept telling me I just had anxiety. Which I knew I had. But I also knew something else was going on, and that I also needed help managing my anxiety, help that I was not getting.
The big turning point in this journey (which had been going on for months and months), was choosing to switch doctors. I scheduled an appointment with her, and at the first appointment, instead of pushing me out the door in 3 minutes, she listened to me explain everything I had been experiencing for 30 minutes. Then we made a plan and talked through that for another 30 minutes. I had never had a doctor take that much time to listen and talk WITH me instead of AT me. Our plan that we made together was to get a few more tests done, start taking anxiety meds, and start seeing a counselor. And that’s what it took. The testing revealed that I had Celiac Disease, which they told me was most likely triggered by my pregnancy and my anxiety. I started eating gluten free, and within a week, the symptoms that had been sending me to the emergency room every week were gone. I started taking anxiety medication and seeing a counselor, and my anxiety slowly started becoming manageable. It felt like I was finally getting my life back, and I could actually be a mom to my 3 year old and new baby.
The biggest lesson I learned with all of this is how important it is to listen to your body, and advocate for your own health. I had to push for months and months to get someone to listen to me, but when I finally found someone who did and who I could trust, it made such a huge difference. Now it’s not like everything is perfect now. I still deal with anxiety. But is something I can manage, and I have the knowledge to be able to help myself through. Some of this has been introspective work. Some of this has been finding a therapist whom I trust. Some of this has been letting myself lean on my partner when I’m not doing well. Some of this has been the medication I take. The important thing is I stop and acknowledge how I’m feeling, and then recognize what I need in that moment.
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?
I am a portrait and wedding photographer based out of Sacramento, California. My desire is to create emotive and timeless photos of life and love. Whether that be wedding, family photos, engagement photos– I want to document the season of life my clients are in, and provide a comfortable and genuine experience while doing that! I have been photographing weddings, families, and people for over 10 years now and I absolutely love it.
I’ve had a lot of different roles in my life– photographer being the one that this interview is mainly about, BUT it’s not the only one. My roles have also been student, teacher, traveler, band manager, creative director, event planner, and my two favorites: a partner and a mother. Each of these roles has played a part in shaping who I am as a person, and who I am as a photographer.
I would describe my photography style as photojournalism meets whimsy. I like to capture things how they happen. I like to capture the little moments that happen organically, the authentic emotions. And I like trying not to just be in my client’s face the whole time! I want them to be able to enjoy and participate in their day/session! That being said, I know there are photos that need some direction/posing, so I definitely incorporate that into my photography too. But I still do my best to create photos that feel natural, to observe how my clients interact with each other, to bring out their own unique personality, and to work with that to direct and work with them to create some beautiful, authentic photographs.
I grew up in California, but had been living in the midwest for the past 10 years. I recently moved back to California, and I’m so excited to continue my business here on the west coast! I am currently working with a designer on some branding and website design, and I am so excited to launch the new look!
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?
Flexibility, organization, and a genuine love for people.
You need to have flexibility to do freelance, and to work with people. Schedules can change, income can be inconsistent, people can be unpredictable (especially if you’re working with kids!). You need to be able to be flexible and got with it. This does NOT mean that you let people walk all over you, or that your time is not valuable. Set boundaries and stick to them. But also realize that if you’re working with people, stuff is going to happen, and you need to have grace when it does.
I feel like some times “creatives” are not great at being organized. I get it, it doesn’t come naturally for many people, and that’s totally fine. But just because it doesn’t come naturally, or it’s not something you enjoy doing, doesn’t mean it’s not important. If you want to run a business, you need to develop some organization skills.
I genuinely love people. I think if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to be in this field for this long. I love interacting with my clients and learning about them. Not only do I genuinely enjoy it, but it also helps me take better photos. It allows me to take photos that capture the unique personalities of each client. A love for people is especially important if you want to be a wedding photographer. You are going to be around a lot of people for an extended amount of time. And some of them are going to be stressed out. I think a crucial skill for a wedding photographer is not only having the ability to take good photos, but also be able to be a calm, encouraging presence throughout the day.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
Ok, so I love reading and I was trying to think of which book to pick for this question. But I’m actually going to pick a movie because I just saw it and it had a big impact on me. And that movie is Barbie. I KNOW, I didn’t expect it, but this movie hit me hard. It was also the first movie I have seen in theaters since 2018 which is so crazy.
So here are a few of my takeaways from the movie:
-I don’t need to apologize for taking up space, or diminish my accomplishments. I have worked hard and I am proud of what I have accomplished, and I can say that!
-Being a woman is hard, and it’s ok to acknowledge that.
-Women can be anything. But that doesn’t mean they have to be everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kaitlinjeanphotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kaitlinjeanphoto
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kaitlinjeanphoto
Image Credits
Kaitlin Jean Photography
