We recently connected with Lori Sitterding and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lori, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
People have always commented on my strength and ability to navigate rough seas. I’d like to think my resilience has been inherited through my Jewish heritage. Years of inherited trauma due to prejudice and genocide has made us very resilient people. I’m disappointed to see it is still around in a world where we are trying to be accepting of all walks of life.
I’ve become even more resilient having raised a child with special needs. My daughter is non verbal and struggles with the multitude of health and cognitive complications of severe Autism and Williams Syndrome. She gets up everyday and finds a way to communicate her needs and be happy. She inspires me in so many ways and I will always fight for her.
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’ve photographed a lot of Jewish and special needs events not only because they resonate with me, personally. I consider myself to be an advocate. Before I was born, my family changed our last name out of fear. I usually keep pretty private about things like this. But, in light of current events in Israel, I’d like to share. Watching the coverage of the horrific and brutal actions of the terrorist group Hamas has left me gutted. I never thought that I would see the cause of me not being able to have my last name manifest before me. I strongly condemn Hamas and any act of antisemitism.
On a lighter note. I have always loved cooking Jewish and Jewish fusion foods, which has led me to get my certificate in Catering and start my Jewish food business journey, Mazel Catering. I’m still in development, but you can follow along on Instagram at @MazelCatering.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Persistence, in my opinion, is one of the most important qualities in a person. When you keep working toward your goals and don’t give up, nothing will stop you. Even if you have people doubting you, don’t listen. Just keep going. I’m still on my journey of trying to acquire press clearance to photograph certain events. I have been rejected and it was definitely a letdown, but I will get there someday. I have a special interest in covering political events.
Open mindedness and willing to learn are extremely important as well. You can always better your craft and learn new techniques. There is definitely an over saturation of photographers out there. So, it’s important to stay current with gear and trends.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
For me, it’s sometimes Boxing and Muay Thai training. Sometimes it’s a Twix and a smoke. But usually walking a beach trail or pilates grounds me. My advice would be to write out your feelings and go workout.
Being the mother of a teen with severe special needs while juggling all lifes’ other challenges I get overwhelmed often. Taking breaks when it all seems too much is really important. Inflation has made things so difficult for all of us. But we just need to keep pushing through. I also like using affirmations. It helps get your energy where it needs to be when you are struggling with negative thoughts.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sitterdingphoto.com
- Instagram: @sitterdingphoto
Image Credits
Sitterding Photography
