We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melissa Rae. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melissa below.
Melissa, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I think this is something that all creatives struggle with and have to be rather intentional to overcome. Imposter Syndrome is so easy to feel when there are thousands of photographers and content creators. I was a solo traveling photographer before Reels were invented, before Influencers were a household name, and before photography was the most common skill offered as a service. The more popular this became, the more imposter syndrome crept in, comparing myself to every new person I came across online.
I was honestly weighing if I should just choose another field when a past client ran into me at a country bar, of all places. I had just posted a series of landscapes from a recent roadtrip, and she said that she loved seeing my work in her social feed as she could pick it out without even seeing my name attached. And that I had inspired her to do a solo roadtrip to one of my favorite spots in Oregon. In that moment I knew that what I created was original in its own way, that I had a distinct vision that came across and even inspired people to seek out their own adventures and photographic memories.
I realized that we all touch different people in different ways. We can’t view ourselves as less or imposters just because we may reach different audiences. We all create work that hits the right people at the right time, and if you stay true to creating what you love, then you will stop questioning your authenticity and place.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have always loved art. As a kid I was always drawing, or taking photos, and that love continued into adulthood. I decided to follow that love and studied Studio Art in college, getting my BFA in Ceramics. I did large scale installations, making crazy sculptures and weird pieces that invaded the room and altered the negative space. I was obsessed with the idea of the art almost crowding you out of the room. Then I sort of fell into a job making mosaics for a new hotel that was opening. This lead to a new career making mosaics for hotels and new houses, even working in a mosaic studio for a few years.
Over time, my physical studio space changed and my medium with it. I turned to photography in 2009 and started shooting weddings and portraits. I explored every area of photography, trying to find exactly what I loved the most. Then in 2015 I took my first solo roadtrip across the US and I fell in love with landscape photography. I started a series of Self Portraits around the world, and branched into portraits of people in epic locations along with Landscapes. In 2021 I lived in Paris for 3 months and studied with a famous French Street Photographer and that expanded my horizons even more.
I decided 2 years ago to start building my career not just as a photographer but as an all around artist again. To offer portraits, as well as Fine Art Landscapes. But also to explore mosaics, and drawings, and digital products again. I have come full circle in my business and am happy to offer a variety of artistic services again. I plan to launch more services and products soon and love having a variety of things that excite me artistically.
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?
1. I think specifically for anything artistic it’s important to create, then let go. We have a tendency to make things too precious when first learning anything new. We see a little bit of improvement and think we are suddenly great at it, but that’s generally not the case. It takes time to improve, and knowing this and not getting too attached to early pieces of work helps us accept constructive criticism better.
2. On that note I think having some teachers, mentors, advisors, or fellow creators to serve as a panel of experts is invaluable when first learning a trade or skill. When you study art in college you are required to have this, a group of people that critique your work, push you harder, question you to find the purpose in what you create and be able to explain it and sell your vision. This is invaluable later in life especially if you want to sell your creations to a larger audience.
3. Lastly, whatever you choose to pursue, study it until you know it in and out. With photography for example, learn the basic principles of photography first. WHY you shoot, why light matters, why shutter speed matters, what happens when those are not set correctly, ets. Shoot all day, everyday, in every kind of light. Try every shutter speed, shoot in manual mode, read your camera manual from front to back. Immerse yourself in it. You don’t have to take a class. You ARE the class if you go shoot, review your photos, see what works and what doesn’t, take notes, then reshoot again with what worked until it’s second nature to make adjustments. This applies to any art form. Passion and tenacity are just as important as natural skill.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Sometimes I have too many ideas and too many projects and I find myself with choice paralysis, so overwhelmed by the options that I feel frozen and choose nothing. When I reach this point I do a few things. I make a list. I love lists. They are like the prequel to accomplishing anything and yet still feel productive. But I simply list all the things I need to do, and then I just start with one. It sounds simple and obvious, but often I need the act of writing it down to divide the tasks in my mind. I also love marking off a task. It motivates me to complete another one.
I also go to nature. I think this is just as important for me. If I’m feeling overwhelmed with work, I simply go for a walk outside. The physical activity combined with fresh air, sunshine and mountains refreshes my mind and restores my soul a bit. I think that balance is important and a necessary reset when feeling a bit overwhelmed with responsibilities.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.melissaraestudios.com
- Instagram: @melissaraetravels
- Facebook: Melissa Rae Studios
Image Credits
Melissa Rae Studios
