Meet MiKayla Norris

We recently connected with MiKayla Norris and have shared our conversation below.

Hi MiKayla, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

In July of 2022, I gave birth to twins in Nashville, Tennessee not knowing that our world was about to change forever. We were there for a 3rd opinion on our son’s heart and quickly got a diagnosis that left a lot of uncertainty. Nash was born with not only a failing heart but a rare disease in his brain called Vein of Galen Malformation. Though his prognosis was grim, we fought along side of him for 31 days before he gave up his fight (which is a total miracle, because he was only given 30 minutes to live at birth). While in the NICU I began sharing our story with our friends and family on Facebook, which then took off and brought thousand of people along with us on our journey. As time went on after his passing, I continued sharing about his rare malformation, grief and what our faith looked like in Jesus after such a loss. Those few thousands of people went from thousands to millions in just a few short months. We were featured in Nashville’s most inspiring stories by Nashville Voyage, in a best selling children’s book about infant loss, have helped several other families around the world with infant loss by VOGM and built a community of mothers who feel the pain of missing their child. Our story was seen by Christian artist Cory Asbury and then later Brandon and Brittany Lake. Brandon Lake found my husband and I in a crowd at his concert and told our + Nash’s story to 13k other believers. It was so special and dear to our hearts, to be able to have such an influence tell our story to so many others who lifted us in prayer. We truly felt the love of God and like our purpose was given a nod from above that we were doing the right thing by continuing Nash’s legacy and voice. It has been a soul searching, deeply rooted in faith journey to find what my purpose is. I am now certain that it is to help others around the world, in our community, through social media in general – to spread the gospel and what grief is truly like. Our story has been told over the last 2 years and I do not see it stopping anytime soon, I am so incredibly proud to be Nash’s mother and to have the strength to help others through his name and God’s glory. I then began my business, Wilder Photo Co. with everyone in a way that I can share others stories as well. I love being able to connect with families and save little blips of time for them, it gives me a way to give back to people in a different perspective because I feel as if I know how special the little moments are because of Nash. I specialize in destination, elopement, wedding and family photography but I also offer bereavement photography to families who want to capture their last moments with their infants or children who are or have already passed. Though that is something I never wish for any family to endure, if it is part of their story – I want to be able to to hold that for them like so many others have for me in my grief journey. This is my purpose, to tell our story and yours too so that we can feel connected for years to come.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I had previously been a photographer before my pregnancy with the twins and had to pause what I loved doing for obvious reasons. So when I got to the point of this grief journey that I felt confident in myself and what my purpose was, I knew that opening my photography business again would be an amazing way to not only incorporate our story and Nash’s legacy, but, to share other peoples journey through life as well. I want people to feel seen, known, and loved through this gift called photography. I aim to do everything with grace and treat every single client as a friend and equal. God’s creation so utterly breathtaking and the fact that I get to capture it astounds me. He is my BIGGEST inspiration, drive in life, & passion. My relationship with God is of the most importance and has really grown me in how I view the world.

The moments given to us in our lives hold valuable stories and feelings. My goal is to document your stories so you remember what your love feels like in whatever season of life. To me, your stories are so valuable and you deserve for them to be documented in a way that is timeless and everlasting.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

For me, it was surrendering the idea of what I thought life would be like and how I thought it should go. I believe when I stopped trying to make everything “this way” or “that way” and just let it be I not only found myself but my purpose too. I think it’s important to give yourself grace as you’re learning about yourself, business or even the people around you that influence your decisions. Life has a funny way of showing you where you are meant to be and sometimes the road to that is hard, its blood, sweat and tears. It’s not always easy, it’s actually far from that. My core values that have gotten me here are faith, connection and creative exploration.

How would you describe your ideal client?

I am abundantly grateful for Jesus’ direction and gifting me a passion based around documenting stories filled with love.I truly cannot imagine my day to day life without art, purpose, or the experiences I’ve had including the heartbreak of losing my son. My ideal client is definitely those who allow me to be me, to create a space for them to be themselves. I pride myself in the intimate moments and ways that make a family just that, a family. Whether you are getting married, growing your family, facing loss I am dedicated to telling your story just how it is. I focus on the unposed and authentic imagery, the ones that you can look back on and feel. I think of my clients as true friends and appreciate the trust that goes into having me save these moments for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wilderphotoco4.wixsite.com/mysite
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikaylaknorris/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556980411517

Image Credits

Photos 1-3 are credited to me, 4th photo credited to Brandon Lake team.