Meet Molly McKenzie

We recently connected with Molly McKenzie and have shared our conversation below.

Molly, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I keep creativity alive by following what I am enthusiastic about.

I read something a while ago that I felt really made sense and that is the Greek origin of the word “enthusiasm” which means being touched by a divine presence or being moved by the spirit of god. Whatever I am excited about seems to allow me to connect with the child in me and a never ending flow of ideas. It makes the process feel less effortful and more engaging.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with how many things I want to create!

I also think that a good balance of consumption vs. creation helps. If I’m thinking about what other people are creating at the moment, it definitely takes away from my natural eye and steers me toward critiquing my work and comparing. I do like to scroll Pinterest and look through books for inspiration but if I just allow myself to sit around and think or naturally let ideas come to me, I feel like I can understand more of my own style and what I want to create!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a San Diego based creative, born in the Pacific Northwest.

I am more often shooting for brands, couples or new parents but have recently entered the wedding scene focusing on video.

I have always been a sappy and chronically nostalgic person who loves to curate a vibe, a playlist, visit new beautiful spaces or towns, and just keep myself feeling alive and excited.

I remember making music videos as a kid with an iPod touch like it was my job and now here we are!

I am really excited about wedding films at the moment so we will see where that goes! And in the meantime, I’d love to share more of my work with anyone who is looking for photos for their family, to capture their love, their brand or their new baby!!

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?

I am always learning from the people I talk to or looking up new techniques or tips on YouTube!

One thing I’d say with what I know so far is that you can start on any piece of gear, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Then you’ll know if you actually like doing this before you invest in more equipment.

Second, carry extra of everything!!

Third, just shoot as much as possible!! I’ve learned the most from just asking people to shoot with me, doing free work, and just getting outside of my comfort zone.

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?

Take me camping and teach me how to cook.

Cooking gave me the skill of resourcefulness; thinking there’s nothing in the fridge and figuring out how to make a nice meal. To me this is very applicable to life, just make something out of what you have!

Camping taught me how to figure things out for myself, how to be independent and enjoy simple things.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mollyraemedia.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: @mollyraemedia