We recently connected with Alexandra Peterson and have shared our conversation below.
Alexandra, so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever head any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?
I force myself to create constantly. Even if it’s bad. I find that even if I create even when I am unmotivated to or don’t feel like it, I eventually will create something I like which will motivate me to keep doing it. I have been trying to make myself set aside 30 minutes each day to do something creative, and although I am not always consistent, it has helped to make this goal for myself each day.
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 photographer based in Michigan, with a love for nature, all things vintage and abandoned, but most of all, a love for classic cars. I am an aspiring business owner, with a goal to not only provide captivating and interesting wall art, but also a source for those who have automobiles, both classic and new, that they would like to have professionally photographed. I also would love to possibly work for some automotive publication in the future.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
A lot of the best pieces of knowledge I received came from my professors when I was in college for my Associate’s in Photography. The first thing is to network as much as you can, with other photographers and those who may be important to the field you’d like to photograph for. The second thing is to market yourself like you believe you are the best in what you do, even if you don’t believe it because 1. you eventually will and 2. if you exude confidence, people will believe you and will feel better about doing business with you. The final piece is to just be consistent with everything. Consistency post, create, network, etc. The advice I would give to those just starting out is to just try. The worst thing someone can tell you is no. The worst that could happen when you post is no one likes it. All things considered, those are not that bad of things. As long as you are consistently trying, that’s all you can do and you will find your clientele through your continued effort.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
I am currently facing the challenge of putting myself out there and being consistent with my art. It is difficult for me to believe that I am good, and I am constantly comparing myself to other photographers/people my age because I am not where I would like to be in my career yet. This causes me to feel unmotivated to create. I often think about how it would be so much easier to give up and choose a different career path, but I know I would not be happy, and I would feel like I did myself a diservice if I didn’t at least try to create the life I want in the career I want, so that is what I am doing. I often think about what one of my professors said, that sometimes it just takes that one person to buy your art or to see your social media posts for you to really start out, and that thought has really helped me to stay motivated.
Contact Info:
- Website: photosbyaquarius.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/photos.by.aquarius
- Facebook: facebook.com/photosbyaquarius
- Other: [email protected]
- Tiktok: @photos.by.aquarius
Credit:
Alexandra (Photography by Aquarius)
