We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cayla Cummings. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cayla below.
Hi Cayla , appreciate you sitting with us today. Maybe we can start with a topic that we care deeply about because it’s something we’ve found really sets folks apart and can make all the difference in whether someone reaches their goals. Self discipline seems to have an outsized impact on how someone’s life plays out and so we’d love to hear about how you developed yours?
Growing up I was actually homeschooled. Or, more specifically, “unschooled.” The theory behind this is, while learning, a child should be given the flexibility to ride the wave of their curiosity on a topic. This meant that I was allowed to study biology for a week and then geography for two months, instead of one hour per subject each day. With this relaxed structure came a sense of personal responsibility for my own time and regulation. Because I wasn’t being told what to do or where to be, I found myself always searching for and creating my own structures for productivity, which is a practice that has followed me into adulthood. Growing up this way fostered a deep sense of self-motivation, love of learning, and room for calculated risk. I find that my self-discipline stems from this part of my childhood
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’m the co-ownder (along with my husband) of Carhart Photography, a Texas-based wedding photography and videography team devoted to producing love stories that will endure for generations. As our business continued to grow over the past few years, we started seeing a push in our industry to be more formulaic in our shooting and exclusive in our portfolio. We understood this practicality in business and the objective of this mindset, but it just wasn’t us. Everyone wants to be known, seen, loved and listened to. I don’t know if we’ve ever met a human being who didn’t appreciate someone caring about who they are and what they’re passionate about. In the early years of our business, we committed to collaboration and inclusivity with our couples, and intentionally caring to get to know them. It changed everything. Having a heart for genuine collaboration in our work has made this journey so much more than how we pay our bills, it’s a huge part of our purpose in life. Not only is our time with our couples a gift to us, but it positively impacts our clients’ wedding day experience.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Great question! I would say these three qualities/skills for me would be communication, self reliance, and empathy. You might be surprised, or maybe not, how hard it can be to find great communicators. This has served us so well in our career and has really helped us stand out–don’t sleep on being a quick with your communication. By self reliance, I mean not waiting for someone to tell you what to do next or give you permission to make a decision. If there’s a craft you want to learn, a market you want to break into, a community you want to serve, you have to be willing to seek out how to do those things or find those people yourself. And empathy is so important. Being able to feel what others are feeling or simply read a room well can be so valuable. While I’ve always been sensitive to others, being an avid reader can really build understanding. I see lots of business books being passed around, but I find the most valuable advice in fiction.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Speaking of being an avid reader, I love a book question. Reading The Defining Decade by Meg Jay was a turning point for me. I read this book when I was 23, while commuting around during a visit to New York City. This book is primarily for people in their 20s, and it’s all about how to use that decade in a more impactful way. It’s essentially told through therapy sessions, and it reshaped how I looked at my 20s.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://carhartphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carhartphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarhartPhotography
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carhartphotography
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carhartphotography
Image Credits
Personal photo: RILEY GLENN PHOTOGRAPHY Relevant wedding photos: CARHART PHOTOGRAPHY
