We were lucky to catch up with Dee Davidson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dee, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I had dreamed of becoming a photographer that traveled the world to amazing tropical places capturing dreamy images, but while I was dreaming about palm trees and pina coladas on the beach I was also simultaneously too terrified to take my brand-new camera out of the box and didn’t know how to take a single photo! As humans we have the magical ability to think one thing and feel the complete opposite.
My confidence and self-esteem were at an all-time low so my little baby soul couldn’t handle the thoughts of trying something new, being absolutely terrible, most likely failing, and having to realize my dream wasn’t possible for me to achieve.
I signed up for an online photography course and during the first 2 weeks my camera sat in the box while I learned what all those weird little buttons and dials did. I finally got brave enough to take my camera out of the box and to my relief it didn’t spontaneously combust into a fireball of doom like I had imagined.
From there I started taking small tactical baby steps every day towards learning photography. Each tiny step out of my comfort zone was filled with massive amounts of fear and anxiety as I was trying to shift from being completely clueless towards someone that looked like they knew what they were doing.
To my surprise the fear and anxiety have never gone away. With taking small actions I just learned to stop letting it hold me back and that is where my confidence and self-esteem have grown. I went from not knowing how to use a camera, to now packing up a truck load of camera gear as I’m heading to Central America this week to capture images for a surf retreat!
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 met Cassie, my photography bestie, and together we launched Naia Creative, a photo and video production for adventurous swim, surf, lifestyle and fashion brands worldwide! The rise of social media, influencer marketing, and online shopping trends has really overhauled the fashion industry. Through Naia Creative we are able to combine forces Avengers style with brands to produce the content strategy and styled images they need in a fast and cost-effective way so they can build and grow their business.
This year we are so excited about the new brand partnerships we have developed to produce shoots in Florida, California, Hawaii, Mexico and a new series of surf retreats throughout Central America!
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?
Early in my journey I focused on cameras, gear, and increasing my technical knowledge. However, when I look back what has helped my business grow the most is having mentors, a supportive community, and listening to my own intuition.
Connecting with great mentors that share insights, advice, and tactics has helped me forge a path through the chaos, and the wind in my sails has been having a community of likeminded friends to turn to for support, encouragement, and inspiration along the way. Combining great mentorship with supportive besties has allowed me to go so much farther faster than I could ever imagine!
Following my creative passions felt a lot like taking a leap into the darkness. I had my own fears and doubts and then those were compounded when people around me questioned what I was doing, and I didn’t have a clear path or process to reference. There were people in my life that thought I was insane for quitting my corporate job, but learning to trust my authentic voice and move in the creative direction that felt right to me is what has allowed me to travel to beachy locations for photoshoots I once dreamed of back when I was stuck at my corporate job.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes! Yes! Yes! I am a very collaborative person by nature and have learned the pure magic (and crazy amounts of fun) happens when you bring other kindhearted talented photo/videographers, content creators, influencers, and brands together!
We are always looking to make new friends that love visual storytelling and creative production for coastal fashion, swim, surf and lifestyle brands! If that sounds like you, then let us know at www.naiacreative.co or at @naia_creative on Instagram.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.naiacreative.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naia_creative
Image Credits
Naia Creative
