We recently connected with Kenzie Nesevitch and have shared our conversation below.
Kenzie, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
In November of 2016 my mom suffered a massive stroke that left her severely impaired at the age of 47. I was 19 and had been married for 1 year at the time. As well, I had just found out I was expecting our first child. When my mom had her stroke, I became her voice and advocate since the stroke had taken away her ability to communicate and do things on her own. Over the next 6 years of our lives I truly learned what it meant to be resilient. My mom’s condition was not good, and the hospital suggested we put her in a nursing home as I did not have the means to care for her on my own. She needed around-the-clock care and rehabilitation in hopes to regain her speech and movement. Nursing home after nursing home, I quickly learned that there is such a strong need for quality care here in Oklahoma. Despite everything that had happened to my mom over the following 6 years, every day I when I showed up the light in her eyes sparked. Every day she pushed and pushed to get better.
Before her stroke my mom had experienced many adverse experiences. She was a foster child in an unsafe environment. She had many traumatic events throughout her childhood. She had everything taken from her in the May 3rd, 1999 tornado. Shortly after that she was diagnosed with a brain disease, and it seemed like she could never catch a break from life. But time, after time, after time, she put on a brave face and continued to preach the goodness of God throughout her life.
My mom is who I get my resiliency from. While I can’t say being her voice and advocate throughout the last 6 years of her life was easy, it did come natural to me, as I saw firsthand what true resiliency meant. This event is also what gives me meaning behind being a photographer. When my mom had her stroke I made sure to take as many photos as possible with her and of her and my kids, but I couldn’t help but always wish I had more photos of my mom and I before her stroke. When I think of my mom, I don’t think of her as bedridden, unable to communicate or move. I think of the mom that showed up for my volleyball games, spent her last dime to take us on trips, worked tremendously hard as a single mother to put a safe roof over our heads, and someone who welcomed us with open arms. Being a photographer allows me to give families memories of the now. It lets families freeze time and document those moments that may mean a lot now, but will always grow in value over time.
My mom is my why. My why behind resiliency, and my why behind the drive of being a photographer. I miss her every day, and cannot wait until the day I can see her again in heaven, made whole, and as resilient as ever.
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?
In 2018, I started my career as a photographer. This was originally a hobby, and eventually turned into much more. As well as being a photographer I also began volunteering my time to an Oklahoma Nursing Home Reform Advocacy group in 2018. This group was designed to push for reform in Oklahoma, nursing homes, as most people experience negative impacts from being in nursing homes.
While photography and nursing home reform do not go hand-in-hand, they both help me pursue the common denominator of creating good in this world. Photography allows me to freeze time in families and help them create memories that will last generations upon generations, and nursing home reform advocacy allows me to push for safe and appropriate care, with dignity, for all residents residing and nursing homes. My biggest hope is to create better for someone somewhere, and even if that someone is just one person, that will have made it all worth it for me.
In 2023 I became the president of the nonprofit A Perfect Cause, and I am currently working on expanding the amount of volunteers to be the voice of this group. Without a large voice, it is nearly impossible to invoke change. It is my deepest desire, that Oklahoma be a place where nursing home residence can feel safe and loved throughout their time at a facility. As for photography, I am continuing to take on more and more wonderful clients each year; And while I work in both Oklahoma and surrounding states, I am hoping to expand my reach further by photographing across the U.S. and even across the world.
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?
I believe in practice makes perfect, but I also believe that it’s okay to fail. When I first started photography my photos looked nothing like they do now. With nursing home advocacy, the failure aspect is a lot harder to swallow, but each time we try something new more and more people are being made aware of the dangers of placing their loved ones in a nursing home, as well as the lack of support good staff receive. Another aspect that has given both my business and nonprofit room for growth is humility. No matter how good we are, there are areas we can improve just by humbly accepting that there are things we don’t know, or even things we do know that could be improved on. There is always room to learn… always. It’s what makes bad things good, and good things better,
Lastly, the main thing that creates a successful path is resiliency. Being resilient allows us to make mistakes and pick ourselves up and keep going. Even though we don’t always want to keep going, when we buckle down and push ourselves, I truly believe that’s when the best and most beautiful things are created.
For those of you who are in the early parts of your journey, don’t get discouraged. Practice, practice, practice, be have humility, and no matter how many times you fall down or fail, get back up. Your next try might be your best try!
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal photography client is someone who can go with the flow and have fun! My brand is built on photos that show aspects of relationships without being posed. I do this strictly by having fun and cracking jokes! I do not have a “type” of client I prefer. I believe that if you’re breathing and you want memories that will last a lifetime, you are my client. It doesn’t matter what you look like, how old you are, etc. Everyone deserves memories.
It is, however, I bonus if you love to laugh! As much as I can try and hold back the dad-jokes, I’m bound to crack a few during your session. If you don’t laugh, I’ll accidentally say “tough crowd” which will just make matters worse for me!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kenzieelizabethphoto.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kenzieelizabethphoto
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kenzieelizabethphotography
Image Credits:
Kenzie Elizabeth Photography
