I Never Thought I’d Start My Own Business
I know, I can’t believe I ever thought that either. To learn how I got to where I am today, let’s take a stroll down memory lane…
All my life, I was the girl with the camera. At school dances, sleepovers, vacations…you name it, I had a point-and-shoot in my hand. I still have boxes and boxes of prints from as far back as elementary school. I even have undeveloped rolls of film! So it was no surprise that right out of high school I started taking pictures at Lifetouch inside JC Penney, where I ended up working for 10 years! Meanwhile, I started Northern Kentucky University pursuing my Graphic Design degree. At 18 years old, I thought one day I’d work for a big ad agency, designing campaigns for Fortune 100 clients. But as I got closer to earning by Bachelors of Fine Arts, I thought…maybe working at an agency isn’t for me.
My degree required a few (film) photography classes. And those classes, paired with my part-time job at the portrait studio, is why I fell in love with (cliche alert) making people smile. So after graduation I went to work full-time at the portrait studio doing just that. Eventually, I managed a few studios and even became a District Trainer. I loved Lifetouch! I mean, I got to visit their headquarters in Minneapolis where I saw Lionel Ritchie perform at their annual gala. And anyone who knows me, knows how much I love Lionel! Perhaps one of the best perks of working for Lifetouch was meeting one of my best friends. And I know you all love Jody, too!
Fast forward a few years, I found out I was expecting not one baby, but TWO! I had it all planned out — how many weeks maternity leave I was taking, my return-to-work date, etc. But at 22 weeks, I was forced to go on bedrest, which meant leaving the career (if only temporarily) that I loved. Undeterred, I still planned to return to work after my twins were born…but I wasn’t prepared for how my body reacted to having twins. I’ll save all the details for another post, but postpartum preeclampsia is real.
After the birth of my twins, I tried to return to Lifetouch on a part-time basis, but my health and the constant demands of preemies (who weighed 9 pounds combined!) rerouted my plans. Again, I stepped away from a job and company I loved to focus on my health and family. Once I was on the up and up, I started photographing the twins at home, experimenting with natural and studio light, baby posers, backdrops and more. Several friends had babies around the same time I had the twins, so I started photographing their babies, too. And before I knew it, I had friends of friends reaching out to book photo shoots. I fell right back into doing what I loved, on my schedule the twins’ schedule, and back into something that brought me so much joy!
The next 10 years were filled with unimaginable growth, unwavering support…and unbelievable clients! Looking back, it’s clear I was destined to own my own photography business. It just took years of learning, growing, amazing clients like you…and a few unexpected turns to get me here.
— Alicia
