Motivation To #Hustle {Southern IL Photographer}

Through my journey of owning a business I have heard the same phrases over and over and over when striving for your goals, so here are my “Motivation to hustle” tips.

Work hard. Be open to new ideas. Create a brand. Work harder.

Where to Start

Are those words enough? I wasn’t sure where to start… so I just kept doing what I was doing; which wasn’t getting me anywhere very fast. So over time, I got a few new followers here and there, a few new opportunities, but nothing exceptional.

I took some time to learn from others that were essentially paving the road before me… The Reset Conference is an AMAZING community of photographers, entrepreneurs, and like minded people that gather together for a weekend of memory gathering, business ideas/tools, encouragement, and fun! Read more about my #resetconfrence2018 experience here 🙂

All of that combined with some great motivation from Rachel Hollis (if you haven’t read Girl Wash Your Face, now is the time to!) has given me a different mindset and a ton of tools that has pushed me forward so much faster!

So where am I going with all of this? Well I want to offer some tips and motivation for your journey- things that I have learned along the way:

Tips:

*Wake up an hour earlier to get stuff done. Don’t think you have the time to accomplish your dreams? Well I just gave you an hour a day to make things happen! I have been working two full time jobs with 2 small kids for far too long for someone to tell me that they just don’t have the time. Oh, and did I mention I also completed my bachelor degree in nursing while pursuing my dream, a full time nursing career and managing the family. You have the time, you are just using it doing other things. Watching TV? Hanging out with friends? Going to the movies? Use your time wisely… it’s not promised, so make it count!

*Motivational Consumption. You have to surround yourself; including your subconscious, with the positivity you need to succeed. If you feel down then listen to a motivational podcast to carry you forward. You are in control of you, so choose your mood! Choose to be happy! Choose to be happy, fulfilled, positive, and be better than yesterday! Choose your you, and choose well!

*Drink more water… let me pause for a moment to go do this myself! Ok, I am back. Drink half your body weight in water every single day. It helps in so many ways. It cleanses your body obviously, but it also allows your body to clear your mind. Think about it like this- the more you drink the more you pee, and all of the bad stuff gets flushed out of your body… you are left with hydration and clarity. It is the same for your mind too! “Clear your mind, and the rest will follow!”

*Write goals down. This is one thing that I struggle with so I am telling you so I can preach it to myself. Rachel Hollis once said (on some sort of social media platform that I follow her on), “your brain doesn’t know the difference between a to do list and reality”. So if you write down “I am a great photographer” over and over while #hustling, you will get there. An example that she gave was that she will fly first class since she travels so much. Guess what… she does fly first class! So write down your To Do Goals list and share them with me. I will share mine with you and we can hold each other accountable! Let’s build an empire together!

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Mother’s Day Mini’s

Mother’s Day Mini Sessions: For moms and her little loves.

 

Us moms are always behind the camera. We are always the ones making sure the kids are smiling, wearing the correct outfits, all the faces are able to be seen in the photo, and that the chocolate is wiped off of the tiny faces. I tell my dad clients all the time “take the photo for her” but it isn’t just “for her” dads… take the photo.

Introducing Mother’s Day Mini Sessions:

Take the photo of mom curled up reading a book to her littles. Take the photo of her teaching them to cook, or how to blow their nose. Take the photo of her sleeping with her arms wrapped around her little loves. Take. The. Photo.

It will mean more to her than she can put into words. Maybe not right away… maybe not next week… But someday she will look back at that photo and see her baby in a whole new light. She will see her babies and be triggered back to the smell of their hair after a bath, and their slobbery kisses <3

I offered Mother’s Day Mini Sessions to help dads “take the photo.” I wanted moms to see their love for their babies in photos that they can keep for a life time! I really wanted to go for a lifestyle type approach. Something that felt like home, even though the sessions weren’t done in their homes.

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I had an amazing turn out for these in door Mother’s Day mini sessions! I am so grateful for these awesome mommas that brought their littles in to see me <3 <3 <3 BUT not only that… that some of these mommas took the time to schedule and do this for themselves! Can I get a HELL YEAH…. GET IT GIRL!!!! DO IT FOR YOU!

When was the last time you can say you did something for YOU on mothers day?

I hope that this time next year you could say you planned a Mother’s Day Mini Session and in return got some awesome photos to cherish forever <3

I know my heart was so full seeing all of the love being shared <3

And the best part about that is… I was able to capture it for these mommas <3

See more of my work here! Don’t forget to follow my adventures <3

 

 

Newborn Fresh48 Session @ SSM Health Mt. Vernon, IL

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I can’t express how much joy it brings me to do Fresh 48 Sessions! This particular Fresh 48 that was done at SSM Health in Mt. Vernon, IL really made my heart sing! Look at big brother, I mean come on! That smile is enough to light up anyones day! He is seriously the absolute sweetest and so in love with his baby sister. This little girl is super lucky!

Capturing a siblings love for their new playmate is the best during a Fresh 48 Session. Not only is mom totally in love with the photos but man I am too! They may not be my kiddos,  but knowing I can bring such joy to a mommas face is about the best!

Capturing the tiny details is one of my other favorite thing during a Fresh 48 session. The tiny toes, the name and birth information… it all means so much in the grand scheme of things, but these are all things that we often times forget about! Oh how time gets away from us so quickly :/

I wish they could stay little for just a little while longer. Or maybe that we didn’t have to work so hard and so long to earn a living to take care of them. Who needs a full time job?!?!? Just kidding… but man I wish I could go back to those days when my babies were so little and I was just so tired from not sleeping at night, and working all day… just so I could soak up every second. Look at me getting all sentimental over here…

I will just leave you with a few more photos from this little ones Fresh 48 session <3

Cole Senior Session

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Meet Cole, a Senior here in Southern Illinois! I met his mom while working in the operating room in Mt. Vernon, Illinois… what a great person she is!
She asked me to take her sons senior photos and of course I said yes!

Cole was also getting ready for his Senior Prom that was to be held the same evening. So we had to get a few shots of him in his tux as well!

 

Did I mention how much it rained the day of his session? Oh not yet? Well… it did. Like, A LOT! It was a challenge to find the right places to take his senior photos without us (and his mom) getting SOAKED… but I accepted the challenge with the thought that I would NOT let him down, and I was excited for the locations I chose and the outcome of his session!

He was killing it with that smile!

He was super excited to add his car into a few shots. The rain actually worked in my favor and made his car super shiny!

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I feel that black and white looks great on almost every guy… for real! This photo was taken at our meeting spot @Rail Coffee Room here in Centralia, IL.

 

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So for this shot, which do you prefer? The COLOR OR BLACK AND WHITE?!?!

Want to learn more about products I offer as a professional photographer? Click Here!

The Journey Begins

The Journey Begins

After attending the 2018 Reset Conference I decided to take a hard look into AshLee Wethington Photography as a business here in Southern Illinois, I have decided the time to blog is now! Let the Journey Begin!

So what better topic to kick off my blogging journey than Reset?

So what is Reset? It is a photography conference that allows photography business owners to come together to learn, grow and Reset their spirit, mind, and business! Everyone is a peer…

Community over competition…

and…

Some really cool props and gear!!!

We are on our way to Reset!
One of my images 🙂
Nicole DeHoff and I
Doug from Twig and Olive along with my friend Kassandra
…props…
2 of my favorite local(ish) people in the business! Lisa Rapp from Little Chics Pics and Natalie from Oh Love Props
I met Megan this year! She was a presenter and my roommate… she really gave me some awesome feedback to push myself in the next few months.
Amy McDaniel from Dewdrops Photography
oooo I can’t wait to use these!
<3 <3 <3
Oh Love Props

It was a truly amazing experience and I am so excited for next year! I already have my ticket 🙂

Want to learn more about The Reset Conference? Click here

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

 

UPDATE:

Shortly after this conference I started working on my business instead of just in my business. Blogging, websites, tax prep, marketing… the whole works. As I am going back though old posts to make things look and work better I thought I would give an update on my journey. In 2019 I attended the Reset conference and made a ton of changes again. I was able to walk away from my full time job as a nurse in administration in Sept 2019 and live my dream of being a full time photographer in Southern Illinois. 

I can now provide for my family as well as teach and mentor others how to do the same. This journey isn’t for the faint at heart. It takes a lot of blood sweat and tears into doing this- but I am truly happy! I hope to one day teach what I know on a much larger scale and reach more people! Did you know that I mentor other newborn photographers? Interested in traveling to me or me traveling to your studio? Let’s chat!

If I can do it so can you!

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