Speaker 1: 0:00

Especially, like you know, something I mean a big thing that we all, I think, worry about too much is finding clients and finding new clients. That was something I think for a very long time dictated my own anxiety with my business was I was just so heavily focused on finding clients. But then I was realizing, I'm like, with how anxious I'm feeling I'm going to attract the wrong client.

Speaker 2: 0:21

Welcome to Tried and True with a dash of woo, where we blend rock solid tips with a little bit of magic. I'm Renee Bowen, your host, life and business coach and professional photographer at your service. We are all about getting creative, diving into your business and playing with manifestation over here. So are you ready to get inspired and have some fun? Let's dive in. Hey, hey, welcome back to Tried and True with a Dash of Woo. I'm Renee, your host, and today I have another photographer and she's also a coach here on the podcast with me, and she's also a Virgo, so we have so much in common.

Speaker 2: 0:59

You guys are going to really love this conversation because we are going into strategy and woo, which is my favorite stuff to talk about, but she's also a phenomenal photographer. So, first of all, her name is Haley Fisk and she's a product and beauty photographer based in LA. She is deeply committed to producing strategic and scroll stopping imagery that highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion of authentic beauty standards for every skin type. I'm telling you, her work is amazing and she's also a business mindset coach, and she founded the Anxious Photog, where she helps aspiring and established photographers to grow in their careers. So we talk about everything from building your brand in a very strong and intentional way to how to release limiting beliefs and how to step more into your flow and your divine feminine, so that you can receive the abundance that the universe has for you, and some strategies on how to do all of those things.

Speaker 2: 2:00

So I really love this conversation with Haley. I loved meeting her. We're definitely going to have to hang out in person soon because we do have so much in common. So, without further ado, let's dive into this awesome conversation with Haley Fisk. Haley, welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm really excited about this conversation today.

Speaker 1: 2:20

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I am also very, very excited today.

Speaker 2: 2:25

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I am also very, very excited, yay, okay, so you and I are very aligned, but I do want to start off because you have such a phenomenal brand, like what you do. Your work is amazing and I feel like a lot of the photographers who probably follow me here may not really understand all that goes into what you do right, because a lot of us are portrait photographers and it's a little bit different. And I'd love to just kind of start us off talking about how to like really ensure that your brand stands out. You know, and some of these, I guess, unique aspects of what you do, maybe your approach to branding how do you feel like that has helped you differentiate yourself and your brand in a pretty saturated market where you are in LA, like?

Speaker 1: 3:11

me Totally. Yeah, I know I love that question. Branding, I think, is something that many photographers not that they don't think about it, but I think in their mind they think of branding as, like, what type of photographer am I? And it's like, yes, that's part of it. We need to know what niche you are, but also, like, what separates you from all the other photographers in that niche. So I think it was like a few years ago or probably right around the time I started my actual LLC in about 2019, I really started to think about those things Like, yes, I'm a commercial photographer, yes, I do product and beauty, but what else? Because, like you said, in LA especially and any major city, it's a very oversaturated market. So you have hundreds, probably thousands, of photographers who offer the same thing that I do.

Speaker 1: 3:59

So, for me, when it comes to branding, I think what really helped me to differentiate myself was to really kind of get back in tune with what are my core values, with why I do what I do, and for me, I always get told that my beauty portfolio specifically showcases a lot of diversity, which I never really you know prior to being told that I didn't really think about it, because I just naturally have always loved everybody and working with people of all shapes, colors, everything, so that was something that really clued me in.

Speaker 1: 4:33

I'm like, wow, if people are noticing this this is something I can absolutely emphasize with my branding is that I love showcasing diversity and inclusivity of all skin types, all shapes and sizes. You know, color everything, male, female, I, you know, I've done beauty shoots with men as well, so that's something that once I really nailed that down with my branding, that that is what separates me, at least from other photographers in my area. That's, I think, what has helped me to really land a lot of the brands I work with now, because a lot of the brands I work with now are skincare brands that are catered to women or men of all ages and different skin types, and I think for me that is so important that I work with brands that also have that core value, because that's when the magic really does happen on a shoot is when we're all there not just to make some pretty photos, but we're all there to showcase the same value that we all have.

Speaker 2: 5:33

Yeah, that's huge and that's such a great point. So a few great points that you mentioned there. That alignment can only really happen when you are speaking so authentically from your purpose, and that's something that I talk about a lot as well. I think that a lot of people sort of skim over that, I feel like, or maybe, like you said, they don't really understand how deeply important highlighting what your messaging is about and your messaging really has to come from your why, like your purpose. And I don't know if you've done this, like when you sort of like dug into that and again, like you used which is such a great reminder, you used some feedback that you were already getting to sort of draw upon that Because, like I always say that, like our audience really kind of has the answers for us. We have to listen and we have to like pay attention to what we're actually being told. So that's a really big part of it, cause a lot of people were like I don't really know. Okay, yes, you do, you probably have been told, let's go back and look at some of that.

Speaker 2: 6:37

So I love how you mentioned that, but also your process. I want to kind of like go into just a little bit too, of sort of like defining or uncovering or like really sort of refining that purpose and messaging For me I always talk about. I love Simon Sinek. I think Simon Sinek and Find your why is like such a great tool because he always talks about how people you know they're not going to buy what you do. They buy why you do it. So when you speak from that why you speak from that purpose and you express it through your work and everything you do, it has such a greater impact. What were some of the things that you did in that process of, like you know, building that messaging, if you will, and that that maybe you felt were impactful?

Speaker 1: 7:27

Yeah. So I think when I was kind of trying to lay out how I was going to pull my messaging and branding all together, a lot of it was just kind of doing a lot of writing and a lot of concepting, because even aside from my core values, I also had to really ask myself you know what about me as a photographer also separates me? And that's when I just would write a list down like what are my strengths? Okay, my strengths are I can. I'm very commanding on a set. I'm able to keep everybody comfortable. I make sure respect is of the most importance. I'm very I do quick, speed and quality I do very well. I'm very good at, you know, changing priorities. So all these things that I just made a list of, like here's all the things that really set me apart. But then, when it came to my branding, I think you know I did play more into the core value and kind of reworked like because obviously with branding, you want it to match across your website, your socials, you want it to look very cohesive across all those areas, but you don't want to just copy and paste the same thing into each. You know bio. So I think my goal was like I want to keep it short and sweet. I want to highlight what my values are. I also want to, like, name a few clients that I work with that are notable, and I also want to make sure that future clients know that I can work with anyone from anywhere.

Speaker 1: 8:48

So I think a lot of it in the beginning was just I'm a writer, I'm also a like, I love journaling. So I think that for me, writing was really important and just kind of like when I wrote everything down and was able to piece it all together and really take that time and kind of rework it and have some photographer friends, peer check it and give me their feedback. That, I think, is really what my process was. And then, once I really had that branding nailed down, that's when I switched gears and looked at my portfolio and reworked a lot of it with the help of my agent and my business coach I work with. The three of us just really tackled it and reworked it to where not you know. You don't have to look at my bio to understand what my branding is. You can see it in my work, in my website, like in, and I try to. Again, I try to make sure that, whether it's the colors, the type, the branding and the messaging. It has to be cohesive across all social media and website.

Speaker 2: 9:43

Yeah, that's a really big piece of it as well, and it's hard to be that cohesive, you know, brand and message, when you feel disjointed. So, going back to all of that, and I love that advice of writing it down, so, even if you're not a writer, I think that's really powerful Because you know they've done all this research of like okay, yes, there's a lot of stuff that happens between here and actually writing it physically as well. Like there's a difference between typing it and writing it out physically. And I don't think enough photographers, um, really double down on. Yeah, okay, what are my strengths here? Like what am I really good at? What have I been told, like we were talking about before, but also, what do I know I'm capable of? Like I know I can get this done in like 30 minutes. Like, yeah, we're going to pad in maybe an hour and a half or whatever. But like, maybe you're fast, maybe you are, like you said, commanding on set. Like really dig into all of those little different pieces of all that you do so that you can then communicate it.

Speaker 2: 10:40

So, and then getting that feedback, like you said, from your coach and your agent, other people that's a really important part too, because it's really hard to do that alone in a vacuum, which you know you're a coach as well. So you, you understand that from both sides as well. But I want to also kind of touch on because I know, that we have a lot of the same sort of maybe not processes, but maybe but also beliefs as far as that mindset piece of it right. So for me, you know, I sort of fell into coaching photographers because people were coming to me for like business coaching, like oh, how do you do what you do? Right, and that was sort of easy for me to express.

Speaker 2: 11:24

But it was very, you know, from the, from the get-go, I saw very quickly that it doesn't matter if I tell you my exact process. If you are not going to get out of your own way and take action and really rewire some of that stuff, it ain't gonna matter. So I was that sort of like your foray into coaching as well. How did you decide that was something you also wanted to do?

Speaker 1: 11:52

Yeah, no, and a hundred percent.

Speaker 1: 11:55

That was I will.

Speaker 1: 11:56

I will say, like a big reason why I wanted to kind of like create a coaching container, working with photographers is I would be on set and I would be talking with you know, other creatives, and sometimes I'd have another photographer with me doing a different component of the shoot and we would just be very candid about, you know, especially with mental health being discussed much more openly.

Speaker 1: 12:18

I think we all have started because I don't know if it's like the, if it's, if it has been like this for you and your side of the industry, but for many, many years it was so taboo to talk about mental health and you know, as a photographer you literally had to look like a just a force to be reckoned with all the time, like a wall of no emotion. So I think, with mental health being talked about more openly, it kind of gave me permission to talk about my own mental health openly and once I started to kind of just naturally open up about it with certain people, they were opening up about it and talking to other photographers, I just learned like a lot of the same limiting beliefs that I had and a lot of the anxieties that I carried were so similar to other photographers that I was speaking with, but I really you know there wasn't a lot of community around supporting each other with that Because, again, there's still a little.

Speaker 1: 13:08

I think a lot of photographers are cautious to share too much because they worry it comes off as weakness as opposed to it being a strength, and I think that's where I was like Okay, I think there's something here that I can do with coaching, because you know, I've been, I've dealt with anxiety my whole life, so I'm very attuned to it and what you know how I can for me, I've learned to take my anxiety and, rather than it feeling like this big weakness and this big elephant in the room, it is something now that I own and I'm like it is a part of me and I listened to it and I'm curious about it.

Speaker 1: 13:42

But I wouldn't have gotten there without a community of people supporting me on that journey and I'm like why couldn't I do that for other photographers? And that's where I think the coaching that I like doing is very mindset driven. Like what you said earlier was very spot on. You can tell a photographer you need to do this and this and this and this with your business, but if they're so disconnected with feeling good, they're not going to do it.

Speaker 1: 14:09

Or if they do, it any action they take is going to be clouded with that scarcity, so it's probably not going to be the best it could be If they're rebranding, but they're all stressed about well, what is my brand? And then, comparing themselves to other photographers, your branding is not going to be a true extension of yourself then, because you're too muddied up by everything else around you. But that is something and I don't know if you've noticed this too, but I have noticed when I do work with photographers, they're almost sometimes taken aback by that component. When I ask them well, how are you feeling, though, do you feel good when you're doing it, and they'll like almost laugh, and they're like, uh, like they've never thought of that, they didn't. They're like oh, I don't, I don't know how I'm feeling, and it's like I mean, if you don't feel good, then we should start there.

Speaker 2: 15:06

You know, I do have some people who come to me. We get on a call, you're chatting about their business and I'll ask them things like that. Well, you know, how do you feel on the daily? Like where are you in your personal life, right, Like what's going on there? And they're like what do you mean? Well, your business is like when you are this solopreneur, you know, for all intents and purposes, like we do. So we wear so many hats and we have to do so many things in the business and, yeah, we might have a VA or, you know, an editor or somebody helping us, whatever, but, like, at the end of the day, the business is us and that is why I feel like a lot of us do what you were talking about before.

Speaker 2: 15:42

We feel like we have to put on this facade, we have to, like you know, fake the perfection, and for many, many years, that's what we were actually told that we needed to do. Like, you're right about that. Like don't talk about what's really going on under the surface. You have to come off professional all the time, 24, seven, blah, blah, blah. And in the last handful of years, mostly due to social media and just lots of different things and the world's changing. We are being told something completely different now and there is so much value in that vulnerability and in the authenticity that comes from it. But most of us, especially those of us a little bit older because I'm like, I'm Jet X, a little bit older I feel like millennials. I think you're a millennial or maybe late Gen Z, but like you guys have a lot better handle on that in a lot of ways, because you know it was a little bit more acceptable, I guess, right, like, so it is sort of like a generational thing, and now, like Gen Zers, are like no, I'm just going to tell you all day, every day, about my issues and it's fine and I love that. But it has been a learning curve for so many people, especially those of us who have been in the professional space for a while and trying to come off, as you know, the pro, and so I want to talk a little bit about that, that process.

Speaker 2: 17:01

It's one of the reasons why I love the name of your brand, your other brand, the Anxious Photog, because I too have dealt with anxiety my entire life, like as a child, as a teenager, like I. You know they thought I had colon cancer, basically when I was 16, because I could not, like I had so many issues with my stomach. No, it was literally anxiety and it was, you know, because it was the eighties they were like, oh, you're fine, like there was literally nothing that they that I could do for that. And it wasn't until I was well into probably my late twenties, almost like early thirties, having kids, that I realized I've got to actually do something about this so I can feel better.

Speaker 2: 17:48

Because if I'm not feeling good, like you were saying before, if we don't feel good, people don't get that you don't feel good. Your vibration is literally not going to give you anything back, because the universe is just a mirror. It's going to give you back whatever you are emitting. So your vibration that you're offering matters, and it's not about just being like, oh, spiritually bypassing, like I'm going to fake it. No, I mean like really feeling good. And so what are some of the things that you like to, you know, do, either in your coaching or with yourself, to ensure that you are operating from that place of not only authenticity, but you feel good doing it, so that you are offering the kind of vibration you want. So there you can manifest the clients and the business that you want.

Speaker 1: 18:39

Totally Well for me specifically. I mean, like you, I've had anxiety. I wasn't diagnosed till I was about 18, but I've had it since I was a kid. I think I had my first panic attack when I was like eight and didn't know that that's what it was. But so because of that, I'm 35 now.

Speaker 1: 18:57

I've had, and I've I've been through many, a lot of therapy to like learn what is going on with my body when it's because for me it's, it's a lot of it is the physical, um, like my I know now if I feel a tightness in my chest or my shoulders up, there's okay, there's something going on that's triggering my anxiety. And what I'll try and do is I'll stop what I'm doing, like if I'm shooting, if I'm editing, I will stop. I'll take a step back, I'll take a good four to five really deep breaths and just kind of sit for a second and like have that inner conversation with myself and say what's going on? What, what, what is it? Is it like something else I'm thinking about? Is it a bill I'm thinking about? Like, what is it? And by giving myself that like I, by holding that space for myself that lets me kind of have a moment, and sometimes I'll grab my journal and I have a section called the worry, like my worry brain dump section, and I'll just go, I'll just start writing and some of the stuff that I'll see, I'm like, oh okay, like I don't know why my brain's going there, but it is. So let's, you know, let's unpack that and I'll, you know, sit with it, write things down, kind of talk myself through it, and that is what helps me kind of recenter myself, because I've I've addressed the issue, I've not shamed myself for feeling the anxiety.

Speaker 1: 20:12

I've allowed myself to express it, to name it, and then, a lot of the time, the anxiety I'm feeling is just something that, if I kind of reframe it into an affirmation, it helps me feel better, especially, like you know, something, I mean a big thing that we all, I think, worry about too much is finding clients and finding new clients. That was something I think for a very long time dictated my own anxiety with my business was. I was just so heavily focused on finding clients but then I was realizing, I'm like, with how anxious I'm feeling I'm going to attract the wrong client. So it is hard. It's kind of like a double-edged sword because it's like obviously trying to find clients and we deal with getting ghosted. We deal with difficult clients. We deal with clients devaluing us and saying our pricing is too high, or what have you clients? We deal with clients devaluing us and saying our pricing is too high or what have you. So it is.

Speaker 1: 21:08

There's a lot of anxiety, there's a lot of stress with it, but if you can kind of take that and, as best you can like, sit with, sit with the discomfort, but reframe something like that into you know, yes, right now I'm not, you know they're, the clients aren't coming. But if I can look back at my branding or my portfolio or maybe I'll do a couple new test shoots, the clients that I want to attract will come. And you have to really believe that conviction. And if you're struggling to believe that, well then that's where you have to go back and really unpack the limiting beliefs that are making it hard for you to believe that good and abundance is coming your way.

Speaker 1: 21:41

So, going to working with my photo clients, that is something that I have to kind of routinely bring them back to Like if I hear them talking about a problem, I have to kind of be like okay, I want you to take a step or sit back for a second.

Speaker 1: 21:54

Let's get your body back down to like a calm place. You know, let's calm down the nervous system and then let's unpack this Like you know, especially something like oh, I reached out to a client, we connected and now they ghosted me and I'm really upset and it's like OK, let's take some deep breaths and, you know, get get down to like what is really getting you so anxious about that? Because then the limiting beliefs are coming up as it makes me feel like I'm not worthy enough, it makes me feel like I'm not as good as other photographers Like. And those are the components that we need to really target, because if you feel good about all those things that client ghosting you, you'll be able to just let it go. It'll be like oh, you know what that client's not for me. I don't want to work with clients that ghost, but it's hard to get there if you don't feel good, you know.

Speaker 2: 22:42

Yeah, no for sure. And yeah, you're right. You hit like on a very important piece of this, which is that, um, that scarcity, right, like whenever, and a lot of photographers I don't know if you've seen this, but I imagine you probably have a lot of photographers, creatives in general uh, have a really difficult relationship with money, with asking for the sale, with standing in the confidence of you know, I am worthy, like the worthiness aspect of it, because, as humans, we tend to equate worthiness with money. It's just what we do, and so, even if we have a limiting belief around not feeling worthy enough from something from our childhood that has nothing to do with money per se, we're definitely going to equate it to money now, because it's how we are valuing ourselves and our work.

Speaker 2: 23:40

And if someone doesn't feel like we are worthy enough to pay our prices, then it's like a hit to that, it's like a direct, like stab, you know, right to the heart of that and it's like, see, I told you, it's like that unconscious programming just pops right up and it's like I told you you weren't worthy enough. See what I said, you know, and it's like that inner saboteur voice that is literally just our unconscious trying to keep us safe, and so many people just tend to run from that. So I love that you touched upon. Let's sit with that first right, acknowledging it, especially those of us with anxiety, that's one of the most powerful things I think you can do. That I didn't learn until you know much later in my life, through therapy and lots of self-discovery as well is looking at it, not running from it, because the more you run from it, the bigger and scarier and nastier it gets.

Speaker 1: 24:35

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 24:36

Yep, and you know, turning around facing it and saying, all right, that's happening. You know, like, so that's a thing. I'm not really sure where this is coming from, but let's sit with this discomfort for a second, because sitting in the discomfort isn't something that most of us want to do, but when you do that, you take the power back, you become empowered. So I love that. That's definitely a strategy that you find useful too. I think that it's probably the best thing you can do, and then from there, you can work through that. Okay, well, what's that about? Right? And then regulating that nervous system, and there's so many different ways to do that. But if you're not regulated, it's just like we were talking about before. I can tell you all the strategies. It's not going to stick, and I want and I know you do too I want my clients, my coaching clients, to actually be successful and to have those strategies in place. But it ain't going to work. And that's why I do the kind of coaching I do and why you do the kind of coaching you do, is it's like it's not just strategy. You know that doesn't work for most of the people in my communities, and so I'm I'm looking at that whole person a little bit more as well. So, um, really really good tips there.

Speaker 2: 25:52

I want to touch on a little bit of the vibration. I want to kind of like dive into a little bit of the woo, if you will, because, um, obviously not just because this is my podcast, but also, you know, it's like it's part of this, it really is part of this. It's like we touched on it just a little bit before. But, like, what kind of vibration are you offering? You're going to find proof of whatever you're looking for. It's going to show up in your life if you have clients who are consistently showing up, either ghosting you or, you know, nickel and diming you or asking you to lower your prices. That's a direct reflection, I believe, of what's still being called to attention inside of us, like, oh, that's coming up for a reason, like there's something there 'm. I still have some work to do on that. And it's not about beating yourself up about it, it's about recognizing it and saying, okay, there's still some work to do. So how can I offer a better, you know vibration, that one more that's going to be more ideal, but also come from that place of feeling really good and confident in not just my abilities, but who I am as a person, a human on this planet. So this whole idea of surrendering right, we can talk a lot about manifestation and how doing all the things that we were just talking about is part of that process of manifesting this better life or, if you want, better or more right in your business or life. But then there's this piece of it at the end that a lot of people either don't do or they sort of like don't know about or maybe just gloss over. It's that surrendering part about being in flow, surrendering part about being in flow. So I want to ask you, what does that look like for you? How does that show up for you?

Speaker 1: 27:51

And also, like how do you coach people through that part of it as well? Yeah, no, I love talking about this Because it is something that I think. When people hear the word surrender, I think they think of it as like well, does that mean that I just sit back and do nothing? Like that feels lazy, like how is anything going to get done if I'm just sitting back and not doing anything? But I think when I truly learned what surrendering meant, it actually was about a year ago, when I kind of learned what that actually meant for me, because I've always been the type of person where I'm a go-getter and I've always really, I think, leaned more into the divine masculine when it comes to my business, which is that go, go, go, go. And I really only recently learned that like, oh, I should also try to tap into that divine feminine, which is more of the like how do you feel? How? How was this? You know, does this feel good, does it not?

Speaker 1: 28:42

And I think about a year ago, my business was doing really well, but I was just very overwhelmed where I felt like my schedule was either jam packed, where I'm literally working every day for a month straight, or I wouldn't really know what was coming the next month, even though the work always came, and that was something that I really battled with was like the work is always coming, so why am I getting so like just freaked out by you know, by the back end, and also I mean being a photographer and owning your own business. That's the nature of the game. Some months might be crazy busy. Other months, like the summer months, typically tend to be slower, and rather than looking at that as a direct reflection of yourself and being like, oh, why me? Why am I not getting work? Why am I slow? Why it's like, instead of kind of going into this mode I don't want to say pity, because I mean we all deserve a pity party every so often, but I think, rather than going into that, that's where I really learned like you know what I am doing, everything I can be doing right now, and that is within my control. So now I just need to let go of the how and the when, or, as far as like the how and the when of when are these things that I want for myself? When are they coming? How are they coming?

Speaker 1: 30:01

When I kind of learned that surrendering meant letting that go, that's when I really started to enjoy what I'm doing and feel good about what I'm doing, and that's something that I think is really hard to get people to understand. It's like, yeah, still take aligned action if it feels good and if your vibration is aligned with it. But I think that's where it you know it is so important to surrender when you can recognize that you are not in alignment vibrationally with the actions that you're taking. Cause, like we were saying earlier, you, you know, if I look at my website and I'm like, oh, I need to completely redo it and update it, well, if I'm coming at that from a mindset of stress and looking at other photographers websites and getting all clouded on what I actually want to put in there, well then the website's going to be a mess because it's not going to be anything that's aligned with what I'm feeling. Well, it it'll be aligned with me not feeling good, so it's going to look crazy. Um, so I think, yeah, it was.

Speaker 1: 30:58

That's something that I really, for me, try to practice as often as I can is, when I feel myself getting that like anxious, like go, go, go, go go, I do try to like slow myself back down and remind myself that, like you know all the good things that I'm working toward. They're, they're coming and I think that's the big thing too that is a challenge with surrendering is you have to tap into. Do I believe that these things are coming? Do Do I truly believe that the thing you know more money, better clients, the freedom of you know with my schedule do I truly believe that's on its way? Or is there a part of me that is doubting it? And that's where I think it's just always kind of like a checking in with yourself of like cause. If you're doubting it, then you're not going to attract it. You're going to.

Speaker 1: 31:42

You know, I don't like, I don't, I don't like saying with manifesting that like, if you're, you know, if you're, if you're thinking negatively, you're going to write more negativity. I don't think of manifesting in that way, but I do think that you're, you're not allowing the universe to bring you anything good If different downloads to help and you couldn't see it because you're so clouded by whatever it is, whatever limiting belief it is. But when you surrender and you truly kind of are just like, you know what I'm going to do, what I can right now, and I'm going to surrender the how these things are going to come to me and when they're going to come, because I'm just going to believe and trust the universe that I'm declaring what I want and I believe that they're going to send it my way.

Speaker 2: 32:28

Yeah, no so many good points. I mean, first of all, do you know your human design? Are you a generator?

Speaker 1: 32:35

I'm a manifesting generator. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 32:39

Yeah, so I'm a generator and yeah, many gens and generators. Definitely I feel like those of us, especially with that energy type, we have our first go-to when we're like, oh, the business isn't coming in or whatever. It's like what can I do? What can I do, how can I do more, and I feel like that's just kind of a lot like everyone's sort of like go-to is like cause, that's kind of how we're programmed right In society, like okay, the bookings aren't necessarily coming in right now, or, like you said, it's a slow month, even though you know it's going to be a slow month, and you know, whatever there still pops in, oh well, you know, obviously you go to like the worst case scenario and then you go into I have to do more, I have to actually do more and get into this masculine energy to like make it happen.

Speaker 2: 33:29

But most often it's quite the opposite that actually works for us Because, you're right, we can't receive if we're not in receiving mode. Like, if we're always in the doing mode and we're always like go, go, go, we're closed off to that receiving part which is the feminine and the flow. And you know, those some of us have more than others, like that's what our um, our baseline is, but it's important to know, I feel like, where we are in that moment, because it is it's really hard to to get what you want and to manifest what you want If you're always kind of coming from this place of pushing and doing and, you know, making it happen and aggressiveness, and it's like, yeah, okay, action takers are moneymakers. I get that. However, I can still take action, you know, by receiving I can open myself up to what the universe has in store for me, and so I love, I love that. You know, we're kind of diving into that a little bit, because I feel like that's a piece that a lot of people have a hard time with.

Speaker 2: 34:37

So how do you? What are some of the things? I know we talked about breathing and some journaling. Those are probably big go-tos for you. What are some some good ways that you try and focus more on getting into flow, especially like during maybe a session, right, when you have to be the one in control. But then, you know, are you sort of like kind of by the book as far as like we have a shot list and this is what I'm going to do, or do you find yourself being a little bit more like in flow during a session, cause I feel like that is such a big part of what we do and we can definitely um, I feel like it's just really it's really interesting to hear how other people navigate that.

Speaker 1: 35:23

So I'm. I'm also a Virgo, which means I'm.

Speaker 2: 35:26

Oh, me too.

Speaker 1: 35:28

Hello I love.

Speaker 2: 35:29

That explains the anxiety I was just going to say.

Speaker 1: 35:32

That explains so much I also. I love meeting other Virgos. I feel like I get along with every Virgo. I've I've never met every Virgo. I've never met a Virgo.

Speaker 2: 35:40

I don't like so.

Speaker 1: 35:43

But so before each shoot, I my pre-production process is very like in depth, like I probably have a good one to two creative calls with the client before the shoot. And the first call is like a meet and greet, like hi, this is me, this is who you're going to be working with on the shoot day, just so they can kind of hear my voice, see my face and we can talk about like the initial parameters for the shoot, like what you know. They. They'll normally tell me about the product, how the product's selling, like sell, ask those questions to like um, what marketing has been successful for you so far? And um, just really getting to know the product that are the product we're going to be shooting. And then, typically, the second call is when they'll have like a concrete shot list for me, cause that is something I do ask for my clients, um, because that's for me, what I need in order to at least have like a idea of a run of show for the day of the shoot, um is having like a good shot list of like these are all their wishlist items. Um, and what's helpful with that, with doing these pre-production calls, is they can send me a shot list and I can tell them right out the gate if it's doable or not in one day, two days, whatever. And I would say like initially, like that would cause me anxiety because I'm like, are they gonna believe me if I tell them we can't do 60 shots in one day? But then I kind of, after a while, I'm just like, well, they should believe me because I'm the one doing it and I'm the expert here. So if they don't believe me, again it goes. All goes back to it's just a client I want to be working with. They probably won't be a client of mine for much longer. That's their attitude, that they're not going to listen to the expert.

Speaker 1: 37:14

Um, but so typically, like, once we have that shot list and we understand what the shoot day is going to look like, when I come to set, when I'm like, if I'm driving there or even cause I shoot a lot from home, before I walk into my studio or before I go to set, I'll sit in my car or I'll sit outside my studio and just close my eyes and do visualization and I visualize myself, um, like, I'll give them both examples. So when I go into my studio, before I walk in there, I'll stand outside the door, I'll close my eyes and I visualize myself just creating and making just amazing images and I visualize what do I look like. And I visualize myself with a big smile on my face and just having fun with it. And I also visualize that once I walk into this room I'm going to walk through like a veil of just wonderful, golden, bright light of creativity. And once I walk through that I'm good to go. And it works every single time, like even the mornings I wake up and I'm like, oh, I'd rather take the day off. It's like, if I can do that visualization exercise, I just feel so. It's, I feel so much better.

Speaker 1: 38:20

And same thing going to set, because going to set obviously you're working with a lot more people, so there's a lot more stimulation going on. But I'll do the same visualization technique. I just visualize myself, you know, going around set, making sure everyone's feeling good and doing well. I visualize myself delegating and just owning the set and by doing that I'm kind of like visualizing my most confident self, so that when I walk into the room I feel that way. So for me, visualization is very, very powerful.

Speaker 1: 38:50

I actually love and I love doing visualization exercises with my coaching clients as well, because, you know, I think I think we forget that, like, sometimes, what you visual, I think I think we forget that, like sometimes, what you visualize, I think well, I think it was Michael Jordan, maybe, or there was some some famous sports player where they do the same thing. They visualize themselves winning, and my dad, growing up, like when I used to play sports, would tell me that, like, visualize yourself making the basket, visualize yourself hitting a home run, and not that every time you would, but the whole point is, if you visualize yourself doing well, you oftentimes are going to do better than if you walk into a situation feeling like anxious and nervous. Um, so that is something that I I love doing, um, and I think is probably for me the best method before I go into a shoot.

Speaker 2: 39:39

That is such. Yeah, no, it's great advice. I love that I do the same thing. I do it with everything, like honestly. I mean I used to do it just with like work stuff and like important things like that like you're talking about.

Speaker 2: 39:52

And and yeah, it's important, I think, to get very like specific and granular with it, like down to the details, you know, so that your unconscious mind can really just suck it all in because it'll believe whatever we tell it honestly.

Speaker 2: 40:12

And the problem is that most of us just kind of let our unconscious mind run the show. But when you do exercises like this, your conscious mind really is the one in the driver's seat at that point and you're like no, no, this is how it's going to go down, because we kind of crave it's a human thing we crave certainty, and so you're giving that unconscious mind certainty and your unconscious mind just wants to keep you safe. So if you create that safety and you say look, look, how beautiful this is, look how done and perfect, or whatever you know like done and you know, and all the little details or all the boxes are checked, the client is happy. You know, the images look amazing. It really calms that unconscious mind down and that safety part of us into being like, oh okay, yeah, no, we do have this. And it also is telling the universe a very clear picture of what you want to have happen, which I believe is really powerful, because we do get what you know, we get what we are basically.

Speaker 1: 41:11

Yeah, exactly, and I think too, like when you walk into a situation like that, any situation Like.

Speaker 1: 41:14

when you walk into a situation like that, any situation whether it's work or, you know, leisure everyone around you is going to feel that and they came into the situation feeling a certain way. Your energy is going to radiate onto them. And, specifically for a photo shoot, if I walk into, if I walk on set and I'm quiet and nervous, well then the client's probably going to be freaking out internally and being like, oh my God, did we just trust this six figure shoot to the wrong person? You know like it is and this is where I kind of tell photographers as well like it's our job to not just show up and take pretty photos. Like it's our job to create an experience for the client and to make it something where we're all feeling. We're all feeling good and we're all there to create content, but we're also there to enjoy what we're doing. We're in the creative field. I mean, if you can't enjoy your job in the creative field, I don't know where else you can enjoy it.

Speaker 1: 42:09

I think a lot of people forget that, especially as a photographer and especially for you doing headshots and senior photos. I mean, if you show up to a shoot and you're nervous, well then I don't even know what those would look like Probably not that good.

Speaker 2: 42:23

Yeah, and I always tell people that too. Like you know, it's a people job. Yeah, we have to be good. Like you know, our work has to speak for itself in that way, Like our work is ultimately what you know clients are going to be drawn to, probably initially when they're looking for a photographer, but when it comes down to it it is. It's very much a people job. Like you have to understand these things and the energetics of it are so important Feeling good and the, the vibe, the vibe that you give off a hundred percent, you've those clients, they, they want you. Like, they're hiring you for a reason.

Speaker 2: 43:01

So, even if you are feeling, you know, not so confident, or even if you are feeling anxious there's many times, like the day of a shoot, or like the morning of a shoot, whatever is going on, like it could be a lot of stuff in my personal life, or stuff with my kids, or whatever and I'm like, oh my God, I'm like, so like all over the place right now and my anxiety, I can tell, is like just rising. There are things that I have to do to make sure I get myself in that state that I want to be operating from, and then, the minute, the minute they get to the studio, it's done Like I'm. I'm there, Right, and so it's really important to I feel like for us to remember to have fun. Like you said, at the end of the day, we got into this because we liked it and you know we were good at it, or someone told us that and it's you're called to it for a reason.

Speaker 2: 43:54

So feeling good and having fun, that's really really important. So try not to take it quite so seriously or take yourself quite so seriously as well at the end of the day. But I love that you're a Virgo. What are your other? Before we wrap up, what are you? What's your big three?

Speaker 1: 44:10

Oh my gosh, I always mess them up. Um, it's like Virgo, taurus and Libra.

Speaker 2: 44:20

Um, but I was going to ask you if you had Libra rising, because I'm getting some Libra rising vibes. That's what I am as well. But yeah, let me know after, because I'm very interested to find out. I always ask my guests that kind of stuff anyway, but that is so fascinating. Thank you so much for coming and sharing all that with us. And I know that you've got a really cool free resource too. I'm going to link that for people. It is I think you said it's the anxious photogs guide to landing dream clients. Is that right? Okay, cool, so I'll link that. And then where would you like people to connect with you if they want to find out more about you and work with you and all that?

Speaker 1: 44:56

Yeah. So for anyone find out more about you and work with you and all that yeah. So for anyone any clients wanting photo services, my website hayleyfiskcom, or my Instagram, hayleyfiskphoto. That's where you can view all of my commercial work and book a call or email. And then, for photographers who are looking for coaching services, you can find me at theanxiousphotogcom. My Instagram handle is theanxiousphotog underscore at the anxious photogcom and my Instagram handle is the anxious photog underscore, because the anxious photog was already and the person has not been there for over a year. I've been trying to get ahold of them because I'm like can I please buy this?

Speaker 2: 45:27

from you.

Speaker 1: 45:28

For the time being, that's what it is. You can also reach me at the same photography Instagram as well Haley Fisk photo. I'm very active on both accounts. I'm there for questions, support, anything anyone needs.

Speaker 2: 45:41

Awesome. Thank you so much. This has been super fun.

Speaker 1: 45:44

Thanks for being here. I appreciate it.

Speaker 2: 45:47

So that was super fun. I knew you guys were going to love it. I absolutely loved where we took this conversation. I like to have my podcast be very organic as possible. You know I don't like to have things like be very organic as possible. I don't like to have things like super scripted. Obviously, I want to have an idea of where we're going to go with it, but it's really great when I have somebody on who is also just going to kind of slide right into that flow and I feel like we just have some really good takeaways when that happens.

Speaker 2: 46:17

So some of the takeaways that I think that you're probably walking away with are operate from that purpose, that why, right, your vibe will attract your tribe. Not necessarily that you are going to be your own target client per se, because that's not really what I'm talking about here, but it all starts with your vibe, right. We get what we are, what kind of vibration we are putting out into the universe, and so it is really really important for you to be very intentional with that messaging and your branding so that people understand right off the bat, not just from looking at your images, but also feeling how are your target clients going to feel when they come in contact. How are your target clients going to feel when they come into contact with any piece of your branding? That's what really I feel like is important. And also when you're operating from that why and that purpose and you have a very good, clear understanding of that, it is so much easier for you to express that in everything that you do. Another takeaway, obviously, is that if you're not regulated, none of the strategy is going to actually work for you. So find those processes and implement them that actually work for you. And if you do deal with anxiety, like she and I both do, it's going to be really important for you to sit with that discomfort and to also come from a place of understanding that when you are intentional and you look at it, when you don't run from calm, you're going to be able to implement any changes in your branding or any parts of your business that you need to pay attention to. You can't do that if you are in fight or flight.

Speaker 2: 48:10

And then another takeaway is obviously this receiving this surrendering right. Surrendering doesn't mean just, you know, letting it go and not taking any action whatsoever and being inactive. It's quite the contrary. It is trusting and knowing and having that clear vision for how you see all of this playing out. You can then plant it into your unconscious mind right and get very specific with all the details, allowing yourself to do that. I feel like many times we catch ourselves doing that and we're like, oh, you know, that's silly. Or we hear some other person's judgmental voice pop into our head. But that is not your intuition, that is an inner saboteur, that's your unconscious mind or that's, you know, somebody in your family who is not you know, who doesn't have your best interest at heart. So it's up to you to notice when that happens and be like, no, no, no, I'm going to go there. I'm going to get a little delusional right now. I'm going to create this vision that I have for this photo shoot, or the way that I want my business to look, or how much money I want to make this year, allowing yourself to just have that vision and create it in your mind and get very clear on it, because then you have something to work for. You have given your unconscious mind the vision, you've given it something and now it has clarity on it. So get obsessed about it, because that's where you're headed. So again.

Speaker 2: 49:35

All of Haley's information is below in the show notes, and I know you guys are going to walk away with a lot of fun stuff, so I look forward to hearing some of your takeaways as well. Definitely, hit me up over on Instagram at Renee Bowen, shoot me a DM, let me know, and if you post about this on social, screenshot it on your phone, post on your story tag both of us so that we can reshare and connect with you as well. As always, thank you for spending this time with us and devoting your energy to it. I truly appreciate the support for this podcast, whether you're watching it on YouTube or listening on your favorite platform. I truly appreciate you guys, and you know I'm going to say it. If you love me, leave me a review. It's rate this podcastcom slash Renee Bowen. That's the easiest way to do it, and you can even text me a little love note. You'll see in the show notes on your podcast platforms there's a little link for you to do that.

Speaker 2: 50:30

So let me know how we're doing and if you have any ideas for the show as well. I'm always interested to hear what you guys have for ideas and insights and feedback as well. So have a great rest of your week. I love you guys. Bye.