Renee: 0:00

Welcome to Tried and True with the 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 friends, welcome back to Tried and True with a dash of woo. I am your host, renee Bowen.

Renee: 0:30

I know I've been absent the last couple of weeks. I have thoroughly enjoyed a little bit of downtime not a ton, I'll be honest with you, probably not as much as I would like, but it's been a little bit of a crazy summer. So it was necessary for me to just pull the plug a little bit and take the podcast off the list, because I have had a house full of all my kids and summer is summering and I just, you know, honestly, did not feel like overextending myself and I have to remind myself too to also practice what I preach, because I'm always telling you guys honor your boundaries and honor your capacity, and I had to get real with myself and realize that my capacity was at its capacity basically. So it's been great. It's been a really wild summer. I have been busier than I normally am, I think, in the summer, but also just really trying to rest and recharge and be as present as possible, because I did have all three of the kids in the house and I definitely worked as well, but I wanted to be available, even though it's not like they are little kids and they, you know, need me to take them places or anything like that. There's still this energy of I want to be more available than I probably normally am, you know, on the regular. So it's been really, it's been really awesome, and now I am about to head into fall. It's not going to get cooler here for a while, unfortunately. It's still going to be really really hot, but school's starting, so the energy of the season is changing. I can kind of feel that, you know this. The summer energy is leaning more into the fall, energy of a little bit more doing and getting more things accomplished.

Renee: 2:30

I've got some travel coming up. I'm heading out to Tennessee this next weekend to shoot a couple of senior sessions there and a branding session. So I have a client flying us out. Jamie and I are both going, so that should be a quick but fun experience. I always love shooting in new locations because it just keeps me on my toes. I love breaking that routine and I love traveling just in general. And it's been a minute, so we're excited about that. And I also am going to be heading out to Boston to help my son move into a different apartment and my husband and I are both going, so it's going to have to serve a little bit as a vacation for us, because we didn't really get a vacation this summer. So that'll be really nice just to kind of get away just to us for a couple of days.

Renee: 3:18

And I have a lot on the docket as far as my coaching as well as very full calendar of seniors this fall. It's been busy already in the summer. It's going to be busy all through fall and I am not complaining about that. My coaching students have some amazing milestones happening in their businesses right now too, so that's been really awesome to bear witness to and to help them through. And if you are looking for help with your photography business, you should be inside of Elevate my Membership because it is coaching, it is guidance, it's templates, it's new and up-to-date marketing and all the things. So definitely join us there. If you are needing some help in your business and you're needing some accountability, you get a little bit of all of that and it's only $49 a month. As always, that information is in the show notes.

Renee: 4:10

But we're going to dive into today's topic, and that topic is embracing your brat energy. So if you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'll give you a little bit of an introduction to what brat energy means. Brat summer, the brat trend you probably have seen it. Okay, first of all, if you are a high school senior photographer and you haven't seen any of this, it means that you are not marketing to your teenage client, and you need to change that ASAP, because if you were marketing to a teenage client, you definitely would have seen some of this on your social feeds. And if you're not on your social feeds, that's also not a great thing. And if you're not booked, that's probably why. But that's a whole different topic and we're going to get into some of that a little bit in today's episode.

Renee: 4:59

But it's really about embracing a rebellious and unapologetic spirit which, if you know me, even just a little bit, you know that I'm really into this and have been for several years. I'm a big proponent of brat energy. I definitely wasn't calling it that because the saying just wasn't around but unapologetic, rebellious, yes, I'm 100% on board with that. So basically, where this came from is, you know, brat is the latest album by pop icon Charlie XCX and it really does capture that spirit of rebelliousness. And it inspired this concept of a brat summer, a cultural movement where people, especially women, embrace their inner confidence, assertiveness and unapologetic attitude. The idea is to embody the brat persona standing firm in your desires, setting boundaries and rejecting societal pressures to conform or please others. I mean, sign me up right.

Renee: 6:09

And in her own words, charli XCX has said that this album is really direct. She said that she's really over this idea of metaphor and flowery lyricism and not saying exactly what you think, the way that you would say it to a friend in a text message or on a FaceTime. She said this record is all the things that I would talk about with my friends, said exactly how I would say it to them, and it's in ways very aggressive and confrontational, but also very conversational and personal, and not in that boring way where artists are like. This is my most personal record. To me it feels like listening to a conversation with a friend, so those are her words of what she really feels this album communicates and I want to go over just sort of basically this cultural movement and how it kind of took over social media this summer and how we as creative entrepreneurs and photographers, and especially high school senior photographers, can embrace this brat energy.

Renee: 7:21

Because this idea of a brat summer trend is all about empowerment and reclaiming your own agency In a world that often expects women, especially, to be agreeable and accommodating. This movement encourages a shift towards self-assurance and boldness and visibility. It celebrates individuality and the courage to say no, to prioritize yourself and to demand respect and fair treatment in all areas of your life. And I don't know about you, but sign me the F up because that is the kind of energy that I want to bring in to the rest of 2024. I am done playing small. I know that I am always talking to you guys about visibility and owning it and showing up and feeling aligned with your purpose and not being afraid to show up unapologetically. But if I'm being really honest with you guys and I always want to be there has definitely been an underlying current of don't be quite so loud still showing up for me and I know where it comes from. I have identified it and it's time to move on from that, because that is not going to get me anything that I want in my life and I am going to shift a lot of the way that I show up online.

Renee: 8:54

I feel like I tend to temper myself a little bit. I feel like I probably always will, just because I really do like being cognizant of other people's thoughts and feelings and I never want to offend people. That's not what this is about, like I'm not going to all of a sudden turn into an offensive person. However, I do feel like there are certain things that I don't say because I don't want to seem too much or whatever it is at the moment, and I'm just kind of done with that. I really am just embracing this idea of brat summer and brat fall. Let's keep it going because, honestly, reclaiming your own agency, especially right now and especially as a woman, feels really good and really right. So today's episode is going to be about why I feel like this is important and some practical ways that you can actually use the energy of Brat Summer to show up a little bit more boldly in your business or just in your life.

Renee: 10:00

So first let's dive into the psychological insights that we can embrace from brat energy. First of all, it boosts your self-confidence, and that is always a win right. So embracing this brat attitude can really enhance your self-efficacy, this belief in your ability to achieve your own goals. This mindset fosters a sense of control and competence, and I feel like that is really essential for your success in business. When you have this positive self-perception, you are really able to stand firm in your own beliefs and your boundaries and it helps develop more of a positive self-image for yourself, which is really crucial for facing challenges with resilience.

Renee: 10:48

And I know I've spoken about self-confidence a lot on this podcast and I've done a lot of social content about it and this whole idea of faking it till you make it and I'm a big believer in that honestly, because your unconscious mind doesn't know what's real and what's not. So you get to choose, you get to be delusional and tell it what you feel like is actually happening. So if you really have this idea, this vision of how you want your life and your business to look and to feel, the feeling part is the most important part. But if you have that vision, let's say, it's really important for you to create that feeling in your body and to trick your unconscious mind into feeling like it's already yours, and that's how you're able to time jump to it so much faster. So a big part of embracing this brat energy is allowing yourself to be completely delusional in what you want, because that's the only way you're going to get it. If you keep listening to whoever maybe people in your family, in your close surrounding, maybe even your own inner saboteur if you keep listening to the voice that says, no, you can't have it. You're too this, you're too that you're going to keep standing in that state, and so it's really important for you to create the vision. Create the feeling and then be delusional enough to believe it, so that your unconscious mind gets on board. Once your unconscious mind gets on board, that's it. Things shift. They really really do. So I encourage you to be delulu about this.

Renee: 12:30

The other thing that embracing Brett energy does psychologically for us is that it encourages healthy boundaries, and you know I'm all about boundaries. I see a lot of you guys, especially photographers, bending over backwards and forwards and all all of the ways to do too many things for your clients to be available at all times for feeling guilty for not getting those images back in 24 hours. There's a lot of that that goes along with owning your own business and especially being a woman. So one of the core elements of this brat energy is setting and maintaining boundaries, and this is vital in business so that you can prevent burnout, to ensure fair compensation and to foster respectful client relationships. Your clients really want the boundaries. They're just like little kids. If you're a mom, if you're a parent and you have parented small children, probably one of the main things that you heard from parenting experts was that kids need boundaries. Well, so do your clients. Okay, they don't understand anything or don't know how it's going to roll out, how your process looks, until you tell them, and so it's up to you to really create that framework for them. So if you have not created those boundaries already for them, so if you have not created those boundaries already, now's a really good time to do that, and by not bending over backwards for price shoppers or difficult clients or just clients in general business owners, can really protect their time. You're going to be able to protect your energy and your resources, and that's going to lead to just more work more sustainable, more fulfilling work.

Renee: 14:13

Another psychological benefit to this brat energy is that it enhances your decision-making. Embracing this brat energy, this unapologetic energy, involves practicing assertiveness, which improves your decision-making skills as well. So being really clear and decisive helps in navigating business negotiations and making strategic choices. Being really good with strategy, having these clear boundaries and assertive communication, reduces your stress in the long-term as well as your anxiety, which creates a more balanced and productive work environment. So it does reduce your stress. The more things that you check off that list, take care of and just get it done, the more calm you're going to feel in the long run.

Renee: 15:06

And then the other psychological aspect to all of this is that it promotes your authenticity, which we know is highly desirable. But more than just it being desirable, I really believe that it's necessary and integral for just your self-awareness in general. A side effect of authenticity is that, obviously, your branding is going to feel more real, right. So standing in your confidence really allows for a more authentic brand representation to emerge, and your clients, especially your teenage clients, are drawn to genuine personalities, who you really are. And this makes it so much easier for you to attract and retain the right target loyal clients right. So you really want to be standing firmly in your authenticity, unapologetically. That's what I was talking about at the beginning of this episode and how I am going to force myself to be a little bit more unwavering in that, and I invite you to do that as well.

Renee: 16:15

And then, just as a side note, I think there are three main ways that women, especially in business, really need to embrace this brat energy. So, first of all, it's going to combat that gender bias. Women often face societal expectations to be nurturing and accommodating, and a lot of us love that and we lean into it, and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but adopting a brat attitude helps counteract these biases, which fosters a more equitable business environment in general. So anything that's going to help you step more into showing up a little bit more and unapologetically visible in your business, I think is a great thing. The other one is empowerment. So embracing this brat energy empowers women to take charge of their lives and their careers, to negotiate better, to ask for more money, to even just be able to not feel guilty about asking for money and demand the respect that they deserve, and it's also really wonderful for role modeling. So, by embodying confidence and assertiveness. Women in business can inspire others to do the same, because they are always watching Our daughters, our clients especially if you work with teens, they're always watching us, even your sons. This is not just a woman thing, right? This is going to help contribute to a cultural shift towards creating greater gender equality, which is awesome. I mean. Look at the Olympics. I think that for the first time first of all, first time in history we've had an equal amount of women athletes competing. And then I think I just saw a statistic that said that women led with gold medals or medals in general, so more women got medals this year. So we are definitely embracing this brat energy already, and I feel like if we're just a little bit more intentional with it, we can really make some really awesome things happen.

Renee: 18:33

Okay, so let's talk about 10 specific ways that you can actually implement this brat energy, okay, in your business, specifically as a creative entrepreneur or as a photographer. The first one is you're going to set some non-negotiable boundaries, right, so establish these clear boundaries around your work hours, your client communication and the scope of your projects in general. Make it known that your time and expertise are valuable and you don't allow clients to push those boundaries. This is important because boundaries protect your energy, they prevent burnout and they help you maintain a really high standard of your work. So by standing really firm in this, you are going to attract clients who respect your time and your skills, leading to more fulfilling and profitable projects.

Renee: 19:24

So this could look like turning your phone off or just not answering texts or calls after a certain time. A good example of this is that I have an autoresponder set up with my email for my business email and it basically goes out to everyone who sends it to me. It says I respond to emails Monday, wednesday, friday If you need to get in touch with me. Beyond that, you can leave a message here. It also gives some really good information about you know whether you're if you're a coaching client, where to look, if you're a a photography client, where you can go to find more information. So it's set up as an automation so that it, you know, frees up some time for me and I'm not having to constantly send that message to people, but also it lets my clients or potential clients know upfront that they can't get in touch with me 24 seven. That's not how this goes and I think that we all will encounter some clients along the way who do expect a lot of you.

Renee: 20:27

So it really is up to you. It's up to you to set these boundaries and to stand firm in them and to not waver on them, because you deserve to have downtime, you deserve to take a day off, you deserve to do whatever the hell you want with your time. This is your business and you can run it any way that you damn well please. So I know that that's really difficult, especially when you are in the beginning phases of a business. You might feel like you are, you know, emboldened to just respond at all times and you know you're just hungry for clients. But I promise you that is kind of desperate energy and it's only going to bite you in the butt in the long run. So so set your boundaries now. This is something I work with my clients on ongoing, and for some people it's easier than others. For some people it's easier to implement boundaries, for some it's very, very hard. This also is probably because of a lot of your own programming and how you were raised, and so we have to undo some stuff and reprogram and reframe it so that it feels good and safe in your body to protect your energy.

Renee: 21:36

Another example of how you can implement some energy is to charge what you are worth and I know we hear that a lot and you guys have a lot of varying opinions and feelings about that but don't undercut your prices to attract more clients. Okay, I know that there's a lot of talk in the photography world right now of people are just not buying things or they're not valuing photography or whatever, but you can find a lot of proof to the opposite and you're welcome to use me as an example, right, sometimes we have to find other people to use as an example so that we can get to that place, and I do that as well. So, if you feel like all you're hearing is negativity and all you're swimming in is, you know, lack mentality or whatever, you have the power to change how you're consuming that content. So, as a little side note, I've noticed, particularly on threads, there's a lot of I'm not going to say negativity. There's some negativity, but there's definitely a lot of just opinions, right?

Renee: 22:56

So threads is so much like Twitter in the old days. I don't know if you were on Twitter in 2007, 2008,. You know what I'm talking about and I don't dislike threads. I just find that it can be a really unnecessary thing expenditure of your time. So be very careful about how you're spending your time, because time is like your most valuable commodity, truly. And if you are like spending a lot of time reading all of these threads about how you know people just aren't spending the money the way they used to with the photography business and photographers are having a hard time getting clients and they're closing their business down, and here's why you should be lowering your prices. And all of this noise it's so much noise. I just spend very little time over there and I know that threads is rewarding people.

Renee: 23:51

Now, just as another side note that the more threads you post and the more interaction and engagement you garner on threads, you can actually earn money like physical money. So they're doing bonuses like they did with Reels bonuses back in the beginning of Reels and I think it's great that you can make money off your content. But I would just encourage you to not just post content just for engagement, just for the sake of sparking some discourse, let's say, because I feel like that's a lot of what's happening over there and I don't know about you, but I just don't have time for that, like that's time I could be spending on actually like attracting my clients, and that's what I would like you to be focusing on. So, getting back to charging what you're worth, you know charge rates that reflect your expertise, your experience, your creativity, the value you bring and also what you want and need to make period. So it doesn't matter.

Renee: 24:54

I know it's very unpopular to say this, but I don't look at what my competition is charging. I never have, never. I don't care what they're charging. I don't care. If it's less, I don't care. I am focused on what I know that I need and want to make to make my business sustainable and profitable and also for the life that I live, what my bills are, what I need to kind of make and support my family with. So I would just encourage you to take a good look at that and make sure that your prices are in alignment what you feel is right for you and what is valuable for you, because when you do charge what you're worth, you do send a message that your work is valuable and that not only attracts higher paying clients, but also it boosts your confidence and helps you grow that sustainable business that we're all after.

Renee: 25:49

So tune out the noise. If you are having a hard time with that, and also if you're going to work with a coach or a mentor to raise your prices, it's really important that you make sure that person actually has experience working with other businesses as well, because what worked for that photographer in their market may or may not work for you in your market, and if someone is just telling you across the board just raise your prices without giving you some strategies to also implement, that's kind of a recipe for disaster. It could work out, but in a lot of cases it's not and you're going to feel like you don't have a good leg to stand on. So make sure that you vet that person as well, because there's a lot of people doing coaching. There's a lot of photographers trying to diversify their income right now by offering mentoring, and a lot of them are great, but a lot of them don't have the experience yet to really give you an educated strategy based on not just their business.

Renee: 27:00

Basically, another way you can show up with energy is to just say no without guilt. Say no right. Learn to say no to projects and clients and even opportunities that do not align with your values or your business goals do not align with your values or your business goals, whether it's a low paying gig or a client who doesn't respect your process. Saying no is a really powerful tool, and I don't feel like enough of us do that. Saying no frees up your time and energy for projects that really excite you and align with your vision. So if you're saying yes to all kinds of things that you don't wanna do and you're just sucking your energy, you're not gonna have time to say yes to things that really light you up. So the thing here to remember is that you have to know what lights you up, you have to know what you want and you have to have that clarity right. I have a whole episode about clarity. I will link it in the show notes for you. If you are having a hard time understanding what you really want in your life right now or just in your business, go listen to that episode too, and it'll help.

Renee: 28:11

But saying no really helps you avoid resentment and burnout and it allows you to really stay passionate about your work. So I got to tell you once I started leaning into this. It really just changed a lot of things for me and really the catalyst for this was me learning about my human design, and you guys have probably heard me talk about that a lot. But as a generator, I say yes to everything because I have this internal energy, that I have the energy to do a lot of things. I really do. I'm a doer, but there's no prize at the end of this for doing the most. And when I do all these things that don't light me up, I get really resentful, and that is not a way to live, because you create a lot of internal problems, and not just mentally, but physically. It will manifest physically as illnesses and sickness. So you need to know what you want to do and just start saying no to the things that do not light you up.

Renee: 29:13

Another way to have this brat energy show up in your life is to embrace your unique style. Stop trying to fit in to trends or what other people are doing. Embrace your unique creative style and let it shine in your work. That's going to be what attracts your clients to you, not just trying to copy what everybody else is doing. And look, I got to just say that there's a lot of just senior photographers in particular, where I scroll and I can't really tell whose work is whose anymore. There's a few of you that I can definitely tell, but a lot of y'all are trying to find your style still, and that's totally fine. But in doing so you are trying to be like other people and the trap is that a lot of senior photographers and photographers in general tend to follow mostly other photographers, which is a really bad idea. I talk about this a lot because you're going to start to unconsciously it's not on a conscious level, but you're going to start to unconsciously market to other photographers. Those are not your clients and you're also going to unconsciously try and become that person, because it's just the way that we're wired as human beings. So be unapologetic about your artistic choices and stand in them, even if they're unconventional, and especially if they are. Your uniqueness is your superpower and when you embrace your style, you differentiate yourself in the market. You attract clients who love your work and the way that it is for what it is, and you feel more authentic and more fulfilled in your creative expression. So you got to be standing out.

Renee: 30:54

Number five on the list of how you can infuse some brat energy is to inject some playfulness into your work. Allow yourself to have some fun with your projects. So experiment with new techniques or take some creative risks. Don't be afraid to break the rules. Bring a sense of playfulness to your work and your daily routines. This is something that I think I've been able to be pretty good at ongoing. I have never really liked following the rules of photography. I break them all the time. I don't care. I'm unapologetically a natural light shooter. I don't care. Come after me if you think off-camera flash is the only way to go. No, it's not. I've built a really successful high school senior business. Using it very minimally Doesn't mean I don't know how to do it, I just don't like it and I break rules of composition all the time. Guess what? My clients still spend upwards of $5,000 with me. Break the rules, it's okay. People really like it when you do your own thing.

Renee: 32:06

Infusing playfulness into your work can also look like just doing stuff for just you. It's really important to do that. That's going to also save you from a lot of burnout too. Fun energy is contagious and it attracts positive experiences and positive people. When you really enjoy what you're doing, it shows in your work and that makes your business way more attractive to potential clients, especially teenagers, and it also helps you stay motivated and inspired. Number six in how you can really infuse some brat energy into your life is to practice radical self-care indulging in your hobbies outside of your work or treating yourself with, like you know, the same respect and care that you give to your clients. You're just so much better equipped to take care of your business when you do this for yourself. So self-care replenishes your energy. Obviously. It boosts your creativity, it keeps you grounded and it helps you show up as your best self in all aspects of your life, and it's a really, really great example to show to other people in your life who might be watching, like your kids.

Renee: 33:29

Number seven on my list of ways that you can infuse some bright energy into your life is to trust your instincts. Follow your gut feelings when making business decisions, whether it's choosing a client, setting a price, deciding on a creative direction. Trust that inner voice and let it guide you. Okay, your instincts are powerful tools for navigating the business world just in general, and by trusting them you make decisions that are aligned with your true desires and values, leading to more authentic and successful outcomes across the board. I know that a lot of us are overthinkers, and so we have a lot of internal dialogue. So sometimes it can be really hard to figure out what's really your gut feeling and what's like your intuition versus that inner saboteur. But a really good reminder is that your instincts and your inner vision, your higher self, whatever you want to call it, is never going to be mean or judgmental. It might be firm, but it's not going to be mean. So if your inner voice is telling you something fear-based or mean, that's not the voice that you want to listen to.

Renee: 34:41

Number eight, on how you can show up with some more bright energy in your life and your business, is to manifest with intention. Okay, so I talk about the law of attraction a lot on here, but use the law of attraction to manifest your dream clients and your projects and your business growth. It really works. You guys, I have so many episodes on this you can go back and listen to it. I mean, basically, I infuse the law of attraction in pretty much all my coaching and everything that I talk about, because when you visualize what you want and you feel you embody the emotions of it already being done and having it, and then you take inspired action to make it a reality. That's when the magic happens. Manifesting with intention really helps you align your energy with your goals, and so when you embody what you really want and you take action towards it, you attract those opportunities that match those desires, the frequency of that, and it really does create those quantum leaps that you hear all these things about. That's how you do it, and I know that it's been sort of spoken about a lot now, which I think is great, but I do think that doing it with intention is the key here, because a lot of people talk about it and a lot of people talk about affirmations.

Renee: 36:02

But if you're just kind of using it on a surface level, that's probably why it's not really showing up for you. Yet. You got to really unapologetically show up. So that's where that brat energy comes in. You just got to go all in and say you know what? I don't care if this sounds woo, woo I, I don't care if people, whatever poo-poo on it. You got to do if it feels right to you. That's what you need to lean into and you can actually show up with this brat energy to the universe as well and tell the universe in no uncertain terms this is what we're doing now. This is what I want. That is what I want over like this create that vision, really see it and believe it and feel it, and I swear to God, you guys, it happens faster than you think All right.

Renee: 36:52

Number nine on how you can infuse some energy into your life and business is to celebrate your wins. You guys don't do this enough. Take some time to acknowledge and celebrate your achievements unapologetically. Throw yourself a damn party, okay, big or small. You don't have to have a birthday to do this, by the way. Whether it's landing a new client, completing a really challenging project, or working with a client that was, oh my gosh, difficult, or hitting a major financial milestone, celebrate the progress, okay. Celebrating your wins reinforces a positive mindset and builds momentum, because you're rewarding your unconscious mind. When you do this, it's like your inner child gets a gold star. It helps you stay motivated, appreciate the journey and attract more success and joy into your life and business, and all of those are great things.

Renee: 37:50

This can look as simple as every night before you go to sleep, whether you want to journal about it or just put it on a notes app on your phone or just think about it. What are three things that you accomplished today. Pat yourself on the back. What is something amazing you did. Like I said, throw yourself a party, a dinner, an excursion. I personally take myself to the spa. I go get a massage or go get a facial. It doesn't have to be something that you are spending a lot of money on either. It can be just small, intentional, beautiful ways to praise yourself, because, at the end of the day, sometimes you know that's what we really. We need to be our biggest cheerleader.

Renee: 38:34

Being a solopreneur can feel very lonely, but again, if you are in my Elevate groups, you know that I am big on this and I'm always prompting you guys to do it, and it's a great place to do it when you are in a group. So if you belong to a membership that you love or belong to any sort of group, go pop in that text thread or that Voxer thread or that Facebook group and say hey guys, I have some really awesome news and I want to share it with you guys, and it doesn't matter how small it is. If it's a win, it's a win. I love seeing these in my coaching groups. It is like crack cocaine for me. I really love seeing you guys. It's also contagious, right? So someone else shares their win. You're like, oh yeah, that really good thing did happen to me too. I want to tell you about it and it makes you want to attract more of that into your life.

Renee: 39:31

And the last on my list number 10 of how you can infuse some Brad energy into your life and your business is to surround yourself with positive influences. Cultivate a support system of like-minded people who uplift and inspire you, and don't take no for an answer. Whether it's a community of creatives, photographers, a mentor or a coach or just some positive friends in your life, choose to be around people who encourage your growth. Make a decision that you will accept, nothing less. If there are people in your life who are not encouraging and who are nothing but negative, even if they're in your family, you can choose to not spend time and energy with those people. Just let those experiences fall away and watch how many more supportive people actually show up for you, because the energy of those people around you influence you a lot more than you probably know. Right, there's a reason why that saying is like you are the five people you hang out with the most. We tell our kids that all the time and then we forget it as adults.

Renee: 40:43

But by surrounding yourself with positivity, you maintain a high vibrational frequency, which not only enhances your creativity and your business, but it also enriches your life and makes you feel good, and when you feel good, you are so much more able to attract all that you want in your life. That is also positive. So don't be a victim of your environment essentially, be a brat. So embracing this brat energy isn't just about being bold and confident. It's about creating a business and a life that truly reflects who you are and what you want. And when you set boundaries, when you respect yourself and inject fun in your work, you align with the energy of success and abundance, and this not only helps you grow your business, but it also makes the journey way more enjoyable and fulfilling. By living and working with this energy, you attract opportunities that resonate with your highest self, leading to quantum leaps in both your professional and your personal life.

Renee: 41:51

So I really hope that this was a fun episode for you and that it maybe gave you a little swift kick in the pants that you might need right about now, because I feel like we are being called to be more unapologetic, to be more authentic and our true selves. Whatever that is for you, you have to decide that for you, tune out the noise. Stop following so many other people in your industry on social media. You want to be following and engaging with your actual clients. Remember that. But also, if that means you have to tune out for a little bit, right that. If that means you have to log off for a little bit, that's okay. Do what you need to do to get what you want. So go and just be a brat and bring that energy to your business and to your clients.

Renee: 42:43

And, as a side note, if you are a high school senior photographer, you really do need to be up on what your teen clients are consuming, and this is a really big factor in that right. Your teen clients, they know what Brought Energy is. Our Gen Z clients, our Gen Alpha clients they know what this is. And even if you're not going to like talk about it and name it, you need to know what they're consuming. You need to know what they're all about so that you can market to them. And I've been saying this for years. I think it was probably 2018, 2017 or 2018. Well, I started talking about Gen Z and how we need to be marketing to them in 2014 because they were like on the rise, right. They were literally changing the game and how we operated our senior businesses, and so I started creating a lot of content about that. I have blogs that I wrote about that from way back when, and my whole like senior photography education platform and my creative team method the way that I teach and run senior rep teams is very much all about that.

Renee: 43:57

You know teen energy, gen Z, gen Alpha, what they want, and I've sort of made it my life's mission these last like six or seven years to really help high school senior photographers understand how to market more efficiently to their teen clients, because if you're only marketing to the parent, you are losing business. You are losing your teen clients. More often than not, the parents are letting the teenagers decide who gets hired. So I've been talking about this for a long time, longer than pretty much anybody in our industry was talking about it. Some people in our industry are still not talking about this, and that's why I'm so passionate.

Renee: 44:36

You guys have to be marketing to the teenager. I can't tell you how important this is, because your teen clients need to feel like you're the right person for them. Their parents are going to let them choose who gets hired for the high school senior portrait. Even if the parents are paying, which most cases they are, the parents are also letting their high school senior determine what gets purchased, by the way. So if you haven't seen that in your ordering sessions, if you do IPS which I really hope you do I hope you're doing that and not just shooting and burning but you probably have already seen that in your sales sessions and if you haven't, it's coming, coming the parents will literally turn to the kid and be like do you want this album? What do you think it's really up to you to infuse your marketing with the right kind of messaging so that it never kind of gets to that part where they're like letting a kid determine if they purchase a $2,000 product. When you have your messaging in line with that teenager, they already know they want it before they even shoot the session with you. That's the whole deal. Your marketing really needs to be intentional. So that's my little side note for high school senior photographers, because I see a lot of you not doing that enough. Nobody in my communities. I know you guys are doing it because you hear me talking about this nonstop. But if you need help with this that's what I'm here for you can either sign up for some one-on-one coaching with me, which I only have like one or two spots open for that right now, so you definitely want to reach out ASAP Link is below in the show notes for that. Just book a call. We'll chat and see if coaching is right for you, especially if you are just starting out in business as a senior photographer or if you have been a photographer for a while but you're trying to pivot into senior photography.

Renee: 46:26

Our genre is a whole different genre. This niche is very different because we still do need to be marketing to the parent. This niche is very different because we still do need to be marketing to the parent, but we need to lead with the teen and we have to be marketing to two target clients. It's very different than most other niches of photography and that's what I'm really good at. I have a whole program that shows you how to do it and I walk you through it and I hold your hand through the process, and I also talk a lot about this in the creative team method, which is on a ridiculous, ridiculous sale right now. I am going to be revamping some of this.

Renee: 47:00

If you don't know what the creative team method is, the link is below. It is how you should be running your high school senior rep program, because your teen clients do not want a model program like the ones that we used to run in the 2000s. They also may not really align with the word influencer. I was the first person to call my team an influencer team way back in 2017, but I changed it to creative team and creator because, guess what? Our team clients really align better with that word and things are shifting once again pretty soon. So my job is to stay on top of that stuff for you guys and update the program whenever it does shift. So if you already own the creative team method, you get those updates automatically, but if you don't own it, you should definitely buy it right now, because it is not ever going to be this cheap ever again.

Renee: 47:47

I walk you through the entire process of starting or revamping a high school senior rep program that keeps you booked year round, because your teen clients need more than just pretty pictures. They're not going to post them. They don't do that anymore. So if you're just relying on your teen clients to hopefully post and you're running your rep program either free or very low cost. That's not sustainable and it is definitely changing. So check my program out.

Renee: 48:15

I do things really differently from a lot of other senior photographers and there's a lot of feedback on that page as well A lot of testimonials from photographers who have gone through the program and who are absolutely killing it and thriving with their businesses because they went all in and I love that for them. So I want that to be you too. I want you to be profitable in your business. All right, you guys, I hope you have a productive and fun and brat rest of your week and please reach out to me over on Instagram If you have any questions or feedback about this episode or any episode. It's. I'm at Renee Bowen over on Instagram and I love chatting with you guys in the DMS, as always, and I will talk to you guys next time. Love you, bye.