We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alyssa Wilkinson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alyssa below.
Alright, Alyssa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
Wow, hitting with the hard questions right out of the gate! There’s so much weight behind the word “legacy;” it just feels a little daunting, like I need to give an answer like “world peace” or it won’t be good enough. But in reality, when I break my “legacy” down to what I hope my kids tell their kids about me, I hope that they remember that I paused to find the beauty in the simple moments of life. That I never lost my sense of whimsy. I hope I leave a trail of people behind me that see colors a little brighter, their families more beautifully (even through the imperfection,) and that stop to sniff the proverbial (or literal) roses. I hope they remember me as someone that cherished and encouraged creativity, in whatever form that may present itself. I hope they describe me as a “dreamer” and a “doer,” all wrapped in one.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Creativity has always been a part of my life in many forms, but especially through photography and writing. My unofficial life motto is “Find beauty everywhere.” That little phrase defines who I am as a mother, a photographer, and as an author. I honestly believe that the exquisite masterpieces of our lives can be found in the tiny details of every day- in the chubby dimples of baby hands, the way a summer breeze ruffles grass in a meadow to look just like waves on a sea, and the way we interact with our loved ones, even during the seemingly ordinary day-to-day moments. Often that beauty goes unnoticed because we are surrounded by it so often, but as we slow down and take the time to see, to TRULY see our life through fresh eyes, those little wonders become apparent again. That’s what I try to capture in my photography and writing- the hidden beauty of every day.
I can remember two pretty clear indicators in my childhood that pointed to where I have ended up today:
1.) My mother always made a point to buy me those little wind-up cameras any time we would go somewhere interesting, and I would use every last bit of film, every single time. I’d be so disappointed after it ran out! She started having to buy me multiple cameras for a single field trip. When my parents bought me a digital camera as a pre-teen it changed my life!
2.) I would sneak out my window and sit on the roof for hours, scribbling away in my black and white composition notebook, overlooking the sunflower fields we lived next to in rural Colorado. I’m honestly not sure if my parents knew that their eight year old was up there as often as I was, but it was my happy place.
Writing and photography continued to be hobbies throughout high school and college, but I didn’t transition to pursuing photography professionally until I became a mother in 2018. When my son was born I naturally began documenting his life and all the tiny details that I never wanted to forget about him and started sharing those images to my social media platforms. From there I started receiving requests from friends to take photos for them, and my wonderful husband encouraged me to take the dive into really taking my business seriously. I’ve been incredibly blessed to see substantial organic growth over the years and now have hundreds of clients across multiple states. I am always so incredibly grateful for the love and support I receive from my clients. They truly are the best people!
Motherhood also inspired my writing journey, as well. As I mentioned before, I’ve always considered myself a hobby writer/poet and always dreamed of becoming published, but I really decided to pursue it in 2022. I’d collected several manuscripts of stories I had written for children and young adults and I could just feel in my heart the pull to finally start seeking representation. I started submitting my work to literary agents and publishers and hope to see my stories on shelves soon! I have some poetry published in the anthology “Cherish: The Joy of Our Mother in Heaven,” and eight year old me is just over-the-moon thinking that all her scribbles are finally seeing the light of day!
We were put on this Earth to create. We each do it every day in different ways, and I just feel overwhelmed with gratitude that I have the opportunity to run businesses that speak to my creative interests and honor who I have been since I was a child. I hope everyone has that chance at some point in their lives. It feels good.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the answer to that is two-part:
My initial thought is of course seeing the impact my work has on other individuals and families for good. One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received was that I truly captured someone’s family as they saw them, not just in some posed & routine “Christmas card” shot that they didn’t resonate with on a personal level. (Even though those have their place and value!) In photography, I love showing people the beauty of their own family, whatever that may look like. We live in a world where “perfection” is constantly being force-fed to us and it is so easy to get caught in a cycle of comparison and disappointment. My greatest joy in creating images is taking the complexity and individuality of each family’s relationships and creating a gallery that showcases how stunning their family is, no matter how imperfect. Sometimes within the chaos is where the love shines through best. If someone tells me they were brought to happy tears by their photos, I can pat myself on the back. In writing, I love reminding people how beautiful the little things are in life. The simple things. The mundane things. I love to slow people down and give them the opportunity to spend time with loved ones by providing them with a good story. It’s really easy to get so busy making a living that you forget to slow down and live one and I hope people are sparked by my writing to look around more often- at the wonderful world we live in and at the remarkable people we share it with.
There’s another part of the creative process that is incredibly rewarding and super selfishly motivated all at once- it just feels good to create. I don’t care if someone is a painter, a poet, a photographer, or a roller-coaster engineer, it feels amazing to make something that didn’t exist before. I believe we were put on this earth to create. It’s in our DNA. And so when we tap into that potential and put a little bit of our heart and soul out into the universe there is this amazing rush of endorphins and you can’t help but think “Let’s do that again.” Like Walt Disney said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Honestly? Both wings of my creative career have stemmed from a desire to embrace rejection. I’m a recovering perfectionist and for most of my life I’ve been crippled by this overwhelming anxiety that I won’t be good enough, or that I’ll disappoint someone. I’m a chronic sufferer of “paralysis by analysis.” I’m extremely fortunate to be married to someone who has never allowed me to wallow in that space for long. He’s a big proponent of action and he has always encouraged me to just try and not worry too much about the end result. He’s never let me clip my own wings. Accepting photography clients and querying manuscripts both started as exercises in being willing to face criticism and rejection, and you know what? I’ve faced plenty of it in both careers, but I did something I never thought I would before I started- I survived. And beyond that, I evolved as a creative and have become better because of it. My ultimate end goal is for my kids to feel like they can chase whatever crazy, ridiculous, totally bonkers idea they might have and to be resilient in the face of opposition as they do what sets their souls on fire. I can’t encourage them to do that if I don’t do it myself. I’ve started telling myself “You don’t have to be the best in the room, just be in the room.” And that helps a lot. There’s something to be said for having grit and just showing up and figuring things out as you go. Stop worrying about whether or not your “product” is “perfect” because perfection is so subjective. Just start putting things out there and see what happens. I recognize that there is a lot of privilege behind me having the ability to say that both of my businesses started as personal experiments but I don’t think the catalyst invalidates the journey, lessons learned, or successes experienced along the way. I am who I am as a creative entrepreneur because of my lived experiences with overcoming anxiety and perfectionism, and I’m grateful for the impact that journey has had on my businesses.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @awilkinsonbooks @awilkinsonphoto
- Facebook: Alyssa Wilkinson, Author // Alyssa Wilkinson Photography
Image Credits
Alyssa Wilkinson Photography, Amy McNett Photography