We were lucky to catch up with Alexis Rongo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alexis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you manage your own social media?

Currently, I’m managing my own social media, although the platform I focus on the most is Instagram. Since my business is still small, I don’t find that I need a social media manager. However, there are challenges with doing it yourself, mainly the fact that you have to hold yourself accountable when it comes to posting. I’ve noticed that when I schedule my posts out in advance, I’m more likely to feel productive with my socials and it helps me keep the momentum going. If you’re like me, a creative with ADHD, doing it this way helps a ton. If you’re a business owner thinking of managing your own socials, another good piece of advice I can give is to find an accountability buddy. Someone who can remind you to stay on top of things. Staying connected with people can help with your own self-discipline.

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?

I started to really love photography when I was in high school. At the time, I was also a digital artist and I went to college at the Columbus College of Art and Design for Animation. I took a few college photography classes and loved them. I graduated with my BFA in Animation but quickly realized being a Photographer full-time was what I really wanted to do. Right now, I’m really loving editorial work, portraits, couples, and families. With any photo session, I focus on the comfortability and happiness of my clients/models. Making the session more of an experience, rather than just a photoshoot, can help produce genuine, beautiful images and it makes it extra fun. I’m proud that I can make people feel at ease in front of the camera if they’re nervous or unsure.

As I grow my craft, I want to keep developing my voice in the industry and I hope to continue making genuine connections with people. My work is an extension of myself, and as I continue to grow, so will the things I put out into the world. I think we never stop improving and it’s important to not stay stagnant, especially if you feel like something isn’t working. So I’ve been applying this way of thinking, continuing to create and finding new ways of doing things.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Feeling proud of myself and my art. Being an artist makes me happy and I’ve had to push through lots of internal struggles, mainly imposter syndrome, self-doubt, etc. I also love collaboration and being able to capture another person’s vision or bring it to life. Whenever I’m working with models, specifically, it reminds me how important community is and being able to work with others in the industry is everything. At the end of the day, I love to tell stories.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As with any business you create, there will be challenges along the way. There are plenty of times where I wanted to give up or I questioned if this is really for me or if I should be doing something else. Specifically, I remember right out of college, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and I honestly felt pretty lost. I had already decided that making Animation my career wouldn’t have fulfilled me. Once I realized that I wanted to pursue photography full-time, I was riddled with self-doubt and I just wasn’t sure how or where to start. I already had some of the skills needed to start focusing on my dreams but I was scared it wouldn’t be worth the risk. I ignored that fear and kept creating anyway and ended up making some amazing connections along the way. If I hadn’t pushed through my self-doubt, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

Contact Info:

• Website: alexisnicolephotos.com
• Instagram: @alexisnicolephotos
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088264794765
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisrongo21/

Image Credits
Personal photo: Elana KH Photography Group photo: Carlos Manuel Stoner Photo in studio with backdrop: Jack Nicodemus