We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christina Beaulieu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christina below.

Christina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

I was honored with running a tarot booth at a pet adoption event this year. It was really cute and fun. There were booths with puppies, kittens, a crepe station and yummy Mexican food. My sister tagged along to promote her nail business as well. While it was a great event, there wasn’t tons of foot traffic and I grew a little concerned I wouldn’t receive many clients. Determined to make it work though, I walked around to other booths offering a reading. One young woman asked me if I could read for her rat. At first I was taken aback. Some small part of me felt like I was being mocked, but the young woman insisted this rat meant the world to her and she wanted to know what spirit had to say. I agreed laughing. To be honest it really made my day. I decided to take it very seriously and opened my heart to the opportunity. I held the little guy in my palm as I spoke to him about his long legacy and beautiful life. The young woman and her friends were delighted and thankful. I felt very elated. I kept thinking had I said no or felt full of myself how I would have denied myself a memorable and sweet opportunity to connect with clients. At the end of the day I made a decent amount of cash but my biggest win was reading for the darling creature and making his owner’s day. That was the real win!

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?

My name is Christina and I am a freelance portrait photographer and tarot reader. These are really my passion projects. I love making people feel good and I think both crafts ultimately lead to that end!
I got into photography because my boyfriend is in film and he taught me about cameras once I showed interest. From there I began offering photoshoots to friends and family and everything grew from there.
My journey with tarot is similar. I was naturally drawn to the craft after being read to a few times by friends. A friend gifted me my first deck and I began reading for friends and family. As I grew and my reputation became really quite golden, I gained more and more clients by word of mouth.
I think what sets me apart in both photography and tarot is that I care most about what my client needs more than I do about my own creative vision. I have no ego about styling or coloring portraits the way clients want them even if I don’t agree on the style. And while I know sometimes I could offer my own personal feedback with tarot, I really try to allow lots of time for client feedback so they walk away feeling autonomous and empowered by their own grasp of the knowledge I lay out. This is not to say I don’t offer my input or advice, I just figure most people know themselves and what they want, so I want to offer them what they need instead of what I think is best.
I offer tarot readings of all kinds, though mostly I don’t restrict myself to preset readings. Instead I read intuitively and very in depth, even if the client is asking a simple question. For photo I offer everything from headshots to glamour shots to wedding photography. I want to expand my work as time goes on as well.
I am really proud of my people skills and my ability to create long lasting relationships with my clients. I’m also proud of my work ethic and my ability to be flexible with my creativity.

My brand is all about client empowerment and enjoyment. I really want all my clients to walk away feeling like they were heard.

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

Once I was working on a project and I felt completely stuck on how to make the photos truly beautiful. I kept the client waiting a long time for me to edit because I was stuck in a perfectionist zone that I couldn’t seem to escape. I finally caved and asked a friend for advice. He helped me edit and transform a few photos to my liking and it got me moving, but I had to learn a whole new program. I think what I learned from my journey is that flexibility is essential when it comes to art. You can’t be resilient if you aren’t open to change.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was saying yes to everything. I used to never turn down tarot or photo clients because I always believed in stretching myself to take any opportunity. However, after enduring client abuse such as a lack of respect for my time, my work or my personal boundaries I had to start saying no a lot more. It’s not worth my time to work for hours below my pay grade just to gain experience or clientele. I think that’s a mistake many business owners make and I’ve learned over time I’d rather scrimp and save and have great clientele than settle for just anyone. Quality over quantity. I find building those strong relationships leads to more and better jobs anyway!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Intuitivetarot333, chrissay123

Image Credits

Christina Beaulieu