Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tayanna Nelson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tayanna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I currently work for myself as a boudoir photographer and brand designer. My degree is in photography and I graduated in 2013. I worked a variety of jobs from car salesperson to a tech at Cerner before finally quitting to pursue a full-time career working for myself. I ended up quitting a few weeks after I got married because I finally had health insurance. I am chronically ill so it was like finally finding the missing piece to that puzzle. I also made sure I had 6 months of bills in savings in case something went wrong. A few months later, we were shut down for the pandemic and it was honestly terrifying. I think my biggest milestone was the year I quit my job I made a living wage. Then the next year I hit six figures. I was also able to lease my own studio space in the crossroads and I was able to buy a new car with just my income.

If I had to do it over with the knowledge I have now, I would outsource sooner to take things off my plate, I would set better business boundaries, and I would have taken more time off because burnout is a bitch.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I had a friend in high school who was absolutely brilliant with a camera and photoshop. I wanted to be like her so I started doing the same and quickly realized her jam (self-portraiture) was not mine so I started to photograph my classmates. I won a couple of awards in high school which made me decide to head to college and try it out. I was either going to be a social worker or teacher or librarian (I know, it’s a lot) beforehand. I grew up hearing a lot of not great stuff about people’s bodies and when I got to college, I was immersed in a world of new and different people who thought different.

I shot weddings to start and I still photograph them occasionally, but I had a friend ask me if I’d ever considered shooting boudoir before. I tried it and fell in love fast and hard with it. Then the more I grew, the more I realized what else I was providing for people and how much it was healing my own relationship with my body. I went to a workshop on a scholarship provided by Cheyenne Gil in 2020 and learned about fat liberation and providing spaces for clients to be vulnerable and just themselves and it really resonated with me.

Since then, I have shifted the focus of my business to marginalized people/bodies and am really in love with being a place that people feel safe in. This year I also took an extensive training about being a Trauma-Informed entrepreneur. I have loved the way I have made such significant steps and changes in my business as I’ve grown.

I want people to know it’s okay to be at different parts of their journeys with their bodies and that there’s room everywhere to be celebrated or met where you’re at.

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

In my specific field? That boudoir wasn’t just a gift to give to your husband on your wedding night. When I was introduced to it, that’s a lot of what was taught. Learning that instead, it’s a really empowering way to celebrate yourself and that *because* of that, I can choose to share that gift with someone if I feel they are worthy? It’s unmatched. In general, when you stop living your life to reward or please or satiate others, it’s super freeing. So now I get a boudoir session done every year and sometimes I get a gift for my husband, but usually I make my images into a coffee table book or grab a huge print to hang somewhere

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I will never ever get over the feeling I get when I show someone their images and they love them as much as I do and probably more. I know that I’m giving a unique experience to my clients, but seeing how happy and excited they get because something big brought them to me in the first place is just incredible. I love knowing that I can help someone see a different part of themselves and regard it with love (or at least neutrality) instead of hating it like the media want us to do. I love that I’m giving people permission to take up space and they’re taking it. I grew up wanting to take pretty pictures, but I feel like I’m doing so much more.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.good-bodies.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/goodbodieskcmo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/goodbodiesvip
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/goodbodieskc

Image Credits
The photo of me was taken by Lauren Pusateri for A Real Nice Lady – https://www.arealnicelady.com/blog-1/interview-tayanna-nelson-boudoir-photographer-educator Every other photo was taken by me