We recently connected with Annah Meintzer and have shared our conversation below.
Annah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
Being a business owner makes me so happy. The most difficult concept for me to relearn was and some days still is, that I don’t need to constantly be working and constantly making money. I was always taught that if I wasn’t working, I should be. I spent my entire high school and college career working part time when I wasn’t in school. By doing this, I didn’t allow myself to have a social life. I spent all of my “free” time doing school work, commuting or working one of my 2 part time jobs.
Up until the past year, my life had always felt very frantic. Like I had to be somewhere all the time. I didn’t sit still much, and I was usually worrying about making more money. So when I decided to quit my 9-5 job, I was terrified of the free time I knew I’d have. It was the most mentally challenging thing to overcome. I suddenly had all of this down time for the first time in my life. But this was the exact reason I didn’t want a regular job anymore. I had no passion for going in to work with people I wasn’t aligned with. It has taken me a long time to truly appreciate free time. I used to be anxious if I didn’t have plans, and now I love it. Self development is a very important part of my life. And by having my own business, I have freedom to do work that I love as well as better myself each day and to really experience what makes me happy.
There are some days when I worry about the bills more than I should and I think about going back to a more secure 9-5 type job, but then I remember the anxious, busy life I used to live and know that where I am now and how I lead my life today is what is best aligned with my values now.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve always been interested in and passionate about documentation. Preserving every day moments is what I love most. When I graduated high school, I decided to go to school for photography. It was hard to see myself pursuing anything else then. After college, I had a few incredible mentors in Illinois before moving to Colorado where I have amazing mentors here as well. Photography had always been a side job for me until I came to Colorado. I made the commitment of making my business my full time job. It has been so freeing to be decisive and to take control of my day to day life. I am learning something about business and being an entrepreneur every single day. I love self development and mental wellness, and my Gemini mind is endlessly curious. My curiosity helps me get to know people quickly and deeply if we connect. I’m so grateful that photography allows me to know people more deeply and to connect with so many wonderful souls.
As a portrait photographer, I make wedding photos, elopements, headshots etc. feel easy for whoever is getting their picture taken, It is a necessity for me to make sure my clients are comfortable and that we feel like friends. I want others to know how passionate I am about human connection. I believe that each person is connected to each other even in the slightest bit. I’m a believer that it always makes sense to make a new friend, have people on your team, to be supported and to be able to offer the same back out into the world.
I’m proud of my abilities to connect with others easily and to make awkward things like getting your photo taken, not awkward at all! And I admire my clients for making the decision to invest in this service that will preserve memories of their lives forever.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I’m constantly working on continuing to unlearn bit by bit is that money should be saved and never spent. I was raised with a scarcity-type mindset that was passed down from my parents. So I was always picking up shifts at jobs I hated just to make money because I thought my world would collapse if I didn’t always have a complete secure steady income stream. Some days, I do think this haha but most days, I’ve been able to begin teaching myself that money ALWAYS comes back to us. Money is fluid and it is meant to be spent. I believe in putting good energy towards as many things as. I can to make it have a positive impact in my life. The way I think about money has to be positive at all times for me to continue unlearning past, false truths.
Today, I remember that it is safe to spend money, so I invest in new equipment and business courses and I know that this is a great way to further serve my clients with high quality equipment and knowledge.
And every time I have a doubt about money, the universe always proves me wrong and lets me know how supported I am in my own decisions.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being a part of a creative career is getting to show people of all walks of life how important it is to slow down, to savor all moments of life and to preserve these memories forever through photography, Everything in this life is temporary and there can be a lot of comfort in having photos of things, people, places, times that we love. I love the emotion that is tied to all of this as well. Especially when clients who know they aren’t very emotional people. There’s nothing I love more than when a client tells me that the photos made them cry or tear up a little as they looked through them.
Contact Info:
- Website: annahmeintzer.com
- Instagram: annahmphoto
- Facebook: annahmphoto