We recently connected with Autumn Thornsberry and have shared our conversation below.
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 background and context?
Hello! My name is Autumn Thornsberry and I am a full-time photographer, sun seeker, lover of people. I am an artist first, business owner second. My first job was as a server at a local cafe, then a degree for medicine, and then ending up with an LLC filed for my biggest dream. I feel the most present and myself when I am immersed in nature, listening to music, with the ones I love, or creating. My business allows me to do all of that! I look at my small business as a ministry of sorts. I hope people leave a session with me feeling better than they arrived. It’s a sharp parallel going from medicine – watching some people endure their worst days of life – and then to becoming a full-time photographer, capturing the best days of people’s lives. The common denominator of both is that people just want to be seen, heard, celebrated, and simply understood. The world is tough, now more than ever, and while I can’t fix broken systems or save the world – I can love everybody that crosses my path as well as I can. I love creating art and I love connecting with each and every person that I meet.
Autumn, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I think that learning photography for me has been so much about keeping myself inspired by consuming art myself, expanding my work with new approaches, and experience. Some of the best advice I have ever been given is to “stay teachable”. The best way to learn is by practice! I love taking my camera everywhere – whether it’s my mirrorless, a polaroid, my phone or a film camera. I think it’s important to accept that you will create art that you love and art that you hate – it’s okay to be bad at something when you start. Often times, the biggest obstacle we face is ourselves. I try to choose consistency over perfection everyday – which allows me the space to keep creating without self-sabotage. Pouring into yourself and creating from passion helps to overcome those barriers. The skill that I think is most essential is empathy. I’m not sure if we really call it a skill, but it is something that I practice in my business more than anything else. It’s so important to connect with the people that you are capturing and celebrating. From there – the rest follows : )
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I remember being in high school and often being asked “What do you want to do when you grow up?” I remember the pressures at 17 to have it all figured out. I think society has us running before we can even really walk. I was taught to believe that working unceasingly and sacrificing my limits were what it took to be what I wanted to be in this life. Although it is really important to put in the work – you can’t pour from an empty cup. Following a “grind” culture only results in burnout and loss of self. There is no longevity or fulfillment in overworking. Finding the balance between rest and work, decompressing and recharging, is so important. I am an artist before I am a business owner. The best directors watch movies, the best authors read books, the best musicians listen to music. You need to fill your cup in order to share it with the world. The months that I am the most booked go by so very quickly and I want to be present in my life and the lives of my clients. I value working softly and with intent, not the hustle.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I think pivoting is the best way we grow as an artist. I think one of the coolest things that you can do as an artist or business owner, is finding your niche. There is usually a theme to your best work. When I first started, I photographed everything that I could. Now, I have really niched down to portraits + weddings. I used to believe that once you niche, you master it. Find a style, perfect it, etc. That is partially true – but something I have really evolved with is pivoting my artistry. In the photo world – there used to be Pinterest boards full of perfect photos with perfect focus, perfect locations, perfect light. Now – if you see what is trending in the photo world, you ironically see a lot of blurry (slow shutter), messy, imperfections. Photographers now will create art in unlikely spaces. I absolutely love it. It took the limits off of creation and helped people to literally think outside of the box. It’s exciting too that this wave of art has connected the traditional, pure photographers with the trendy, abstract ones. Film has made such a strong comeback which encourages a documentary, candid, yet pure way of photographing. Film photos are loved by photographers in every style, creating this hybrid. Simply put, evolution is natural and pivoting allows for growth. Stay teachable, no matter how long you have been creating.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.athornsphoto.com
- Instagram: @athornsphoto
- Facebook: @athornsphoto