We were lucky to catch up with Ayanna Hill recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ayanna , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Absolutely! I’ve actually had a “regular job”. I would always say to myself on that Job I can’t wait to do these same things just for myself. haha boy what was i asking for . The last time I had the thought about having a regular job I’d overwhelmed myself with work and things kept piling up. I thought it would be so much easier if everything wasnt left to me looking for a easy way out as we sometimes always do. But once I got over that hurtle I thought to myself how it was all worth it. I couldnt imagine giving up on myself on my talent. Being a creative a entrepreneur has it’s ups and downs, but for me the ups have out weighed the downs and it feels so rewarding.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a portrait, wedding, and event photographer. I capture moments that tell stories. I started photography as a hobby I honeslty thought I’d just use my camera to take photos of my clothing boutique (thealabeled.com) which was non existent when I first began learning photography. I knew it would be a aid to my long term goal of being a fashion designer, so I decided to minor in Photography in undergrad. I then started to enjoy the art in photography as I studied and learned about the history of photogrpahy. After having a camera for a while and learning how to properly use it my friends and family members started asking me to take photos for small events or portraits of them for different occasions . That then became so much fun . I fell in love with the reactions I would get from the photos I’d taken, and how those photos made the person feel and the joy it brought to them. I truly enjoy capturing moments that people will remember and have forever. I knew then that this was something that not only i was good at but somethingt that had a impact on people. The comments I get once my clients have recieved their gallery is so refreshing to know that I was able to convey the vision they wanted to capture. We all have things that we want to do in our heads as children or even young adults photography, was never thought of for me. I’m truly proud of myself for trusting my gut and sticking with it even when my rout started to look like something i didnt necessarily see for myself. Now that I’m here its actually exactly what i saw for myself.

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

Things won’t always go as planned, trust the process.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Wow Social media is a beast. What was life before social media ? HAHA its truly been a BIG aid in growing my business. Posting sharing and getting repost. Its such a quick way to reachthe audience youre looking to service or target. Whats helped me is using hashtags. Before I started my business i would hash tag everything. Hairstylist nailtechs, home decor you name it. I would literally find exactly what i needed by being very specific in my hashtags. I carried that over to my business. I also enjoy the ineractive part of social media being able to respond so quickly to something someone responded to maybe under my post.

Contact Info:

• Website: ayannalhillphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayannalhillphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alhillphotography/