We recently connected with Brittany Grubbs and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brittany, thanks for joining us today. 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?

before photography I work as a vascular ultrasound technologist. I worked in the clinic for 5+ years before I decided to make a jump into full-time photography. It was a scary jump and a big shift as to how I was going to make a living, support my family, and pay my bills. With lots of determination and a desire to make art, a passion to live my dream job, I knew that I had to do a few things in order to make sure that I was going to succeed.

Now this part doesn’t sound as glamorous as you’d probably like to hear. But sitting down and calculating my cost of doing business and figuring out what I need to charge and what I need to make monthly in order to thrive and survive was pertinent to my success.

Working social media and really getting my name circulating was extremely important.

I created a brand for myself based off my “why”. My reason behind wanting to capture motherhood and birth is what set me apart. I knew my message would connect me to many other like minded individuals that slowly built a community.

With lots of love and hard work I have been able to document families as they transition from one stage of life to the next.

Brittany, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Motherhood is my life. It goes hand-in-hand with the coffee stains, a bit of baby spit up running down my shoulder, a wild toddler running circles around me, and Preteen conversations navigating new and evolving emotions.

My name is Brittany and I am a mother of three. I am an artist, A business owner, birth nerd and advocate, and photography educator.

I first began my love for photography and documentation as a young girl. My first camera was given to me after my father passed away at 10 years old. As my love for taking pictures grew I saved up my sonic car hop tips and bought my first DSLR camera in my ninth grade year of high school. I dabbled in and out of playing around with the camera mostly just documenting what was happening in my life. I slowly ventured into taking on family and friends just for fun. As I went through college and had my first child putting photography on the back burner..I realize that I wanted to pursue photography a little bit more in depth than what I was doing when I fell into that 9-5 daily routine. On lunch breaks and in between patients my mind was constantly daydreaming of what I could learn next, how I can make myself better, and where I could get the practice in! I did all the digging I could. I read all the books, watched all the YouTube videos, invested into mentors, and put my love and passion Into action.

It took a couple of years to really figure out where I wanted to take myself with photography and what my message and why was behind it. As I was navigating motherhood I quickly began to realize that I had a passion for connecting to other moms and supporting them through breastfeeding and birthing experiences. I knew I wanted to tap into the real, raw, and chaotic beauty that motherhood holds.

I now live and breath my art through motherhood. From documenting The strength, the power, the love, and the pivotal moments of birthing a child, to the playful and joyful moments we spend snuggling our babies, to the emotional and intimate moments of ending a breast-feeding journey or even the establishing of it.. I get to freeze these moments in time for the family to savor forever. I get to help normalize home birth and breastfeeding. I get to be an advocate and artist all at the same time.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to push past societal norms and bring to life things that maybe we usually hide behind closed doors. I want to make others feel like they are not alone inside of the crazy chaotic and sometimes messy feelings of motherhood. I want to initiate informed research, education and evidence-based information surrounding birth and the option we have. Breaking down walls and getting vulnerable. Sharing the stories of our skin, scars, stretch marks, our smiles, our fears, and our truths. I want to build a community for like minded individuals. Building friendships and relationships through common stories and experiences. having an open mind for exploring other aspects and learning. We are growing and healing together. Granting permission to be human. To be passionate above perfection. We are unapologetically ourselves with open and minds free spirits.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Because I’m so community focused and I want to build like-minded relationships finding clientele is actually very easy. A lot of my clients start off as good conversation. We sustain trust and build friendships. These interactions turn into business and we create art together! I highly recommend finding your message and why behind your art. Market to the community who would most like, love or enjoy your specific niche!

Contact Info:

• Website: Bg-visuals.com
• Instagram: @bgphotodoula_htx
• Facebook: @bgphotodoula