We were lucky to catch up with Courtney Carteret recently and have shared our conversation below.

Courtney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

For as long as I can remember I’ve had a camera in hand. I have always loved creating visual memories and documenting my own life. I was, like many of us however, told that creative work was to be a hobby and I needed to find a stable job with benefits in order to establish security and live correctly.

So I did that. I went to college, got my masters in social work, and worked in the human services field as a social worker for nearly eight years. In just a few short months of starting my professional journey, I knew that social work was not for me. I am compassionate, caring, and hardworking, but I am also an adventurous, creative being as well and that career path was not utilize the aspects of myself that truly lit me up. I wanted out. I wanted to be a photographer, but I was not sure if I had what it took and could make that dream possible.

Then, while working as a school social worker in Denver, a parent of one of my students came in to chat and it did not take long for photography to become the subject matter. She told me that she used to be a Kindergarten teacher but was now working as a portrait photographer. Soon after, we met for lunch, she looked over my work, chatted with me about cameras, clients, etc. At the end of our meal she looked at me and said, “Courtney, you have an eye and you are more than capable of making this a full time thing for you”.

And that was exactly what I needed to hear in order to put that dream swiftly into motion. Within one year I had moved to California and started shooting portraits on the side, while continuing to be a social worker full time. I bought a cooler and posted some photos of it on Instagram that led to a content creation/branding deal. Other brands saw my work and reached out. One portrait session led to another and my business grew.

I told myself that once I was consistently making the same income I was as a social worker, doing something that I truly loved and felt passionate about, that I would quit and jump full time into photography, I started my business in August 2019 and was able to go full time in May of 2021. Was a terrified? Yes. Do I still have moments where I worry and stress? Yes. But was it worth it? Absolutely.

And what’s truly beautiful is that I dictate how much I want to work, who I want to work for, and when I want to do it. The biggest hurdle to achieving my goal was me and my mind- that mean girl that’s always stressing and trying to make me believe it’s not possible and that I’m not good enough. I learned through a ton of introspective work that that voice was simply false. I looked back on my life and took stock of what I saidI was going to do and what I had brought to life and what I learned was that once my mind is made up and I’ve decided I am doing something, nothing will hold me back. I am proud to say that I have done pretty much every single thing I have ever said I was going to do. And the most amazing thing? Most of it grew organically. One seed planted and then flowers bloomed.

It was not easy working two jobs at once, but knowing that my basic needs were met while I grew my passion allowed me to focus on the creative aspect and not put so much pressure on myself. Once the time came, it was only a mind game and I don’t play games. I get what I want and get it done.

So to anyone wondering what steps to take to achieve their dream? Check in with your soul first. Let it do the talking. Get your mind right and make it clear to yourself that without a doubt, in your bones, you are capable and worthy. Get after it.

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 North Carolina native and California transplant, lover of warm air and cold sangria, and probably out looking for hot springs with camera in hand. I have a genuine passion for capturing people authentically, as well as bringing a brands products to life through photography. I shoot product and lifestyle photography for a variety of brands, including Deckers Brands, Lems Shoes, Viakix Sandals, and RovR Products. I also shoot senior, individual, couple, and family portraits, as well as small, intimate weddings and elopements. My all time favorite photoshoots are what I refer to as Female Empowerment shoots. These are rare, real one-on-one portrait sessions with another female, out among gorgeous scenery, capturing her feminine essence through photography. I have a passion for making women feel bold, powerful, beautiful, and worthy and that it exactly what these sessions do.

If I had to choose one aspect of my current business that I would love to do more of or focus specifically on, it would be these Female Empowerment shoots. Visuals are important- think vision board. Just imagine being a beautiful female who is feeling disempowered. Maybe she just got divorced. Maybe she’s in between jobs. Then she looks over at her nightstand at this image of herself standing tall on a boulder in Joshua Tree, effortlessly exuding raw feminine energy. That moment, that visual, that changes things. Embodiment of who she really is, on a soul level, in a photograph- that’s my jam.

If I can leave one personal feeling more confident, more beautiful, more THEMSELVES, then I have fulfilled my purpose.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I first started my business, I partnered with a romantic partner. We worked well together but the relationship did not last. It was not a clean split. While he chose to go low, I focused on my own mental health, surrounded myself with people who love me, and continued to live my life maturely and with kindness. People decided for themselves what and who they wanted to believe. All I can say is, I still have my full time business and am living happily on the Central Coast of California. It wasn’t easy. There were moments when I wondered if I could keep it going, if I’d have to find a job as a social worker again, if I’d have to leave the place I now considered home, etc. But I surrounded myself with people who encouraged me and reminded who exactly I was and what I had worked for. I was not, for one moment, going to let someone take my dream from me. It was a battle, but I am better off for it.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

That I am unworthy and have to have everything perfect and figured out before I can turn a dream into reality. Our minds are powerful things and it is my belief that they create our reality. I knew what I wanted my reality to be and in order to make it that way I had to let go of limiting beliefs that I was incapable, not good enough, and unworthy of a creative, flexible lifestyle being my reality.

Contact Info:

• Website: courtneycarteret.com
• Instagram: @courtneycarteretphotography @courtneywentrogue
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneycarteret/

Image Credits
Profile photo to use as primary for interview was taken by Kyle Sherry. All other photos were captured and edited by me.