Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Diana Smyth. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Diana, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Learning the craft is not always as fun as some would think. It has taken me such a huge investment in time and money. I have traveled across the country and outside to meet with great leaders and teachers in the industry. To be honest, I love learning. I love that I am always learning. It never ends.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a wife, and mother to two amazing boys, a self proclaimed happiness junkie, a photographer, and someone who considers herself confident. While I love this description of myself, the reality is that I live a chaotic life. I juggle the daily stress of running a business and raising kids, and being a wife and friend.

Like so many women, my love of photography blossomed following the birth of my first child. I had spent years teaching in the Philadelphia School District, committing to a career that I genuinely loved. I always had an interest in photography – specifically telling stories and preserving memories – but I never took it seriously until my first son was born. Like many mothers, I faced an internal struggle. I found it hard to be a full-time mother with a full-time career, so after thinking it over for a year, my husband and I decided that I would stay home.

As a foster child, I do not have photos of myself growing up. I took pictures with my friends as a kid, almost as a way of preserving my past and capturing my legacy. I was the annoying friend with a camera in my had at every event. Those were the days where I had to get film developed. So we would all have to wait to see the pictures. Taking my own pictures of my self and my life was my way to create my own past. It was up to me to leave my own footprints in the cement. I had to make sure that people knew that I was here, that I existed. But as I struggled to preserve my own journey, I decided that my children would not face this problem. I decided that memorializing every moment would be the most cherished and valuable thing I that I could do for my kids. Now I do this for my clients. I love creating magical portraits for kids, and capturing family giggles.

My business journey has not always been flowers and sunshine. I have made mistakes along the way. No one pulls you aside and says, hey this is how you run a business. I always learned along the way. I try to listen to my clients and find a balance of what they need/want and what my business needs to survive. Sometimes I can find a middle sometimes there is not.

Without those struggles there is no growth. Something my clients NEVER see is how hard I am on myself. For any little mistake, or any little client upset. I take it to my soul. But I have always been a fighter – and I will continue to be one.

I hope to grow my company and become a teacher in the industry. I want to help others develop and grow and have successful business as well.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Everyone’s journey is so different. And what one considers a struggle may not be the same for someone else. I believe my resilience grew as a child and has carried me all through my life and now my business.

Keeping the story short… I grew up with my grandparents as a kid. My dad had taken my brother and me from my mother, and gave to his parents to raise. My grandparents were not the most loving – old school cuban family. They loved my brother, as he was the boy. Throughout my life in their house, I was always called names, and told I would grow up to be nothing. They told me I was stupid, and I should never try anything bigger than me because I would fail at it.

As a kid, ever time my grandfather would smack me and call me stupid, I fire ignited inside of me. I held my head a little higher. I fought for myself a little more. My grandfather always said I should strive to be like my brother more, but he did not turn out so well. Dropped out of high school, and I believe he is in jail somewhere.

The hate that my family had for me, made me fight more. I was the first to graduate high school in my family. I was the first to go to college, and be successful. Dont think that I define myself as successful by financial worth. But I believe I am successful, because I was able to climb out of the story in this book and change it. I never gave myself time to feel sorry for my circumstances or my childhood. Instead I used it to learn, grow, and challenge myself. Somedays, I did study harder to prove to them – even though they are not in my life anymore, I still sometimes hear my head say…. look at me doing it!

Don’t get me wrong, I made so many mistakes in my journey. And I never took the perfect road every time. If you know me, I love to take the bumpy road every time. I truly feel that had I not grown up in such with so much pain and trauma in my life, I would not be who I am today. The struggle fuels me – still today.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Sometimes you think that there are so many resources out there for all of us to use today. But, it might be other, but hard to find. As a creative, I love everything about picking up my camera and being creative, or editing and creating something new something different. But, what I was missing for so long, was the business part of it all. Something you forget when you first start.

A huge resource for me was reaching out to the small business beureau. They assigned someone to help me along the way – with business, taxes, and even social media. I remember having a college intern in marketing to help me learn social media.

If I had one piece of advice for all those starting out – reach out to your SBA. They are a rich resource to help you succeed.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dianasmythphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianasmythphotography/
• Facebook: Diana Smyth Photography
• Linkedin: Diana Smyth Photography

Image Credits
Diana Smyth Photography Studios