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

Elissa Pace, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

As a business owner and creative, we can be hard on ourselves in what we define as success. In being so locked in on achieving our goals, we forget to look back and celebrate where we are now compared to where we’ve come from. Success is just the motion of moving forward and achieving goals we have set for ourselves, whether big or small. And if we become stagnant or start to move backwards, we remove ourselves from being successful.

Through the years of being a business owner, I have seen myself go backwards, become stagnant, but also be successful. I think all stages are necessary to understand what it takes to be successful. And honestly, it all comes down to putting in the work.

Our society is so fixated on quick achievements, quick success and quick money. And that simply isn’t how it works. Even people who seem like they had quick success, trust me, they put in a lot of hard work.

Success for me was putting in longer hours, investing in education, being vulnerable enough to seek help where I lacked, and not shying away from putting myself out there. I am a big believer in under promising and over delivering, and for awhile I had to put in the longer hours to provide that experience for every client. I invested in education by finding educators that I knew could input value into my business. In the beginning, I struggled with being consistent in my editing. So I found the education I needed and sought help from fellow photographers in helping me achieve that consistency. And one area that is the hardest for me is putting myself out there. But it is so so important. Show up where you know your ideal clients are. And speaking of, put in the work to find where your ideal clients are. Whether that be on social media, networking or putting forth the extra effort to stand out and be more than just average. You will find that your past clients will begin to refer you to their friends and family.

Though these are only a few things that made a big difference in the success of my business, I am now able to travel all over the world, photographing one of the most important days anyone will ever experience. And it’s so fulfilling. Most of my clients come from referrals and to me that is the biggest compliment and success of my business. Though it is successful and fulfilling, it is just a stepping stone of what is to come. I can never feel like “I’ve arrived” because that is when I will become stagnant and start moving backwards. Always look ahead, crush those goals, create new ones and repeat!

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 back background and context?

My name is Elissa Martinez and I am the owner and lead photographer of Elissa Pace Photography. I photograph weddings in the Dallas area and all over the world. I provide a detailed, personal experience for each of my couples. I pride myself in being present at your wedding by listening and understanding your desires and wishes and making the day all about you! I 100% believe you should enjoy your day and live in the moment, but I also provide you with photos that you can treasure for the rest of your life!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What helped me build my reputation was by showing up for my clients and putting them first. There are a lot of standards in the wedding industry and knowing those standards and understanding when its ok to break them or when they need to be upheld is so important. There are a lot of wedding photographers that, lets me honest, can be pushy. And I found that I just wasn’t that person. I allow myself to be creative and step a little outside of my comfort zone as long as I am able to deliver a consistent product.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is delivering the end product. Your clients don’t see what you see until the end. And when they realize the magic you both have collaboratively created, the joy of delivering that end product is so rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elissapace.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/elissapacephoto
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/elissapacephoto