We recently connected with Heather Ison and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

My greatest legacy would be to leave behind an inspiring memory of a woman who learned to live life boldly; true to herself and who she was meant to be. A light to the world, living intentionally with love, care and authenticity. Experiencing each day as a better version of herself than she was before, quick to forgive & always finding the beauty in life.

Heather, 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?

As a photographer, I started my path into this career as a hobby at first, taking photos of my daughter, family and friends, working in hospitality and retail management as my full time job until my daughter was about 2 years old. In 2019 I found myself in a place of burnout. I was making just enough money to cover daycare, my quality of life felt low, I was stressed from a long commute and not enough time with my family and a job that was draining me instead of filling me up. I was lucky enough to be able to take some time out of working and be home with my daughter, however I quickly realized I was missing a piece of me that wanted to pursue my own path outside of motherhood. In the summer of 2019 I officially announced the launch of my photography business. I stayed in portrait photography, worked with families, small businesses, events. At the end of 2020 I took a leap of faith in myself and went out for an internship – I got it and it ended up being so wonderful for me and my business. My mentor, Cheyenne Shultz, pushed me fully into pursuing the interiors part of my career that I expressed so much interest in at the time, although I had no experience with photographing interiors. 2021 was when I changed over my website, my social media to an ‘Interior Photographer”, I would take photos of my own home, photos of friends homes for free, I reached out to facebook groups for homes that were recently designed and photographed those for free to build my portfolio. I watched youtube videos, invested in online courses and really just learned as I went along, finding problems and researching solutions. One of the homes I photographed got picked up by a large local online publication and put my name out as an interior photographer, giving me some credibility and helping push my career forward in this niche. I have currently niched down to only interior photography by the end of 2022- 2023 and my business has grown immensely because of it. I am very much still in the thick of things and learning to grow my business. This past year I have invested in personal coaches to help with my inner growth that has made an incredible difference in how I carry myself as a business woman, wife, mother and friend. I’ve hired an assistant who’s more like a business partner (she’s a unicorn – highly recommend finding one of your own!) and she’s helping me keep up with the back end of the business that was falling short. I am really proud of myself and the beautiful work I continue to do, it’s such a fulfilling lifestyle, I am so grateful and so blessed to have the opportunity to do what I love for a living.

My ideal clients are interior designers, builders, editorial publications, and home design products. I love to collaborate, connect and create with these clients to showcase their talent passion and hard work that goes into their projects and products.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

YES, easy – my legacy to my children, my quality of life I can provide to myself and my family. I “woke up” last year and have learned things that I cannot forget. I know too much now and want more for myself and my children. I am driven by the need for living life to the fullest: for me that means enjoying each present moment, loving on my people, seeing life’s greatest beauty through travel and photography. It could also change along the way, I am no longer holding myself to a particular path, it’s ever evolving just like me but it’s always going to come from a place of love and intention.

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

Being able to share my gift of seeing the beauty in everyday things. There is not much more rewarding than giving others the ability to see things as I see them everyday, right now that is through my lens – through my imagery. It’s an art and I have been given it as a gift to share with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://heatherison.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_ison/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-ison-29962236/

Image Credits
Headshot image by Julia Fay Photography Interior images by me, Heather Ison Photography