We were lucky to catch up with Irelynd Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Irelynd, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I quit my full-time job at 19, and at the time, the only consistent source of income I had. Although I had over $2,000 of bills to pay each month and no consistent means of income, outside of my 9-5 job, I knew that every second spent not pursuing this career was time I would never get back. There would be no way to grow this passion with the few spare hours in between shifts. I knew I had to take the risk and dive head first into the unknown to ever get anywhere. So, that is exactly what I did. With little money saved up, I quit. And I spent every hour after that chasing this dream and business I had been trying to build since I was 14.

Now that I had unlimited time to do so, I had to figure out how to drive in clients with the little resources I had. It felt like starting over but in the best way possible. I was living off of $30/ week for groceries and necessities and working every freelance job I could get my hands on – even if that meant 11 hour days, 7 days a week, every single week. The sacrifice of comfort was something I was more than willing to give up. There was no question if it could work, I really didn’t doubt it at all, it was just when.

Gaining traction and momentum with my business was slow to start but I would work day and night learning new marketing tactics, developing my brand, experimenting with gear, lighting and posing. I would post model-calls on every platform I was on and would take up literally anyone that would respond. In doing so, this pushed me out of my comfort zone in every way I could think of but truly immersed me in the passion and industry. The more I tried new ideas the more eyes I would get on my work, and in turn, the more interest would build.

My 9-5 was the one thing holding me back. Quitting was the best decision I could have ever made. It only took one year to become self-sufficient and have a full-time business of my own. One year, that’s it.

Irelynd, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an editorial and portrait photographer, creative director, stylist, co-founder of MDW alongside Amy Diep and the founder and producer of MUSE. I have had a camera in my hands since the age of 4. Creating has always been second hand to breathing for me. HER, my brand, is in reference to what I create with you. I am her but you are also her. I strive to bring depth into the traditional fashion industry by connecting into what makes my client or model who they are and using that unique expression of self, in conjunction with my expression, to create a completely unique connection through the conceptualization of the image. That, is what creates art.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

You don’t have to create what others are creating. I found myself stuck in a loop of comparing my work to other successful artists and feeling restricted to create based on what made them successful. However, I quickly learned that is far from what creating actually is or should be. Clients are going to book you for what YOU create, not for what someone else is creating. If they wanted those ideas/styles they would have booked with them. It sounds obvious but I think it is so easy to put yourself in a box, especially with social media driven brands and businesses. When we are seeing a million images every day it’s so easy to get lost in the over-stimulatization. I really had to take a step back and understand why I want to create the ideas I have and if they are truly mine at all. From there, I was able to really deepen my understanding of self within my brand.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The podcast and educational brand: Make Art Not Content. I listen to their podcasts religiously. They are quick 8-10 minute episodes that are created in such a way that completely immersive you into their topic and leaves you bursting with inspiration, motivation and new perspective that has continuously impacted the way I go about creating and running my business. I have recommended this to every single artist I know and will continue to do so every chance I get. Whenever I am feeling stuck, uninspired or even at my highest I will throw on an episode or replay an old one. There is always some profound idea I walk away with.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.createdbyher.studio
• Instagram: @imagesbyher.co