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

Hi Jess Kristen, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I have always loved pictures. I was an avid drawer as a kid and always loved animals. I was given a camera when I was around the age of 12 at Christmas time and I spent the whole night photographing a bowl of mashed potatoes with the thought that these were going to be the most beautiful and artistic mashed potato photographs anyone has ever seen. I never actually developed that roll.. Life took me in another direction and I set the camera down for a little while.

This actually happened to me several times over the course of the next 20 years. I’d pick up the camera with full passion and interest, but then something in life would get in the way and I’d set it back down. Reflecting upon things now, I think a lot of that had to do with several factors. Financially, I needed to survive and at the time, photography was a hobby and not a means for survival and wouldn’t be anytime soon, so I didn’t focus on it. However, that didn’t stop it from coming back around into my life, again and again. It was almost as if life kept pushing it on me and I wasn’t picking up on it. I had too many personal doubts and obligations that I denied myself the pleasure I got from it and kept my head down working on trying to make my life “better”. The funny thing about that is those are by far the worst years of my life and nothing was “better” about them. We get so caught up in our own head thinking that we know best that we forget to follow our dreams. At least, that was the case for me for a while.

Knowing what I know now, I’m not sure there was much I could have done to speed up the process for me, other than separating myself from people who distracted me from my purpose and investing more into learning my skillsets rather than stumbling upon them over many years. Believing in myself and believing I can pursue something in life that makes me happy, other people happy and provides me a living because it is possible.

Jess Kristen, 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?

My name is Jess Kristen and I am the owner/photographer for Fuzzy Butt a pet photography studio located in the beautiful Columbia Gorge in Washougal, WA. I work to not only capture the personality of your pet through playful and purposeful experiences with you but also narrate the visual story of your relationship together and bond you both share.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love connecting with people and pets and I can say without a doubt that I truly have the very best job on earth. Nothing though is more rewarding for me than when I receive beautiful heartfelt messages from my clients about how the images we captured together are and have been so impacted to them. Some of the messages I have received have brought me to tears and laughter. Very few things in life have touched my heart in the ways that working as a pet photographer has. I am honored to be able to help preserve the stories of these incredible relationships and companions and grateful for the numerous friendships I have made through this line of work.

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

Ok this is a funny one for me to share, because it all goes back to when I was a competitive archer and I was given this book as a way to understand how to change my mindset. I used to be a depressive, negative teenager. I was very bright and very bored. I was also angry and irritated. It was who I was and all I knew how to be. I was also a very talented and skilled archer, long before Lord of the Rings or Hunger Games, back in the day when flinging arrows was an obscure sport that no one really paid attention to.

My coach gave me the book “With Winning In Mind” by Lanny Bassham. It’s a mental management book that helps you to focus on the ability to control your mind under pressure for sports, performance and business environments, as well as help you to achieve your goals faster. The lessens I learned from this book have absolutely impacted my life and how I choose to live. I eventually went on to become the 2002 Female Recurve Outdoor Archery US National Champion, as well as achieved many other State and National Championship awards and represented the US on two international world teams.

Having a productive and positive focus is vital to pursuing your goals in this life. I would not be where I am today if I was still in my teenage head and I owe a lot of that to this book.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fuzzybuttpetphotos.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fuzzybuttpetphotos/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fuzzybuttpetphotos

Image Credits

All Photos by Jess Kristen | Fuzzy Butt