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

Jessica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

If I were starting over today building a business, I would focus more on the systems in place and how it all works together.

It doesn’t matter how many clients you have if your systems are broken and things are slipping through the cracks. Unfortunately, this was a lesson I’ve had to learn the hard way. But don’t take that to mean that it’s not like a living breathing entity. It’s not always done once you set it up. A healthy system is adaptable to change.

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

Hey, I’m Jess, a creative photographer located in Austin, Texas. I help high school seniors see themselves differently to gain confidence and feel great about themselves. I specialize in high school senior pictures, documentary family photos, and brand photography for small businesses.

Your photoshoot isn’t about me, it’s about you! I want you to feel like we created images that make you the main character. While I will help to guide you through the process of how to do that with photography as the medium, this is a co-creation process where your input is valued.

You’d be surprised at how many clients come to me who do not know what kind of result from their photoshoot, that walk away with images they say truly feels like them.

Here’s a recent review from a happy mom: “Jessica got to know our son with a cool email questionnaire that he completed weeks before the shoot. She understood how unique he is and 100% understood the look we were hoping to get. She literally NAILED it and we can’t say enough good things about her!” – Jen Bourgoyne

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Yes! Really so, so many! I am an avid reader and I love to learn new things, so you can be sure I am always reading a business book of some sort. Feel free to DM me on IG to get my latest book recommendation.

But one of the recent ones that has completely overhauled my business is “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It”.

This book has completely made me reconsider how my business is structured and how to make it run more smoothly and balance all the areas of running a business.

Pro tip: Get a library card so you can start reading these books for free at your local library!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Success does not equal your value as an artist.

Some of y’all might hate me for saying this, but I’ve always felt like if the art I create is good I would then be a successful creative with tons of people chomping at the bit to work with me.

If only that were the case, right?!

When I first started photographing people, I was very sensitive to what they like and didn’t like about my work. It would cause me a lot of anxiety. Every job felt like a performance where I was trying to please them to the best of my ability. Read: recipe for disaster lol. But what this taught me along the way was that not everyone is going to like everything you do or create and… that’s ok. They’re not supposed to! You’re not for everyone and not everything you create is perfection. Some of it might suck. But it’s what you do with that imposter syndrome and how you handle it that matters.

Do you curl up in your bed and cry? Or do you ask yourself a valuable question like “how can I do this better next time?” Remove yourself and your ego from the equation. This is a business not a reflection of you as a person.

It took me far too long to realize that it’s the systems people set up for themselves that help them succeed. It’s the daily routines, and schedules, and what they do when things get hard that causes them to succeed. It’s the consistency and grit and asking the hard questions when you want to run away and hide.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thejessicamartin.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.jessica.martin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejesssicamartin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-martin-austintx/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6QhCEYQw9cDw2M5FBbzrCA
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.jessica.martin?lang=en

Image Credits

Melody Celeste