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

Alright, Kat thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

A question I often get the most is how I got started. I spent years putting off learning “what I wanted” to do. Always saying, “I wish this, I wish that I… WANT… to do that”, only never making the first step toward it. I think a lot of times people don’t know how to get started, and of course, whereas some do, that’s a great skill to have. If someone is like me and not sure where to go for step one, I highly suggest a non-traditional way of facing that, and it’s simply diving right in.

I caught myself overthinking so much so that I would think, “what’s the point?” or better yet, let my fears dominate the foundation of my dreams. I couldn’t see any potential for the magic that could happen and real results due to my loud doubts paralyzing my happiness. So if people are sharing traits that sound similar to my early days, I tell them, to stop thinking and just react. We are so much more capable than we know, and sometimes it takes putting ourselves out there to really learn what trusting ourselves is.

Even if you fail–of course, you CAN fail– as any risk involves that. But we take risks in other ways that we may not even realize. We may take risks for others (i.e. Oftentimes, we wouldn’t give a second thought in some instances for showing up for someone we care about). There comes a time when we have to jump into the deep end of the swimming pool, so to speak, to learn to swim. And if you fail, at least you know what NOT to do. There’s wisdom in action and experience.

So photography… and art… before you can ever get started it’s easy to spend thousands of dollars. There’s time to be sacrificed in even that step. So “jumping in” and starting out with few options, connections, or finances (who has financial structure newly out of college anyway??) and so forth, as I did, I had limited options– but in a way that became my gifts in disguise. It took a life-changing event to remind me that we are only here for a limited time. I couldn’t let fears and lack of finances hold me back. I didn’t have an exact plan, but I had an overall goal and a rough draft of my blueprint for my goals.

To get over my fears, I treated my actions like a game. I took out 3 credit cards at one time and all had little faith in me. I hadn’t had credit all that long, so I think in total I had $3,500 between them all. I didn’t know what exactly I needed to buy outside of a camera, so I started there. The rest not only came to me but so did the doors opening. It was a lot of work. I followed my gut, and on top of researching where I could, I didn’t have immediate connections or money for travel, so I used social media in the meantime to “connect and meet others”. While doing that, I researched the people I admired most. My favorite photographers and artists were established. I researched how they did it and learned that many had immediate connections or financial help early on. This helped me not be so hard on myself and kept my action plans in perspective.

I found my first camera on eBay at a very discounted price. I was so proud of it. It was a Canon 5d Mark ii ($600) and where I initially thought everything should be new and shiny, I realized that you can find so many “new” items from someone originally thinking the same thing. Sometimes too much access can create oversaturation and take you back to “where to start?” questions. What I mean by that is, you don’t always know what you need to start with, so your limits can be gifts in disguise. You learn what you not only want but what you really need to take the next step and level up. I started by knowing I was interested in people, not landscapes or products necessarily, so that helped me decide which lenses to narrow down my focus to. I could only afford a used 50mm lens. It was $100, bringing my total to $700 ish so far. I knew I wanted to get an alternative lens for options, but since my funds were limited, I just got started running with what I had. I started with self-portraits because I was painfully shy to connect with strangers. Plus, I didn’t know even then how THAT worked just yet. Aside from connecting with people on social media, I didn’t realize yet that there was a community dedicated to free trade shoots. That in itself was a new learning experience. But when I realized it, I got to work. Quickly, my connections told others about my work, liked my posts, and I was soon shooting directly after my day job and up to 6 shoots per weekend. I learned I needed some kind of flash for the style I was studying and aiming for, so that was a new investment. I knew eventually I wanted to move to mono lights but wanted to get comfortable with conceptualizing and meeting others first. I kept the goal on my backburner though and knew when things felt like automatic or muscle memory, I would then level up my gear. I also needed a camera bag, but since I didn’t have a ton of gear or memory cards, I made do with my backpack from college. I found a small flash that could work with portraits that cost about $100 used. In the meantime shooting, I wrote notes on my phone about what I wanted next. I took notes or researched the style of lighting or images I wanted to create. In the meantime, I paid down my credit cards and learned I wanted to build my sets to a larger production. I knew I would need more money, but learned to be thrifty and how a little paint could go a long way in revamping free or cheap items.

I started marketing myself as a portrait photographer for very low prices. I made sure my turnaround was fair in trade for a low budget. 3 images were promised, and I learned different styles of retouching. This entire time I was exploring what style of photography I wanted to evolve into. That was something I was unsure of in the beginning, but followed my intuition in what felt right, and continued research to the elevation I wanted to try and achieve. Where I couldn’t afford the lighting equipment I wanted for a while, I learned to bounce light with a reflector (another used find, for a decent price) and what morning blue light was, and the evening’s golden hour. I researched “Paris lighting” a type of light that only happens in natural light that is the most even. I learned how to bounce light with my small flash in harsh sunlight and went wild with studying natural light versus studio lighting and combining the two.

Where I don’t think people should compare, I think there’s a healthy way to do it. Not in a social media highlight reel sort of way, but in a homework way. You can find action plans or learn how others climbed the ladders in their profession just by seeing where they came from. I would love to say I read unique books in a library for hours, but the truth is, I was googling in between my day jobs and transit. I was constantly researching and taking notes on my phone. I think one thing that helps early on other than just diving in and taking a bit of a gamble, is honing in on the WAY you work best.

For example, I was never good at studying in school. Therefore, I was never good at studying better ways to use my camera. What did work best for me was volunteering or taking very intro=level assisting gigs for photography. I wanted to learn how everything worked, so on-the-job training was my best avenue. It took me more time than I want to admit to even learn that. I didn’t have a mentor, get a mentor. If someone is interested in seeing you succeed, lean on them. Learn from them. Take any information someone is giving you for free and do what you can with it. I was lucky that where I didn’t reach out to a mentor, I organically had a few on the way who really cared about my progress in my professional endeavors. Something I learned from them though is it would not have been weird and totally would be ok to email someone you want to learn from. I believe at an established level in a person’s career, they want to consider giving back. If anything, you can just roll the dice and see. Worse case they say they aren’t able to. And you can continue reaching out if that works for you.

On that note, being told no, I want to all caps “yell”: DON’T LET THAT BOTHER YOU. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been told, “no”, in some way. Definitely more times than yes. They just make the acceptance all that much sweeter. The balance can be learned to keep you humble, on your research/grind, and remind you what you really want and love. I want to say take the negatives as a gift in disguise, even though it’s not always easy to see that in the moment. I remind myself of this all of the time. Cheesy confession, sometimes when I feel down, I find motivational speeches to boost my motivation. I found somehow that it worked outside of a gym session and perks my brain up enough to keep going forward.

One thing I want to add is I had to find myself along the way. It’s like just because you do tattoos doesn’t mean you want to do every style. Or even can if you want to master a style. So like that, in photography, at the start. I narrowed down my interests where possible (even though I started out with a lot to focus on) I shot concerts, worked on how to brand businesses with imagery, learned different ways to photograph a headshot, when and how to implement more creative executions, the different ways to shoot fashion, how printing quality work works in working with a magazine, and I even did gigs like food photography for Grubhub, Airbnb and real estate photography and so forth to get extra income that went right back into my gear and wishlists. It wasn’t until years under my belt and experiences that I realized I wanted to focus on strictly photography as my chosen medium for artwork. The pandemic changed everything for us, and on a positive note, ramped up my artistic goals. I was dying to collaborate and create, and since I was limited to myself once again, it was a full circle. I took my newly upgraded gear and collection and started at square 1 yet again so to speak. Something I realized was if you aren’t “starting over” in a new form, you aren’t leveling up. You should always be leveling up, which resets to a new step one.

I also think when you really love something, what is the point in letting it go or giving up if you have some grind times before the payout? What else would you be doing? But at the same time, the grind and at times monotony of it can also remind you that you really love what you’re doing. Anyone loves the payoff, but we obviously can’t have that consistently. I think there’s nothing else like watching all you worked for come to life. The way you suddenly trust and believe in yourself cannot be from instant gratification. It comes from perseverance and living your most authentic truth. Sometimes as you take these risks, the excess of what holds you back starts to naturally leave your path as you carve out your passion. You’ll look back and be so glad you took a leap of faith. You’ll look back at how much you’ve changed and grown as a person and if you’re like me, can’t imagine life without your passion.

Conclusion. If you want to do something, you don’t have a solid start in front of you, do what I did and jump in. I hope this doesn’t sound preachy, but rather passionate and motivating. You’ll surprise yourself over and over again, learning from the lows and soaring on the highs. You’ll learn more about yourself than any school or person can teach you. Start where you can and take a risk where you can’t. The worst case is you fail and start again with a new perspective and way to jump the hurdles.

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?

How I got into the industry: I pitched myself with consistency. I still do. I reach out and share my information. The best way is to get a website to have all of your info in one spot, but if you can’t afford one, I would suggest not being afraid to start with a free blog. At one point I had a Tumblr and an extremely cheap URL. I researched Art Calls and submitted new and exclusive work to magazines. I got told no or no response more times than not, and eventually I got a yes!

Problem-solving: When I work with clients or even on set (from no creativity and the most creativity) I come in with a 100% plan, but stay flexible as to what could happen and rolling with it. For example, on one set, the lights went out in the rented space and we still had to get the shot. I tapped into my experimental days and grabbed a tripod. I told everyone who had their phone to turn on their phone flashlights and with long exposure in place, I had them outline the model and products with the lights. Going into light painting. We can be prepared but never know what could happen on set. If something breaks, roll with it. How can it be implemented still? Have to scrap it? How can you improvise without that shot? Does it call for a reschedule? In most cases, no. Getting a team in one place on time, on the same day, and usually, there’s a budget involved– What can be salvaged before an immediate decision? One time on another set, a mirror broke that I was going to shoot as a prop with the model. I kept it as a prop and the fact that it was no longer perfect, gave the image more feeling than if it had never broken in the first place. One time on a location scout, I found the perfect building to access for a rooftop (I don’t condone trespassing! To be fair, I didn’t see a sign! I highly recommend getting a permit and getting in touch to get permission every time. Something I had to learn early on) A week later, I took the models and team out, and the building was demolished. Like completely gone. I had to think on the spot and created the perspective I wanted from up on the roof by shooting low and upward, creating a powerful set of imagery I may not have thought outside the box on getting exactly what we wanted initially in the ideal location. Staying flexible and open-minded is your best friend– even beyond photography– in all you do. Putting in the hours and groundwork will be your backbone during these types of scenarios. Remember, no one knows when something isn’t going right in most cases, that’s why YOU are the professional. And your job is MAKING IT HAPPEN! :)

Most proud of: I was most proud to follow a parallel route as one of my favorite photographers. I was featured in V Magazine and remember the day I first purchased their magazine it was one of my many sources of inspiration in building the style of work I wanted to achieve. Before that, I was always humbled and proud of just getting the opportunity to get to work with so many wonderful people. I still am proud of this and it has been the backbone of my journey–having clients, friends, and strangers trusting me with a vision. We are always growing no matter how much we evolve, and it’s important to stay humble and proud of every “small win” (sometimes those are your biggest wins honestly), even before what feels like your big win(s).

Who I am: (feel free to grab info from a recent page before this one) I didn’t know a lot about who I was before jumping into my passion for art and photography. I have said so long about who I’m “not”, but can confidently say, I am someone who cares. I care beyond an initial idea and believe in pushing past 100%, not for any other reason just to SEE what could happen. Why settle for baseline when you can push boundaries and surprise yourself?

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

That it doesn’t matter where you come from. Where I am from, you don’t have dreams like mine very often, or at least they aren’t received without skepticism. Even if it’s from a good place, a lot of people mainly stuck to traditional routes. Which is totally fine if that’s their truth, but it wasn’t mine. And I was scared and had no idea where I would start.

I remember getting into a big brand’s fashion show… I was someone’s plus one because they didn’t want to waste the ticket, and the runway was an after-party. I was around a few models that I recognized from the magazines I had collected for inspiration and some celebrities. I had originally felt excited and quickly to some kind of a surreal shame. I went to the bathroom to collect myself and as I was washing my hands, one of the models I originally recognized came in having a panic attack. I sat with her a bit and she told me she was really nervous about this show for some reason I told her she looked incredible and no one knew the difference except her in how she felt. There was something that changed after that night, that I realized we are all just people despite our different paths. The best thing we can do is shake our imposter syndrome because no matter what you see in someone, they are probably second-guessing themselves too. If not then, they have– It’s human.

I learned we all belong. So long it’s our truth and honest for us… you deserve to be exactly where you want to be.

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

This sounds so cliche but… ALL OF IT. Once I was able to spin my “lows” as fuel, I can’t find anything that matches this lifestyle and feeling. I’m constantly grateful and find more out about myself all of the time. I get to connect with others on a deeper than usual level most times, due to sharing my messages and goals to support others in any way they connect to my shared messages.

There’s freedom and insight that is explored deeper than surface levels. Something authentic in saying, “hi this is me”, and finding “your people” along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mynameiskat.com
• Other: All of my social is @katinthecloudz :)

Image Credits
• 1654092_10204062882229005_1351095792800142327_n: Model: Dandie Doyle • 192012_1865191226176_4118011_o: model: Eddy Patino • 1412506_10207518259691282_1698392824622820717_o: Model: Kate Leatherwood, Hair: Kate Elizabeth Kubala, Makeup: Natasha Aldridge, Designer: Atelier Benson • 10259138_10203395641188396_7013867451502882973_o: Model/Stylist: Kat Dujka • 12049177_10207031732168398_7841533297541891979_n: Models: Kate Leatherwood / Jackie Salinas, Hair and Makeup: Last Satellite Salon • 12122509_10207163506582676_5642449894084876346_n: Model: Dandie Doyle, Swimsuit Design: ElleLuxx Swimwear by Jacqueline McCann • 10687254_10207518455976189_5286451568768477243_o: Model: Natasha Aldridge, Hair: Last Satellite / Kate Leatherwood, Makeup: Natasha Aldridge, Designer: Atelier Benson • 19030359_1529388280439306_6341141934089803502_n: Model: Felix Lenz, Designer: This is Sloane