We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Natalia Robert a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Natalia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I started like most photographers, doing any photography gig I could just to bring in some money and keep my business going. Eventually, I realized that I was most talented and drawn to photographing spaces, so I focused in on that. While learning the ropes for this niche of work, I struggled to not only find information specifically about working with Interior Designers, but also to find other women who were succeeding within this space. I always knew that my business would someday involve teaching or sharing in some capacity, and I realized that it needed to be for interior photography. The Grove started as me sharing what I had learned over the years, and speaking directly to other women so that they would find the female voice in the field that I didn’t find. With time, a tight-knit community arose from our Facebook group, and that has become the heart and soul of our brand.
Today, The Grove is all about being a resource and a platform for women who photograph architecture and interiors. We aim to increase the representation of women in our field, and do this through things like digital courses and resources, community with hundreds of other women worldwide, and sharing of information in an open nature.
I continue to photograph for Interior Designers in the region, but The Grove and its mission has really become a driving force for all I do.
Natalia, 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?
I’m an Interior Photographer serving designers throughout Southern California, and I’m also the Founder of The Grove – a community for women who photograph architecture and interiors. My career started as an architect in San Diego, even though I’ve had a love of photography since high school. After a few years in architecture, I was offered an opportunity to teach in India and jumped on it. Returning from that to a recession, I landed at a job as a graphic artist for an international signage company. Feeling lost and unhappy at that job, I turned back to photography, launching into it full-time in 2012. Four years into my photography business, my love of design led me to discover interior photography. While learning the ropes and improving my skill set for that niche, I realized there was a major lack of information for this type of work and even more so a lack of women in this niche of photography.
Once my interior photography business was more stable and I felt ready to share, I created The Grove as an outlet for digital courses and downloads all about interior photography! Simultaneously, I created a Facebook group for women who photograph architecture and interiors.
Over time, the Facebook group grew to nearly 700 women and I became a leading voice in empowering women within the niche of architectural photography. Our mission became clearer with each message of gratitude I received from a fellow photographer.
Today, The Grove offers a membership, digital courses, digital downloads, a library of educational articles, casual gatherings, and an annual retreat. This year we’ve started inviting seasoned photographers into the brand by becoming instructors, mentors, and ambassadors so that we can be not only a resource, but a platform to give women a voice as experts.
I’m incredibly proud of what The Grove has become and what its future holds.
I continue to be incredibly proud of my photography clients as well. It’s been an honor walking the path of growth with so many talented designers, and knowing that I’m doing my part to help their businesses succeed.
With both my photography work and The Grove, I believe that coming from a place of service is crucial. We’re stronger together!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One thing I’ve had to unlearn, and continue to work on unlearning, is my limiting beliefs. Business ownership, especially as a creative service provider, can be difficult and lonely. If you don’t believe in yourself, how will someone else? Creating mindset shifts so that I stay positive, focused on the future, and confident in my value has made all the difference in the world for me! We all have friends or family members who doubt our chances of succeeding or are scared that we’ll fail. Often they haven’t seen that side of you or they’re not seeing the vision that you see of what your business could be. Learning how to deal with those people in your life is absolutely necessary for growth. Usually, that means that you intentionally create a circle of people to confide in that will support you and cheer you on. Sometimes, this circle of support can even be in the form of podcasts, books, and courses – whatever works! There has also been unlearning of this kind when it comes to money. Often without realizing it, I had been mentally limiting my financial potential or not paying enough attention to the finances. Tracking all my finances and setting goals has been a game-changer! Once you know how much you need, what actually comes in, and where the expenses go, you get a whole lot of clarity on how to move forward. I also started working with a financial mentor so that I could have accountability and resources at my fingertips.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
My biggest pivot has to be when I decided to walk away from architecture and start my photography business. It was a huge gamble, but one that felt necessary. One thing I did to make myself feel more secure in my decision was to maintain my architectural credentials and contacts for several years into my photography career. The gamble was still there, but it felt like I was keeping more of a safety net for myself if I decided to go back to architecture. Realistically, I don’t know that I would have had the courage to make this big leap of faith if I hadn’t been at a dead-end job during a recession. This decision was made in 2011, and the country was still recovering from an economic crash in 2008. One of the hardest hit sectors was construction, and that meant that architecture firms were also letting people go left and right. This made it incredibly difficult to get hired back into a firm, and so I started realizing that to get out of that miserable job, I needed to create my own path. This job had also made me feel creatively frustrated, which pushed me to look for a creative outlet in my off-hours.
At the end of the day, I’m glad I listened to my gut and created my own way out of that situation. I encourage everyone to check in with their gut/heart and listen to it carefully for all major decisions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nataliarobert.com
- Instagram: @nataliarobertphoto
- Linkedin: https://www.
linkedin.com/in/robert/ - Youtube: https://www.youtube.
com/c/wearegrovestrong - Other: The Grove: www.WeAreGroveStrong.
com The Grove IG: @wearegrovestrong
Image Credits
Photo of me: Photo by Paige Ray Creative Outdoor group photo: Photo by Caitlin Antje All other photos: Photo by Natalia Robert