We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rae Holloway-Collins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rae below.
Alright, Rae thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Everyone has crazy stuff happen to them, but often small business owners and creatives, artists and others who are doing something off the beaten path are often hit with things (positive or negative) that are so out there, so unpredictable and unexpected. Can you share a crazy story from your journey?
During the pandemic, I was hungry for work! Booking gigs at the time was really hard. A client came along and she wanted me to help with her passion project. This particular client had a small budget, I was ok with it because I believed in what she was doing. I was tasked with photographing headshots and lifestyle photos of 20 other artist that helped contribute to the project. This project spanned over a year, it was only supposed to last for a few months. On the first day of the shoot red flags went up. The client became very difficult to work with. Though out the span of the project, we had multiple reshoots, communication issues and unrealistic expectations. I cried, vented and cried some more! I felt stretched thin and taken advantage of. I always try to look at the silver lining, I couldn’t find it anywhere in this situation.
After a while, I was able to sit with all of my emotions. As difficult as this project was it was also a gift. I was able to perfect my workflow, focus on the details of each project, know what my limits are as an artist and meet some fantastic people. I finally found the silver lining. One of the artists from the project connected with me last year. At the time I was just getting into videography. They connected me with a corporate client that continuously uses my photography and videography services. I truly believe there is a lesson or gold nugget in every situation.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Rae Holloway-Collins. I’m the owner of Purple Star Photography.
In the early 2000’s I attended a pretty cool visual and performing arts High School (Fort Hayes.) My first two years there were great! During my sophomore year, I had four rotating art classes. The class I fell in love with was, yes you guessed it! Photography.
Fort Hayes wasn’t your average High School, it was also a career center. The school was an old army base made to resemble a college campus. I jumped at the chance to attend the 2 year photography career center. During my junior and senior year I thrived in the photography program. This was right as digital photography was becoming a thing.I had the best of both worlds, digital and film! I processed my own film all while learning photoshop.
After High school, I literally attended college 3 minutes from my High school. I spent four years at Columbus College of Art & Design exploring my creativity and sharpening my skills. While there I discovered what work ethic was. Art school was tough! In 2011 I graduated with my BFA in Photography.
In 2016 I landed my dream job as a staff photographer for a hospital. I worked in the marketing department along with graphic designers. The opportunity was AMAZING! I photographed events, marketing materials and traveled around south west Ohio shooting headshots. The best part of the job was photographing patient stories. The company I worked for had a quarterly magazine that featured real stories of their patients. Some people beat cancer, had near-death experiences or overcame the impossible. It was so much fun planning the photo shoot and asking personal questions about what they like to do. Each photo shoot was centered around who they were as a person and what they love to do.
On Memorial day in 2019 a tornado destroyed my apartment. I decided that it was time for me to leave my job behind and start something new. After surviving a near-death experience it makes you question a few things. I started asking myself “What do you want to do?” and “How can you make a difference in the world?”
At the time I started admiring the way other female photographers were capturing female owned businesses. I was seeing creative imagery that was evoking emotion and told a story.I wanted to be a part of the movement too!
I’ve photographed all kinds of subjects, from high school seniors, weddings, portraits and events. One thing that stuck out to me were the negative comments that women would make. I’ve had brides, corporate clients and ladies in the club say “I’m fat” I’m ugly” I hate the way I look in photos.” This would eat me up inside. It hurts to hear someone tear themselves down.
I started thinking. What’s going to help women, specifically female business owners feel comfortable and show up confidently in front of the camera? After thinking about it for a while, things started to click.
If you look good you feel good. Nine times out of ten when you put in the effort to put a cute outfit together, you’re gonna feel great! The best way to show up confidently is through preparation. Creating a plan, identifying the right props to bring, trying on your clothes before your session, and scheduling a professional makeup artist will no doubt set clients up for success.
I’ve tried lots of different things in my career but ultimately landed on celebrating women in business. I absolutely love what I do! It’s my mission to help women to look and feel their best when stepping in front of my camera.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I love listening to books and podcasts. I tell everyone I know about Libby. Libby is a free app that allows you to access audiobooks and traditional books. All you need is a library card! During the pandemic, I started listening to business books. It’s been a total game-changer for me. I think half the battle of becoming a successful entrepreneur is mindset. It’s so important that you feed yourself positivity and continue to access knowledge. I will always be a forever learner. I have a few book and podcast suggestions below.
You are a badass at making money-Jen Sincero
Profit First-Mike Michalowicz
The Emyth Revisited-Michael E. Gerber
We should all be Millionaires-Rachel Rodgers
Uncloned Marketing-Audria Richmond
Podcast
Guy Raz- How I built this
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
After every session, I send a handwritten note to each client. The note also includes a few prints from their event or portrait session. I really want my clients to feel special and cared for.
In addition, I send out a monthly newsletter to my current clients and subscribers. I share books I’m currently reading, podcast suggestions, inspirational content,
I also have a YouTube channel where I highlight local female business
Contact Info:
- Website: purplestarphotography.com
- Instagram: purplestarphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PurpleStarPhotography/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/purple-star-photography/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4k0NjE_r1c9fjjY9A8Ytgg
Image Credits
My headshot was taken by Kamron Khan
Suggest a Story: CanvasRebel is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Carpey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
Spring weddings in Colorado often come with unpredictable weather. Most of the time, it’s just a 20 minute afternoon shower, we wipe chairs down and move on with the day. One wedding was a bit different. It was an April wedding in the mountains, which also adds a component of altitude and high winds. The day started normally and setup was going off without a hitch. We had just hung these stunning glass light fixtures over the head table and stage, when out of nowhere the winds picked up to over 50mph, the sky went dark and began hailing incessantly. Linens and lounge spaces were soaked through and we lost several of the glassware and light fixtures. Meanwhile, guests were expected to arrive in a matter of hours.
In true Colorado form, the storm passed quickly and the sky went back to blue. Ultimately, we had to pivot, and the rental team was able to bring all new linens, glassware, and furniture. The grounds crew from the venue came out to fix what had been damaged, and guests never had a clue what unfolded a few hours earlier.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been doing events for as long as I can remember. I’ve done everything from university recruitment events to music festivals. While studying abroad in Madrid, I decided to explore the wedding industry. I remember walking past a bridal shop on my way to class one afternoon and spent the entire class period emailing every wedding planner I could find in the Denver area. That summer was my first wedding season in the industry, and I was immediately hooked.
When COVID hit and changed the whole world, the wedding industry along with it changed dramatically. Not only did I realize the need to help couples navigate canceling, postponing and replanning their weddings- on the other side of it there was an even bigger need to celebrate being together. Now, I help my clients plan and design their dream wedding while making sure they feel the least amount of stress as possible. The goal is to allow them to focus on starting their new life together. I think that part gets lost in the excitement of a wedding, but it really is the start of a marriage, and I pride myself on making sure my clients get to enjoy that part, too.
We, as your vendors, want you to know how much time and energy we spend thinking about your wedding. We want you to know what you actually get when you hire a wedding planner:
When hiring a wedding planner you not only get your go to person to help you navigate planning your big day, you also get a design expert, contract reviewer, project manager, timeline and floor plan pro, cheerleader, therapist, family manager and lifelong friend. Most of all, we are there to celebrate with you — because we love what we do and we love making sure our clients feel that.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
You are taught in business school that there is a right way and a wrong way to be successful. It’s black and white.
I went to school to study business because I always knew I wanted to own my own company. My college years were challenging. I struggled to keep up with my peers, particularly when math was involved. I felt like I couldn’t hack the system, so I must not be cut out for it. While many of my peers excelled and by senior year they had accepted jobs in the “big four” accounting firms, I felt like never fit in with that crowd.
By my senior year I had found my way into weddings. I loved that it was the perfect way to combine my goal of owning a business with my passion for design and creativity. Finally, I was building my career around a life I wanted for me —yet I didn’t take the conventional path that most of classmates had taken. My college education was incredibly valuable, albeit difficult at times. I networked and drew insight from small business owners and entrepreneurs who talked about starting their own companies. I learned how to fall, and pick myself right back up. And I learned that business is not as black and white as it is made out to be. As someone who has to combine hard decision making with artistic creativity I prove that every day.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
When I first started my wedding planning business it was just me, I was the chief cook and bottle washer. When my wedding planning business started to grow, I hired more support staff. It was then that I had to learn to stop micromanaging. That was a big step. However, learning to delegate to my team freed me up to do what was most important for the business.
The best advice I have for managing a team is to clearly communicate what’s needed to get the job done. Then trust your team, and don’t be averse to learning from them. That helps to build a cohesive unit, which is what is needed most during the stressful moments of a wedding. On big project days, there is so much to get done and a finite amount of time to do it. As the business owner, it’s my responsibility to make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch, but it’s also my job to be there for our client. Making sure I have a well communicated plan to get everything accomplished on time allows me, and my team, to be fully present for my client. Two additional points that have helped to keep morale high: After each wedding I conduct a “post project review” . We go over what went well, and what we could have improved upon. The whole team gets a voice. Second, I overpay. I want to make sure my employees feel appreciated for their hard work, and that they want to continue to do so.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ramblinroseweddings.com
- Instagram: @ramblinroseweddings
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ramblinroseweddings
Image Credits
Kari Geha Photography