We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rebecca Yarnall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rebecca, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
When it comes to success, I personally believe it’s going to look different for everyone but it all comes down to how badly you want to see a goal in your mind become real. It also comes down to how easily you bend when you need to.
We desire things all the time but only certain things stand out enough to draw motivation. In my experience, the things that have created the most motivation out of me were the things that also created a little bit of fear. The thought of achieving something scary sounds liberating beyond belief but it’s also incredibly terrifying knowing the failures we face, have just as much of a capability to define us as much as the successes do. The only problem with these kinds of motivations is that they don’t look or feel as good right away. They usually appear intimidating so I think we all tend to avoid a lot of roads with high possibilities because we allow the fear of messing up on that road to be noisier than our willingness to just enjoy the drive and take in the experience. That’s exactly why we shouldn’t turn our backs on the scary opportunities. Actually, we should be running to them with open arms.
When it comes to finding success, however it may look to someone, I most definitely would encourage people to become best friends with fear and failure. Both situations have the capability to creep in at any time and if you run away the moment they do, you will be your own worst enemy every time.
During the last few years of my journey as a new business owner, I have been faced with many conflicting emotions that almost convinced me to close up shop. Many times along the way it felt much easier to accept I’d face far more failures than successes in life. To be honest the fear of failure never really goes away but it does lessen as you find your confidence. And finding confidence takes patience. The longer you hold onto it once you do find it, the less you pay attention to the moments that would’ve scared you before. If you have the grit to stay patient and allow your failures to teach you where you can be better, every success no matter the size will make you feel like you are standing on Everest. I’m sure you’ll even be like me and do a little happy dance right where you’re at, regardless who’s looking.
Patience definitely has to be the key in all of this. There’s a reason why a wise man once said “great things comes to those who wait”. Instant gratification is no one’s friend. He has no interest in your character development, but only to make you dangerous to yourself by heightening your ego. We see it all the time with the technology we possess or the different environments we encounter in our daily routines and the shortcuts we create in life everyday to make life a little bit easier but in reality, we just soften ourselves from true experience. Diamonds are what they say “one of the most beautiful things money can buy” and true diamonds don’t break or crack under pressure. By now I think we all know the way a diamond is formed but I can still spare you the google search as well. Diamonds are made when atoms form together under intense pressure and heat. And yet come out so stunning once the process is complete. Our character development and relationship with success and the ability to handle the pressures of failure in my mind, work the same way. If we learn to embrace the hard in life we can succeed every time. No matter how it looks. With or without a trophy or special shout out. With or without that big publication. With or without the amount of growth you had hoped to see by the end of that month or the end of that year. Success lies in every moment you chose to not give in.
The only other thing I know for a fact that will encourage success is an unbreakable support group. I know there are one man/women shows out there that have few to no one and still kick butt and take names like nothing and let me tell ya, they are forces like none other. But if I hadn’t had known what it was like to have people in my corner remind me how worthy I was, I fear I definitely could’ve succumbed to one of those moments when the urge to throw the towel in creeped up on me.
If you can surround yourself with a few people who care about your success as much as you do, and are willing to go as far as you far, do so. They will hold you accountable when you forget to do it yourself and will remind you when you encounter the harder people along the way and why you fight for what you fight for. I think a lot of people give in to the desire to quit because they lose sight of what goodness humanity still has and they fall victim to forgetting that their passion still has power to reach others. Wanting to share your joy with the world comes with a price and you have to be ready to pay it. You have to build a thick skin and be ready for the parts of your journey that will be harsh. All passions start with wanting to bring happiness and joy to others and all it takes sometimes is one bad experience with someone to taint our views. Don’t let yourself fall at that first unhappy customer. Stand firm and remember, thick skin. Having a superbly strong support group often times makes it much harder to fall into that trap and if you can secure one, it definitely won’t be the worst thing you’ve done.
To summarize, holding onto patience and having good people to remind you why you love what you love have been my keys to the success I’ve found so far. I see why no one who’s found those two things couldn’t be exactly what I’m doing and achieving anything they set out to. Success lies where you find it and it can be found many times. You’re only truly failing and accepting defeat once you stop looking for it.
Thanks for reading!
Rebecca, 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 Rebecca Yarnall and I’m a growing photographer in the East Valley of the Phoenix area. I started my business almost 3 years ago when I discovered my love for a good photo combined with my artistic eye could bring joy and purpose to others as well. I love to photograph intimate moments like weddings, maternity/newborn, and couples/families. As a photographer we face slow seasons throughout the year and I love to do creative and more adventurous sessions like events and sports! I spent this last summer photographing and traveling with my nieces softball team and photographing her team at tournaments and even became a sponsor! If I have the space in my schedule to do it, I won’t say no! Sometimes I feel like that’s one of my weaknesses but it’s landed me way too many beautiful shoots so I can’t hate on it too much! I’m proud of every moment of every step I’ve made these last couple years but I think I’m most proud of how resilient I’ve become to moments of defeat and coming back determined instead of letting it emotionally stress me out like it did before. Learning how to do this has really allowed me to connect with my clients more and build relationships with them that I really feel have always played a part in the quality of their sessions with me as well as the results from our time together. I’m super fun, outgoing, and a tad on the goofy side and I really just try to make the experience my clients have with me, as memorable as possible. It’s hard to fully “stand out” in such a diverse and competitive field that grows by the day and I’ve finally learned that it’s not so much about standing out anymore but more so about attracting those that are meant to be a good fit for me just as much as the other way around. I’m no longer stressing myself out trying to reach absolutely “anyone and everyone” to get a session and forcing myself to create where I don’t want to or just not connected to. I’m learning that it’s okay to pace myself and take on what feels right and in return I end up meeting the best people and form great relationships with them. I’m learning to trust that my work will bring me exactly who and what I want to work with and it’s a rewarding feeling. My whole message with my business is about creating timeless moments that can be cherished forever and as long as I do my job right, I’m implementing the same principle by creating timeless friendships with all the people I’m meant to encounter. It feels way more intentional that way, more personal, which in the end, creates results that will stand out for a life time. If there’s one way I hope to stand out, it’s with my purely personable personality and willingness to go above and beyond for everyone I work with.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Authenticity. Hands down.
Often times we try to hard to succeed based off what’s trending and what we think may work for everyone else.
Being true to yourself, what you like, what you don’t like, what you do and do not want to spend your time on, helps create the brand you want to sell. Photography has many areas and if your passionate about one area like maternity but find yourself sacrificing your happiness and authenticity for areas like portraits or family sessions that do nothing for your creative side because gaining maternity clients might be too challenging, that’s one way to keep yourself from building the reputation you want to have and be known for. Even if you have to start small or offer free sessions for a bit to gain the portfolio you want, don’t be afraid to start! Stay true to what speaks to you and stay patient while you do!
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
To be honest, I started my business as a “hobby”. I didn’t have a luxurious amount of money set aside to help me out, I took everything in stride as I could. I started with buying my first camera on a Black Friday deal and offered free sessions for about 4-6 months. I waited until I felt my editing gained a consistency that started attracting clientele and it wasn’t until I was asked to do a small backyard wedding that I succeeded greatly in that I felt like I was confident enough to create a website and start offering packages. From there I started to buy the subscriptions I needed to really elevate my editing experience as a photographer and give my clients a better experience as well from the moment we did our shoot together to the moment they went to hit download on their photos. Since its hobby-turned side hustle, the funding is considered “as it comes” and what I can manage from my full time job without affecting any immediate expenses, goes back into the business. This is why photographers, even the most seasoned ones, charge the way they do. Finding the courage to make photography a full time job can be terrifying. We understand that what we offer isn’t a “need” like groceries or covering bills. It’s a luxury field and when the economy struggles, we absolutely feel it. People will sacrifice photos for their priorities every-time and I understand that as well as anyone. When the rent is due, the last thing anyone is thinking about is securing their family photos. So for businesses like ours, it can be a gamble. Covering business costs to keep doors open and heighten the efficiency of the way it runs most definitely will require the right funds as well as top dollar equipment. Can’t forget the funds to make sure your business is legit by the state as well as making sure your insured. It’s definitely a challenge but I love what I do too much and have come too far to walk now. It is my dream to become successful enough to leave my full time job one day and travel the world for shoots that only travel could take me to. And I know I’ll get there. With the support of my amazing clients and the ones I’ve yet to meet, I’m only getting that much closer!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://boldlybrilliantimages.mypixieset.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZWH3jt6SbojKp6d2Uk0yBfwZ4q_tiwlSGUD84GTns_32nGZ_WyehsahT4_aem_Y3FGMsP2Ae5Zn_Pu1j8ByQ
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boldlybrilliantimages/profilecard/?igsh=NGZvZ3p0cGVwaWg2
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15MHUYUbPR/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
Boldly Brilliant Images
Rebecca Yarnall