We were lucky to catch up with Sabrina Harrison recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sabrina , appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am so much happier as a creative and an entrepreneur. To me, freedom is the best feeling in the world. Having complete control of my schedule and working with my neurodivergent brain, instead of on a set schedule, is the only way to live. When I want to take a vacation, I put it on the calendar, I don’t have to ask the boss. I determine how much money and how much I am going to work in a month. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t draw backs.

The last time I thought about having a regular job, I was thinking about clocking out. When you work a shift you can just go home and not think about it until your next shift. When you work for yourself on your passion, it is easy to drive yourself to burn out, and work constantly. I worked 7 days a week for a while and was heading towards burn out, not giving my family what they needed from me and never logging out of my business mentally. I have consciously worked on clocking out. I tell my clients when they can expect to hear from me, and I leave my business mentally– completely while I am with my family. I just clocked out to make birthday magic for my new 8 year old. I was so focused on her, and enjoying the moment it took me a moment to switch gears this Monday. That’s how I know it’s working. Create boundaries like a boss so you can truly control your schedule and get exactly what you want out of life.

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.

Being a photographer is in my blood: my grandfather was a photographer with his own studio for decades. He gave the bug to my father – an avid shutter bug – who shared it with me and my siblings. I went to school for photography at the University of Virginia, and during school I worked as a second photographer for weddings. After college, I worked in the legal industry for seven years, but found that work to be misaligned with who I am.
 
Years later, when I was staying at home with my young children, I picked up the camera again as a way to engage with the artistic side of myself, and avoid losing my individuality in my children. I joined a photo club and started working on different technical aspects of photography again, and stretching myself artistically. Then I decided to model for a boudoir shoot as a birthday gift to my partner (which was terrifying to me), and I was surprised and delighted when I saw the photos. Having expressed myself that way made me feel more confident, and helped me silence the head trash I had picked up over the years.
 
That’s when I realized, “Hey, I can do this for other women, and help them feel just as confident!” I was finally in a place, and had access to studio space, where I felt like I could create and build a business. So from then on, I decided that it was my time to shine, and time to help other women shine as well! Now I am primarily a boudoir photographer. I help women connect with their confidence, look at themselves with kinder eyes, and harness their capacities to express themselves and feel like badasses doing it.

I am most proud of helping other women feel great about themselves. I want my clients to step into their next chapter, or the next version of themselves with more bandwidth for taking on their mission and passion. When we are kind to ourselves we can stop cutting ourselves off at the knees, and move faster and make a bigger impact in our community. This has certainly been true for me. 
 
The main things clients should know about me is that I am a photographer that will hold space for you, for whatever kind of experience you need to have with your body. Whether that means to heal, to shine, to connect to your sensual power or connect with a partner.

How did you build your audience on social media?

 I am still building my audience (aren’t we all?!), but I do want to share my progress in case it is helpful to other creatives. I started by just putting my art in my feeds, which is a crutch I think a lot of creatives lean on. I thought, “Because I am in a creative career I can just post static photos with a caption.”  But my following was really slow going.
 
What I have learned is that people want more of me. They want to hear me talk, they want to watch me work with a client. They want to have a taste of the experience. I think they also want more of me as a person. They want to know what I am like, what’s important to me, and whether we would click in real life.  So, I make more videos than photos these days for content and my following has grown.
 
I believe we can’t just lean on our work and stay tucked away behind it. We have to show who we really are –  especially if we want that from clients in return.
 
Practice makes better in all things. If you don’t feel like you are naturally good at video or other forms of content, the best things to do are practice it until it becomes more comfortable, hire someone to teach you, or both. Engagement is also very important. When you give people other ways to connect to you, your work will be more visible when you share it.
 

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I have read a ton of books about being an entrepreneur. The most important have been Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller and Profit First by by Mike Michalowicz. These are not sexy: they are about building a brand and managing your money. But you cannot continue to work as a creative without learning how to run a business. I ran my business for two years, making money and immediately reinvesting in growth, never paying myself. At some point I felt like I couldn’t go on without getting paid and feeling compensated for sooo much effort. Profit first taught me how to pay myself, and my taxes.
 
In addition, joining a professional network is indispensable. You will run into things you don’t know how to do. This is not a failing, it just means you need to find help with those things. Joining groups, and finding a business and mindset coach are big parts of why my business is thriving. 
 
The most important books I have read about the creative process are Big Magic by Liz Gilbert and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. There will be days you do not want to sit down and do the work. Being able to dance with your resistance, will help you go again. Both books had incredible nuggets of wisdom. The War of Art taught me routine, while leaving room for the muse. I always make a shot list before working with every client. But I also review their inspiration, and the information they provide to me during their consultations. I get a feel for what the client wants and I make space for inspiration to strike in the moment. Preparation and intuition are a winning combination in my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sabrinaharrisonphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabrinaharrisonphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com.com/sabrinaharrisonphotography
• Other: I would love for reader to join my vip community and spend more time with me! https://www.facebook.com/groups/shpboudoirvip

Image Credits

Model in underwater photo- Sahara Kai Smith @reggaerockstar