Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sara “Bish” Bishop. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sara “Bish”, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I believe, a business as personal as mine will be flat without deep core values.

As a photographer I get to learn so much about my clients and they allow me into special times in their lives. Creating art from your wedding day or crafting a story in images and portraits is made so much sweeter with an unforgettable experience. Part of this, for me, is making my clients comfortable from first emails through the delivery of their images. I believe I shine with my genuine curiosity about my clients’ lives and what gets them excited. Everyone deserves to experience acceptance and feel affirmed, especially during vulnerable times, like being in front of the camera!

All of this helped to craft my mission statement:

Come as you are and all are welcome here. We value inclusivity, body positivity, and women fiercely supporting women and it is our mission to create an experience for our clients where they feel seen, welcomed, accepted and celebrated for everything that they are.

I feel so strongly about celebrating my clients because my life lacked that celebration and feeling of acceptance for a really long time. Even though I started my business at 18 years old, I discovered this passion for celebrating my clients uniqueness after I left a long term abusive relationship at 30 years old.

A lot of inner work, and the hardest but most rewarding years have followed. This is also why a portion of my income is donated every year to non-profits that help abused women get back on their feet. As a survivor of domestic abuse I know first hand how important it is to be able to receive help. I was lucky to have resources, family and friends who could help me. But, I know that is not the case for many. So, I’m proud to be able to be that source of help in any way I can.

Sara “Bish”, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As long as I can remember I had a passion for art and storytelling. As a sophomore in high school (in 2002) I fell hard for photography. It was my first photo class, black and white film to be exact. I was hooked the first day of class when our teacher showed us a video of different photography careers. If you remember the GAP ads at the time, black and white on a white background with white tees and jeans – that was the shit. I was sold. I’m going to do THAT!

As the year went on every part of the photography process intrigued me. The way the camera worked, the smell of the chemicals in the darkroom, it all allured me. Obviously I am not a commercial photographer for GAP. What I do now is so much better! Telling the story of YOU, unapologetically.

We call this the #CelebrateWithBish experience!

The #CelebrateWithBish experience is relaxed, without preconceived ideas of how your photos should look. You will never feel stiff or bored. During our portraits I will guide you and give you direction while letting natural moments happen in front of me. This is movement based photography. This is story-telling. This is art and you are too!

The #CelebrateWithBish wedding experience is unlike any other!

You’ll feel the difference from our first emails. I’m genuinely excited and can’t wait to celebrate with you!

#CelebrateWithBish is more than just a hashtag. It’s my whole philosophy. Your wedding day is a celebration and it should feel like one! Pop the champagne, drink it from the bottle, dance all night… we’re here to party!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

At 30 years old, I’d already been a business owner for 12 years. I started my photography business at 18 – photographing anyone I could, for free or low-cost. But, at 30 I left a long term abusive marriage and then 3 months later I left my full time job too.

When I made the jump to full time entrepreneur my business was thriving, but I was failing – physically, mentally, emotionally, all of the above.

The freedom to create my own schedule combined with the adrenal burn out and overall fatigue resulted in a schedule of sleeping past noon, working at the computer until 3am and repeating the day over and over. I had created an even more over-worked self who didn’t have boundaries and worse – I was proud of it! I wore the badge of “busy business owner” but I was losing myself.

So when and how did I fix it? I’d love to tell you I’ve figured it out, but I am still learning! The greatest pivot has been my mindset. I have shifted my focus to myself. Learning who I am, all the dark parts too. Leaning in and allowing myself to fail, to let go, to stop controlling, to quiet the perfectionist chattering in my brain and allow the artist and creator to have more room to breathe.

It’s taken years to get the vantage point to see my resiliency. Small changes sometimes don’t feel like they’ll have that big of an impact in the moment. But, years later you’ll see that choosing that one thing that makes you feel great over the thing that makes you feel shitty will build up to create a huge mindset change.

Now, 6 years into this journey of self-love and resilience, I remember I’m not just a business owner. I’m also an artist. And for my artist to thrive she needs solitude, meditation, journaling, fun, play and creation for no reason other than to create. Discovering life’s richness as an artist has made the side of me that is a business owner so much more relevant, productive and happy. Saving myself and growing my business looks like putting myself first. But it didn’t happen overnight, and it is an on-going fight. Isn’t that the beauty of entrepreneurship?

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Being an artists as a career is a very tricky thing. I am classically trained as a wedding photographer. That means I went to college for photography, and I studied it. Then, I worked as an assistant and a studio manager and editor for a prominent wedding photographer for many years. And I studied independently, learning all the ways to create appealing wedding imagery. I was a great student. I learned all the rules.

In my experience, art is all about breaking the rules. When learning art we are taught the rules of art, and then are expected to follow them. But, art is meant to make you feel something and from what I know, art that follows all of the rules rarely is art at all.

Now, to unlearn these classically trained lessons, I’ve consciously made myself work differently. Instead of posing a portrait the same way each time, and creating the same photo each time, but with different people, I actually think about my clients and their voices. What can I show in an image that isn’t obvious. I use their wedding day, for instance, as my muse. I actively see the wedding day differently. It’s no longer a linear progression on a timeline, it’s a painting. Each moment layering on top of one another to create art.

It’s very difficult to create art that is for other people, but as photographers and business owners, our literal job is to create art that sells and appeals to our clients. However I have found that when I’m truly inspired and creating something I’m excited about, I create images that put feelings into the viewers heart or mind, then I’ve done my job.

Contact Info:

• Website: sarabishop.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sarabeebishop
• Facebook: facebook.com/sarabishopphoto
• Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/sara-bishop-photography-phoenix-az-279722

Image Credits
Sara Bishop Photography