The Journey

Growing up I never pictured or thought of myself as a creative! So it was a no brainer to me to take the straight road straight out of school and throw myself into the start of an engineering degree. Two years in and my heart simply wasn’t in it - as to what I wanted to do next haha well that was even more unclear! So like any young person I went on a travel stint, came back and dabbled in hospitality and thought it would be good to start another degree.

About 4 years ago I made the big interstate move to Brisbane, not knowing a single soul. I kept studying full time and working behind the bar in between. In those early stages of living in Brisbane, I felt like a tourist - I’d take my camera with me everywhere photographing little nooks, interiors and cafes for myself as I tried to find my feet in this city that I now call home. Now just a little disclaimer, when I was living back home in Newcastle and studying after I returned from overseas travel, I decided that iPhones took pretty average photos and thought I’d buy myself a camera, on a credit card as most poor young students do. I had my dad in the background as most parents lovingly do reminding me that I should not be putting a camera on credit if I couldn’t afford it. I giggle to myself now, because it’s the best decision I ever made and has led me to where I am today, a fully fledged business woman, living and supporting myself through my business that depends on that little camera I risked buying back in the day.

There’s no other way to say it other than I felt like my career chose me. Those photos I wandered around Brisbane taking and sharing on Instagram found their way to my Urban List editor at the time and that’s when I scored my first ever freelance contract. I’m not going to lie, I was definitely quite emotional when I put pen to paper, I’d wanted something like that for so long and there it was right in front of me. Breaking into an industry is hard, lesson number one, you’ve got to persevere.

I’ve had Grace Elizabeth Images for a crazy 3.5 years now… To me I honestly have no idea as to where that time has flown! As they say, time flies by when you’re having fun. I’ve also had my fair share of ups and downs that i’ve had to strap myself into on this rollercoaster ride. I’ve managed to make it past the two year mark that everyone always panics about in business and through a pandemic, reflecting, that makes me proud!

People just think that as a photographer you take pretty pictures, and to an extent we definitely all do, but there’s all the emails and admin, the marketing, the number crunching, the brainstorming, trying to think outside the box, the networking and the balancing act that all comes into play. You’re a business owner just as much as you are a photographer, and both of those go hand in hand.

I’ve learnt that part of being a creative means work will find you, but I’ve also learnt that you also have to reach out for it sometimes too. If you have big ideas! Pitch them! You might just surprise yourself when people come on board.

Over the last 6 months, things have felt a bit up and down and I haven’t felt settled. Creatively I’ve felt like I’ve been in a funk, and now I can sit back and say that I’ve come out the other side. In light of the glimmer at the end of the tunnel I can only share how important brainstorming and work-shopping with likeminded creatives and friends in your community is. Airing thoughts and working through road blocks with people works wonders for me!

Another gem, is to always fill up your cup. Simple.

There’s been a range of offerings I’ve developed through my business over the last 3.5 years and every single time I share them and put them out into the world it still doesn’t get any easier. From the first subscription package I sold, to launching a print range, to then needing to take a step back and make improvements and changes to relaunch it again! I’ve learnt that you’ve got to be accepting that failing might be an outcome, but that succeeding might also outweigh that at any potential day. It took Colonel Sanders, an incredible amount of knock-backs to make what he has standing today. It’s just part of the beautiful journey of business!

Any who! I thought I’d share these little thoughts with you. If you have any questions you’d like to ask, feel free to leave them below and I’ll be back in touch.

Thanks for dropping by!

G x