1. Wallet 2. Photos 3. Scarf – Madewell 4. Sunglasses – Ray Ban 5. Lipstick – Mac Cosmetics & Kate Moss 6. Nylon Pouch- Marc Jacobs 7. iPhone Case – Free People 8. Hand Sanitizer – Bath & Body Works 9. Clip – France Luxe
What’s your biggest accomplishment? Creating a business from the ground up and making it my full-time career. This summer I celebrate 8 years of being a full-time photographer. I am grateful that I get to do what I love and earn a living at the same time. Getting married and buying a home with my husband are my biggest personal accomplishments. I feel very lucky!
What are three books you would recommend to our readers?
I love to read so I’ve listed five for you – it’s a well-rounded group of books!
- Blink
by Malcolm Gladwell
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma
by Michael Pollen
- The 4-Hour Workweek
by Tim Ferris
- The Violets of March
by Sarah Jio
- Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
What’s the biggest lesson you have learned since launching? Learning when to say “no”. You work, work, work and don’t realize that some projects aren’t the right fit, or think you have the time to take on extra work – and learning it’s okay to say no is a very important part of running your own business (and even just in your day to day life)
What’s your advice to someone interested in starting their own business? Be prepared to put in as much work as you want to get out of your business. It’s a lot of hard work to start your own business or company – and can be a terrifying leap of faith. If you work hard, and understand it’s going to take time, love and determination to reach your goals, the rewards you reap will be worth it.
Where do you receive inspiration? I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest these days – as well as movies & TV shows. I like being out in the world and gather ideas from real people I see on the streets, or cool locations & towns I drive through. They all inspire me to create the images I envision.
If you could have one famous entrepreneur as your mentor who would it be?
Elon Musk. That dude is a whole lot of crazy genius.
Do you feel your life is balanced between work life and your personal life? Yes so much more so than I have ever been. I used to be very unbalanced with work and personal life – and learning how to create space for both and respect work boundaries has been life changing. It ebbs and flows, but learning how to manage work and maintain personal & family time are extremely important to me
Soundbytes:
What is your indispensable gadget? It’s so clichéd, but my iPhone. I use it for everything – getting in touch with my friends, directions to places, listening to music, tracking my runs, and taking photos!
What’s your favorite app? The “weather.com” app is probably my most used app because my job depends on it! I do my photoshoots 99% outdoors– and the Northwest is notorious for it’s difficult to predict weather reports! I need to make sure every day that I have a photoshoot scheduled it’s not going to rain – and the weather report can literally change within hours – so I’m constantly checking the radar and forecast!
What’s your favorite account to follow on Twitter? Definitely the @seahawks – I’m a HUGE football fan and during football season I get really in to life tweeting during the games!
What’s your favorite item in your closet? I have this killer printed jumpsuit I found at Forever 21 a few years ago, and somehow it happened to be made out of high quality material because I wear it all the time and it still looks brand-new. It’s so easy to wear and is really fun and funky.
To learn more about Michelle’s business check out her website. Stay connected with her on social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
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