Creative Rising

[NARRATIVE] Mary Marantz has run a highly successful photography business for over a decade. In fact, it's the kind of thriving business that most wedding photographers dream of having.

But she's decided to leave photography success behind and follow a calling she's had since she was five years old - write a book that will bring honor to where she's from.

Betsy McCue ran a husband and wife wedding photography business for years, but when her husband suddenly passed away, she not only lost her life partner, she lost her business and her identity, too.

In this very special episode, I'm telling two stories of two incredible women who are starting over - either by choice or not.

One is a story of a writer with a calling, wrestling with her childhood while leaving a world of certainty behind for an entirely different world of being a newbie author.

The other is a story of a photographer moving forward after a tragic loss, rediscovering her creative self, and building an entirely new business from scratch.

Both are pictures of courage, strength, and wrestling with the hard parts of our stories.

In this Episode:

Check out Betsy McCue's lifestyle documentary work at:
Betsy McCue Pictures
https://www.betsymccuepictures.com

Follow Mary Marantz's story on her podcast:
The Mary Marantz Show
https://marymarantz.com/themarymarantzshow
(Her book "Dirt" is coming Fall 2020!)


EPISODE MADE POSSIBLE BY: THINK TANK PHOTO
http://creativerising.com/THINKTANK

We've used Think Tank camera bags for over a decade because their bags are so well built we NEVER have to replace them! We LOVELOVELOVE our Airport Security V3.0 rolling bag - this bag goes with us all over the world! Plus, we use our Retrospective shoulder bags at every single wedding and couldn't shoot without them. Use the link above and get a special camera bag accessory with any purchase!


NEXT STEPS:

JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339344669485595/

WANT BETTER BRIDES? TAKE THIS CLASS:
https://dreamieclass.com

LEAVE A REVIEW:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-rising/id1464017907

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. 

Jeff and I are incredibly open and honest on this show about the behind scenes struggles and challenges of running a photography business, but there are still a lot of things you don't know about me, Erin, as a person.

In order for you to get to know the heart behind the mic, I'm opening up about ten things in my life that you probably don't know about me... but that make me nervous to share with you!

Some of the things I share in this episode are all about mindset - the fears I struggle with in our business, the limiting beliefs that hold me back, and how I REALLY feel about social media - and some are about my personal faith and inner life.

But most importantly, I'm getting real about the current challenges I'm facing and how I'm actively reframing my limiting beliefs to move forward and face those challenges. This is a really honest episode and I hope it helps you feel encouraged, empowered, and a little less alone!

Favorite Books & Podcasts in My Faith Journey:
Rob Bell - Love Wins, What is The Bible?
Rachel Held Evans - Searching for Sunday, Inspired
Donald Miller - Blue Like Jazz, Searching for God Knows What

The Liturgist
The Bible for Normal People
Graham Cooke, "The Art of Brilliant Thinking"


NEXT STEPS:

JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339344669485595/

WANT BETTER BRIDES? TAKE THIS CLASS:
https://dreamieclass.com

LEAVE A REVIEW:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-rising/id1464017907

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. 

[TRAINING] This is the big question on every photographer's mind...

How do I get MORE INQUIRIES??

If it's booking season, and you're looking at an empty contact form with no leads coming in, it can make you feel anxious at best and downright terrified at worst.

What if you don't book enough jobs? What if things get desperate?

In this episode, I walk you through the action steps you need to take to build a marketing system that will bring in quality leads year after year. But be warned - this is not a show filled with short term tactics. There's certainly a few quick fixes I mention, but I'm going to tell you how to create a sustainable marketing strategy NOW that will build a rock solid business over the long term, so you'll never have a scary booking season again.

GET THE EPISODE WORKSHEET HERE:
http://creativerising.com/206


Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Our Workflow Templates
https://theyoungrens.com/shop

TAVE
https://tave.com/join/theyoungrens

Day One
https://dayoneapp.com/

Asana
https://asana.com

Shootproof
https://creativerising.com/shootproof

EPISODE MADE POSSIBLE BY: KISS WEDDING BOOKS (Thank You!!)
GET 50% OFF YOUR GETTING STARTED KIT
http://creativerising.com/kiss

Are you ready to level up your income and make more money with each wedding? Selling albums dramatically increased our revenue, and we now sell KISS Wedding Albums with every single one of our wedding packages. We love the printing, quality, and gorgeous options with each KISS Album, and Creative Rising listeners get 50% off the Getting Started Kit!


NEXT STEPS:

JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339344669485595/

WANT BETTER BRIDES? TAKE THIS CLASS:
https://dreamieclass.com

LEAVE A REVIEW:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-rising/id1464017907

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. 

Are you a married photography team?

Anyone that is married will tell you that marriage itself is already challenging enough, but then add on top of that running a photography business together and it feels like you're out in the wilderness.

You're not alone.

Jeff and I have been married for 13 years and we've been running our business together the entire time, and it's a whole different dynamic when you run a business with your spouse.

Trust, resentment, and judgement are just a few of the daily battles we all face in nurturing a business while also nurturing a marriage.

For this episode, I turned to three amazing individuals to help me unpack how to foster an amazing marriage while running a business together - Dan Tocchini (the guy who coaches OUR coach, so yeah he's legit) and Katelyn & Michael Alsop (of Katelyn James Photography).

Not only will you hear honest stories of the intense struggles that both Dan and Katelyn & Michael have faced in their marriages, but you'll hear the authentic truth behind what it really takes to foster a thriving relationship. It's not the kind of easy advice you hear very often - but it's the real stuff that actually works. 

GET ALL EPISODE RESOURCES & FREEBIES HERE
http://creativerising.com/205

Dan Tocchini, Blood & Ethos
Learn More About A Healthy Marriage - 3 Video Series

Katelyn & Michael Alsop, Katelyn James Photography
Get One Month Free of KJ All Access


EPISODE MADE POSSIBLE BY: FREEDOM EDITS (Thank you!!!)
Get Your First Job Edited for Free HERE
https://creativerising.com/freedom

We trust Freedom Edits whenever we outsource our editing across all of our brands. We absolutely LOVE their simple, easy, and totally customized approach to editing and how quickly they got our preferences juuuuuust right! They save us tons of time! Right now, they're gifting all Creative Rising listeners with their first job entirely for FREE! So that's a complete wedding, edited for FREE. (Not a test wedding, either.) This is exclusively for Creative Rising listeners! Get your first job free at the link above at: CreativeRising.com/freedom


NEXT STEPS:

JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339344669485595/

WANT BETTER BRIDES? TAKE THIS CLASS:
http://dreamieclass.com

LEAVE A REVIEW:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-rising/id1464017907

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too.

Head over here, click on "Write a Review", give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on this episode!

[TRAINING] Are you thinking about hiring an associate photographer to shoot under your brand? Or wondering if it's really the right move for your business... or a big mistake?

We see photographers get caught up in this question all the time, and we want to make sure you know exactly what you're getting into when you add an associate to your business. We've been through the tumultuous process, and we've learned all of the critical dos and don'ts the hard way that we can help you avoid.

In this episode, I'm outlining everything you need to know about how to run a successful associate program, including:

• How to find the best people that will actually deliver on your brand promise
• The exact contract agreements you need to keep your biz legal
• How to structure your associate program so it doesn't damage your hard-earned brand 

Plus, I'll be walking you through the critical steps you need to take to know if an associate program is even the right move for your business. (Hint: There are some very specific requirements to be successful, otherwise it could do some serious damage to your brand. I'll tell you what they are.)

Special Thanks to Weston Bennett!
https://www.westonbennettphotography.com/

Resources in this Episode:

TAVE
https://tave.com/join/theyoungrens

Independent Contractor Agreement
https://theyoungrens.com/shop

Freedom Edits
https://creativerising.com/freedom

EPISODE MADE POSSIBLE BY: FREEDOM EDITS
LEARN ABOUT THEIR CUSTOM ASSOCIATE WORKFLOWS!!
https://creativerising.com/freedom

Do you have associates in your business or are you considering them? Freedom Edits has a special Associates Service where they will customize a post-production workflow specifically for you! Want your associate to drop their images on the Freedom Edits server directly? You'll receive a Lightroom Catalog and a link to the image gallery - it can be that simple!

This is exclusively for Creative Rising listeners, so get your first job edited for free at the link above and ask about their Associate Service!


NEXT STEPS:

JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339344669485595/

WANT BETTER BRIDES? TAKE THIS CLASS:
https://dreamieclass.com

LEAVE A REVIEW:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-rising/id1464017907

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. 

Do you have a hard time with failure? Does the thought of failing hold you back from the things you most want to do?

Jeff and I would say 'yes' to both of those questions. And we're tired of it. In this episode, we talk about the big area in our business that we feel is an utter failure right now - and we wrestle with giving it up or not. We want to reclaim our relationship with failing and stop it from holding us back, so we call our good friend and mentor, Dane Sanders, to help us reframe how we relate to the idea of failure.

In this episode, we discover what failure really means, how a strong person handles failure well, and how failure might have less to do with failing and more to do with our capacity for risk.... and our addiction to success.

In This Episode:
Dane Sanders

If you want to learn more about Dane Sanders, you can check out what he does with creatives in business at danesanders.com. If you run less of a solo operation and are more of an entrepreneurial team, you also might want to check out tellmeyourdreams.com - it’s where Dane and his mental health and performance coaches deliver Proactive Mental Health on the job. They have discovered some amazing innovations to unlock the best out of your team. It’s such a cool project.

EPISODE MADE POSSIBLE BY: WHITE HOUSE CUSTOM COLOUR
https://www.whcc.com/

White House Custom Colour is the professional print lab we trust with all of our print orders. When a client orders a print from us, WHCC produces the print and ships it directly to our clients FAST. We love how easy they are to use and that means we make more money on print sales every year. Plus, we absolutely ADORE their Deep Matte paper - a classic, creamy paper that makes our prints look GORGEOUS, especially our film and fine art prints.

NEXT STEPS:

JOIN THE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339344669485595/

WANT BETTER BRIDES? TAKE THIS CLASS:
http://dreamieclass.com

LEAVE A REVIEW:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-rising/id1464017907

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too.

Head over here, click on "Write a Review", give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

[TRAINING] If you're frustrated with your wedding days always running late, which means you're not getting enough time for photos and your couple feels rushed all day long, then it's time to take control of the wedding day schedule. In this episode, I'm walking you through the exact wedding photography timeline that we use for all of our weddings that helped us turn late wedding days into blissful ones.

We've built and perfected this schedule over the 13 years that we've been shooting, and I go into detail about why we've created it the way that we have. I share how we put together a schedule with and without a First Look, the list of family portraits that we use for all of our couples, and the most important line item that we have on the schedule - and it's not the ceremony time.

DOWNLOAD A FREE COPY OF OUR TIMELINE HERE:
https://creativerising.com/schedule


Next Steps:

TAKE OUR DREAMIE CLASS:
http://dreamieclass.com

JOIN THE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339344669485595/

LEAVE A REVIEW:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-rising/id1464017907

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too.

Head over here, click on "Write a Review", give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

Running a photography business is HARD.

Running a photography business while raising little kids as a new parent is even HARDER.

There's so many questions about how to handle it all:

• How do you carve out time to work?
• How do you handle childcare?
• How do you balance it all?
  
  

Our world changed dramatically in April of 2018 with the birth of our son, James, so we've been in the tension of loving our family and loving our work ever since. So I called my best parentpreneur friends with little ones to share their honest stories here, and we openly talk about our struggles with identity, childcare, balance, post-partum depression, and asking the biggest question we're all afraid to ask... (listen to find out what it is.)

Looking for some practical entrepreneurial advice? Like how in the world should you structure childcare?? I also have my friends share what's worked (and what hasn't) when it comes to working during naps, hiring in-home nannies, and sharing childcare amongst family members. Plus, learn all about the idea of the Family Kingdom and how it can help you thrive inside your home - instead of drive you crazy.

In this episode:
Sarah Bradshaw, Sarah Bradshaw Photography
Ginny Corbett, Ginny Corbett Photography
Taylor Abeel, Taylor Abeel Photography
Jane Johnson, Writer & Scripture Digger



EPISODE MADE POSSIBLE BY: FREEDOM EDITS (Thank you!!!)
Get Your First Job Edited for Free HERE
https://creativerising.com/freedom

We trust Freedom Edits whenever we outsource our editing across all of our brands. We absolutely LOVE their simple, easy, and totally customized approach to editing and how quickly they got our preferences juuuuuust right! They save us tons of time! Right now, they're gifting all Creative Rising listeners with their first job entirely for FREE! So that's a complete wedding, edited for FREE. (Not a test wedding, either.) This is exclusively for Creative Rising listeners! Get your first job free at the link above!


NEXT STEPS:

JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339344669485595/

WANT BETTER BRIDES? TAKE THIS CLASS:
https://dreamieclass.com

LEAVE A REVIEW:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-rising/id1464017907

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too.

Head over here, click on "Write a Review", give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

We've just wrapped up Season One of Creative Rising and we're taking a short break to get ahead on production for Season Two! We'll be launching new episodes soon!

In the meantime, subscribe to Creative Rising in your podcast player so you don't miss out on new episodes and please leave a review!!

If you haven't caught up on Season One check out these episodes:

• 103 - The Creative's Battle: Why it Took Me Two Years to Launch This Podcast
• 108 - What It's *Really* Like to Take a Big Risk

The first episode of Season Two is called "Parentpreneur" and I dig into the complicated mess of running your own business while raising kiddos at the same time. Subscribe so you don't miss it!

[TRAINING] You're working a full time job, but you're also running a creative business on the side that's growing rapidly. In fact, you're spending just as much time on your "side hustle" as your day job, and you're starting to make some good money, too. 

You're starting to wonder if you should leave your day job to run your business full time, but when is leaving a steady job to work a dream job a good idea? Is running your own business really all it's cracked up to be? 

In this episode, I unpack the five steps every wedding photographer should take before taking the leap into full time business ownership... and when staying at your job might actually be the best thing that could happen to your photography. 

GET ALL EPISODE RESOURCES & FREEBIES:
http://creativerising.com/109

In the episode:
Jessica del Vecchio of Zoeica Images
Quitter by Jon Acuff
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert


EPISODE MADE POSSIBLE BY: FREEDOM EDITS (Thank you!!!)
Get Your First Job Edited for Free HERE
https://creativerising.com/freedom

We trust Freedom Edits whenever we outsource our editing across all of our brands. We absolutely LOVE their simple, easy, and totally customized approach to editing and how quickly they got our preferences juuuuuust right! They save us tons of time! Right now, they're gifting all Creative Rising listeners with their first job entirely for FREE! So that's a complete wedding, edited for FREE. (Not a test wedding, either.) This is exclusively for Creative Rising listeners! Get your first job free at the link above at: CreativeRising.com/freedom


NEXT STEPS:

JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339344669485595/

WANT BETTER BRIDES? TAKE THIS CLASS:
http://dreamieclass.com

LEAVE A REVIEW:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-rising/id1464017907

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too.

Head over here, click on "Write a Review", give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on this episode