August 12, 2024 • 49 mins
In this episode, we're diving deep into the rebellious, unapologetic world of "Brat Energy" and how it can completely transform your creative business. Inspired by Charlie XCX's latest album and the cultural wave of "Brat Summer," we're exploring how embracing your inner brat can boost your confidence, set unshakeable boundaries, and infuse a whole lot more fun into your work and life.
If you're tired of bending over backward for clients who don't respect your value, or if you're feeling burnt out from trying to be everything to everyone, this episode is your wake-up call. We're talking about why it's crucial to set non-negotiable boundaries, how to charge what you're worth without guilt, and the power of saying "no" to anything that doesn't align with your vision.
I’ll also be sharing how you can use brat energy to manifest your dream clients, projects, and business growth by embodying the confidence and boldness you need to make quantum leaps. Plus, I’ll give you practical tips on how to inject more playfulness and joy into your work—because when you’re having fun, success follows.
So, if you're ready to stop playing small, own your worth, and create a business that truly reflects who you are, this episode is for you. Get ready to activate your brat energy and watch your business (and life) transform!
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
- Join Elevate Membership: https://reneebowen.com/elevate
- Learn more about the Creative Team Method: https://reneebowen.com/seniorrepteam
- Book a one-on-one coaching session: https://renee.io/bookacall
- CLARITY episode
Tune in, embrace your inner brat, and let’s make some magic happen!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Renee (00:00):
Welcome to Tried and True with the Dash of Woo, where we
blend rock-solid tips with alittle bit of magic.
I'm Renee Bowen, your host,life and business coach and
professional photographer atyour service.
We are all about gettingcreative, diving into your
business and playing withmanifestation over here.
So are you ready to getinspired and have some fun?
Let's dive in.
Hey friends, welcome back toTried and True with a dash of
(00:27):
woo.
I am your host, renee Bowen.
I know I've been absent the lastcouple of weeks.
I have thoroughly enjoyed alittle bit of downtime not a ton
, I'll be honest with you,probably not as much as I would
like, but it's been a little bitof a crazy summer.
So it was necessary for me tojust pull the plug a little bit
(00:48):
and take the podcast off thelist, because I have had a house
full of all my kids and summeris summering and I just, you
know, honestly, did not feellike overextending myself and I
have to remind myself too toalso practice what I preach,
(01:11):
because I'm always telling youguys honor your boundaries and
honor your capacity, and I hadto get real with myself and
realize that my capacity was atits capacity basically.
So it's been great.
It's been a really wild summer.
I have been busier than Inormally am, I think, in the
summer, but also just reallytrying to rest and recharge and
(01:37):
be as present as possible,because I did have all three of
the kids in the house and Idefinitely worked as well, but I
wanted to be available, eventhough it's not like they are
little kids and they, you know,need me to take them places or
anything like that.
There's still this energy of Iwant to be more available than I
(01:58):
probably normally am, you know,on the regular.
So it's been really, it's beenreally awesome, and now I am
about to head into fall.
It's not going to get coolerhere for a while, unfortunately.
It's still going to be reallyreally hot, but school's
starting, so the energy of theseason is changing.
I can kind of feel that, youknow this.
(02:21):
The summer energy is leaningmore into the fall, energy of a
little bit more doing andgetting more things accomplished
.
I've got some travel coming up.
I'm heading out to Tennesseethis next weekend to shoot a
couple of senior sessions thereand a branding session.
(02:41):
So I have a client flying usout.
Jamie and I are both going, sothat should be a quick but fun
experience.
I always love shooting in newlocations because it just keeps
me on my toes.
I love breaking that routineand I love traveling just in
general.
And it's been a minute, sowe're excited about that.
And I also am going to beheading out to Boston to help my
(03:04):
son move into a differentapartment and my husband and I
are both going, so it's going tohave to serve a little bit as a
vacation for us, because wedidn't really get a vacation
this summer.
So that'll be really nice justto kind of get away just to us
for a couple of days.
And I have a lot on the docketas far as my coaching as well as
very full calendar of seniorsthis fall.
(03:27):
It's been busy already in thesummer.
It's going to be busy allthrough fall and I am not
complaining about that.
My coaching students have someamazing milestones happening in
their businesses right now too,so that's been really awesome to
bear witness to and to helpthem through.
And if you are looking for helpwith your photography business,
(03:47):
you should be inside of Elevatemy Membership because it is
coaching, it is guidance, it'stemplates, it's new and
up-to-date marketing and all thethings.
So definitely join us there.
If you are needing some help inyour business and you're
needing some accountability, youget a little bit of all of that
and it's only $49 a month.
(04:07):
As always, that information isin the show notes.
But we're going to dive intotoday's topic, and that topic is
embracing your brat energy.
So if you have no idea what I'mtalking about, I'll give you a
little bit of an introduction towhat brat energy means.
Brat summer, the brat trend youprobably have seen it.
(04:29):
Okay, first of all, if you area high school senior
photographer and you haven'tseen any of this, it means that
you are not marketing to yourteenage client, and you need to
change that ASAP, because if youwere marketing to a teenage
client, you definitely wouldhave seen some of this on your
social feeds.
And if you're not on yoursocial feeds, that's also not a
(04:50):
great thing.
And if you're not booked,that's probably why.
But that's a whole differenttopic and we're going to get
into some of that a little bitin today's episode.
But it's really about embracinga rebellious and unapologetic
spirit which, if you know me,even just a little bit, you know
that I'm really into this andhave been for several years.
(05:14):
I'm a big proponent of bratenergy.
I definitely wasn't calling itthat because the saying just
wasn't around but unapologetic,rebellious, yes, I'm 100% on
board with that.
So basically, where this camefrom is, you know, brat is the
latest album by pop icon CharlieXCX and it really does capture
(05:38):
that spirit of rebelliousness.
And it inspired this concept ofa brat summer, a cultural
movement where people,especially women, embrace their
inner confidence, assertivenessand unapologetic attitude.
The idea is to embody the bratpersona standing firm in your
(06:01):
desires, setting boundaries andrejecting societal pressures to
conform or please others.
I mean, sign me up right.
And in her own words, charli XCXhas said that this album is
really direct.
She said that she's really overthis idea of metaphor and
flowery lyricism and not sayingexactly what you think, the way
(06:25):
that you would say it to afriend in a text message or on a
FaceTime.
She said this record is all thethings that I would talk about
with my friends, said exactlyhow I would say it to them, and
it's in ways very aggressive andconfrontational, but also very
conversational and personal, andnot in that boring way where
(06:45):
artists are like.
This is my most personal record.
To me it feels like listeningto a conversation with a friend,
so those are her words of whatshe really feels this album
communicates and I want to goover just sort of basically this
cultural movement and how itkind of took over social media
(07:07):
this summer and how we ascreative entrepreneurs and
photographers, and especiallyhigh school senior photographers
, can embrace this brat energy.
Because this idea of a bratsummer trend is all about
empowerment and reclaiming yourown agency In a world that often
(07:31):
expects women, especially, tobe agreeable and accommodating.
This movement encourages ashift towards self-assurance and
boldness and visibility.
It celebrates individuality andthe courage to say no, to
prioritize yourself and todemand respect and fair
treatment in all areas of yourlife.
(07:51):
And I don't know about you, butsign me the F up because that
is the kind of energy that Iwant to bring in to the rest of
2024.
I am done playing small.
I know that I am always talkingto you guys about visibility
and owning it and showing up andfeeling aligned with your
(08:11):
purpose and not being afraid toshow up unapologetically.
But if I'm being really honestwith you guys and I always want
to be there has definitely beenan underlying current of don't
be quite so loud still showingup for me and I know where it
(08:33):
comes from.
I have identified it and it'stime to move on from that,
because that is not going to getme anything that I want in my
life and I am going to shift alot of the way that I show up
(08:53):
online.
I feel like I tend to tempermyself a little bit.
I feel like I probably alwayswill, just because I really do
like being cognizant of otherpeople's thoughts and feelings
and I never want to offendpeople.
That's not what this is about,like I'm not going to all of a
sudden turn into an offensiveperson.
However, I do feel like thereare certain things that I don't
(09:16):
say because I don't want to seemtoo much or whatever it is at
the moment, and I'm just kind ofdone with that.
I really am just embracing thisidea of brat summer and brat
fall.
Let's keep it going because,honestly, reclaiming your own
agency, especially right now andespecially as a woman, feels
(09:40):
really good and really right.
So today's episode is going tobe about why I feel like this is
important and some practicalways that you can actually use
the energy of Brat Summer toshow up a little bit more boldly
in your business or just inyour life.
So first let's dive into thepsychological insights that we
(10:04):
can embrace from brat energy.
First of all, it boosts yourself-confidence, and that is
always a win right.
So embracing this brat attitudecan really enhance your
self-efficacy, this belief inyour ability to achieve your own
goals.
This mindset fosters a sense ofcontrol and competence, and I
(10:27):
feel like that is reallyessential for your success in
business.
When you have this positiveself-perception, you are really
able to stand firm in your ownbeliefs and your boundaries and
it helps develop more of apositive self-image for yourself
, which is really crucial forfacing challenges with
resilience.
(10:48):
And I know I've spoken aboutself-confidence a lot on this
podcast and I've done a lot ofsocial content about it and this
whole idea of faking it tillyou make it and I'm a big
believer in that honestly,because your unconscious mind
doesn't know what's real andwhat's not.
So you get to choose, you getto be delusional and tell it
(11:09):
what you feel like is actuallyhappening.
So if you really have this idea, this vision of how you want
your life and your business tolook and to feel, the feeling
part is the most important part.
But if you have that vision,let's say, it's really important
for you to create that feelingin your body and to trick your
(11:31):
unconscious mind into feelinglike it's already yours, and
that's how you're able to timejump to it so much faster.
So a big part of embracing thisbrat energy is allowing
yourself to be completelydelusional in what you want,
because that's the only wayyou're going to get it.
If you keep listening towhoever maybe people in your
(11:53):
family, in your closesurrounding, maybe even your own
inner saboteur if you keeplistening to the voice that says
, no, you can't have it.
You're too this, you're toothat you're going to keep
standing in that state, and soit's really important for you to
create the vision.
(12:14):
Create the feeling and then bedelusional enough to believe it,
so that your unconscious mindgets on board.
Once your unconscious mind getson board, that's it.
Things shift.
They really really do.
So I encourage you to be deluluabout this.
The other thing that embracingBrett energy does
psychologically for us is thatit encourages healthy boundaries
(12:36):
, and you know I'm all aboutboundaries.
I see a lot of you guys,especially photographers,
bending over backwards andforwards and all all of the ways
to do too many things for yourclients to be available at all
times for feeling guilty for notgetting those images back in 24
hours.
(12:56):
There's a lot of that that goesalong with owning your own
business and especially being awoman.
So one of the core elements ofthis brat energy is setting and
maintaining boundaries, and thisis vital in business so that
you can prevent burnout, toensure fair compensation and to
foster respectful clientrelationships.
(13:19):
Your clients really want theboundaries.
They're just like little kids.
If you're a mom, if you're aparent and you have parented
small children, probably one ofthe main things that you heard
from parenting experts was thatkids need boundaries.
Well, so do your clients.
Okay, they don't understandanything or don't know how it's
(13:40):
going to roll out, how yourprocess looks, until you tell
them, and so it's up to you toreally create that framework for
them.
So if you have not createdthose boundaries already for
them, so if you have not createdthose boundaries already, now's
a really good time to do that,and by not bending over
backwards for price shoppers ordifficult clients or just
clients in general businessowners, can really protect their
(14:04):
time.
You're going to be able toprotect your energy and your
resources, and that's going tolead to just more work more
sustainable, more fulfillingwork.
Another psychological benefit tothis brat energy is that it
enhances your decision-making.
Embracing this brat energy,this unapologetic energy,
involves practicingassertiveness, which improves
(14:28):
your decision-making skills aswell.
So being really clear anddecisive helps in navigating
business negotiations and makingstrategic choices.
Being really good with strategy, having these clear boundaries
and assertive communication,reduces your stress in the
(14:49):
long-term as well as youranxiety, which creates a more
balanced and productive workenvironment.
So it does reduce your stress.
The more things that you checkoff that list, take care of and
just get it done, the more calmyou're going to feel in the long
run.
And then the other psychologicalaspect to all of this is that
it promotes your authenticity,which we know is highly
(15:12):
desirable.
But more than just it beingdesirable, I really believe that
it's necessary and integral forjust your self-awareness in
general.
A side effect of authenticityis that, obviously, your
branding is going to feel morereal, right.
So standing in your confidencereally allows for a more
(15:33):
authentic brand representationto emerge, and your clients,
especially your teenage clients,are drawn to genuine
personalities, who you reallyare.
And this makes it so mucheasier for you to attract and
retain the right target loyalclients right.
(15:55):
So you really want to bestanding firmly in your
authenticity, unapologetically.
That's what I was talking aboutat the beginning of this
episode and how I am going toforce myself to be a little bit
more unwavering in that, and Iinvite you to do that as well.
(16:15):
And then, just as a side note, Ithink there are three main ways
that women, especially inbusiness, really need to embrace
this brat energy.
So, first of all, it's going tocombat that gender bias.
Women often face societalexpectations to be nurturing and
accommodating, and a lot of uslove that and we lean into it,
(16:39):
and I'm not saying there'sanything wrong with that, but
adopting a brat attitude helpscounteract these biases, which
fosters a more equitablebusiness environment in general.
So anything that's going tohelp you step more into showing
up a little bit more andunapologetically visible in your
(17:02):
business, I think is a greatthing.
The other one is empowerment.
So embracing this brat energyempowers women to take charge of
their lives and their careers,to negotiate better, to ask for
more money, to even just be ableto not feel guilty about asking
for money and demand therespect that they deserve, and
(17:26):
it's also really wonderful forrole modeling.
So, by embodying confidence andassertiveness.
Women in business can inspireothers to do the same, because
they are always watching Ourdaughters, our clients
especially if you work withteens, they're always watching
(17:46):
us, even your sons.
This is not just a woman thing,right?
This is going to helpcontribute to a cultural shift
towards creating greater genderequality, which is awesome.
I mean.
Look at the Olympics.
I think that for the first timefirst of all, first time in
history we've had an equalamount of women athletes
(18:10):
competing.
And then I think I just saw astatistic that said that women
led with gold medals or medalsin general, so more women got
medals this year.
So we are definitely embracingthis brat energy already, and I
feel like if we're just a littlebit more intentional with it,
we can really make some reallyawesome things happen.
(18:33):
Okay, so let's talk about 10specific ways that you can
actually implement this bratenergy, okay, in your business,
specifically as a creativeentrepreneur or as a
photographer.
The first one is you're goingto set some non-negotiable
boundaries, right, so establishthese clear boundaries around
(18:53):
your work hours, your clientcommunication and the scope of
your projects in general.
Make it known that your timeand expertise are valuable and
you don't allow clients to pushthose boundaries.
This is important becauseboundaries protect your energy,
they prevent burnout and theyhelp you maintain a really high
(19:13):
standard of your work.
So by standing really firm inthis, you are going to attract
clients who respect your timeand your skills, leading to more
fulfilling and profitableprojects.
So this could look like turningyour phone off or just not
answering texts or calls after acertain time.
A good example of this is thatI have an autoresponder set up
(19:37):
with my email for my businessemail and it basically goes out
to everyone who sends it to me.
It says I respond to emailsMonday, wednesday, friday If you
need to get in touch with me.
Beyond that, you can leave amessage here.
It also gives some really goodinformation about you know
(19:57):
whether you're if you're acoaching client, where to look,
if you're a a photography client, where you can go to find more
information.
So it's set up as an automationso that it, you know, frees up
some time for me and I'm nothaving to constantly send that
message to people, but also itlets my clients or potential
clients know upfront that theycan't get in touch with me 24
(20:18):
seven.
That's not how this goes and Ithink that we all will encounter
some clients along the way whodo expect a lot of you.
So it really is up to you.
It's up to you to set theseboundaries and to stand firm in
them and to not waver on them,because you deserve to have
downtime, you deserve to take aday off, you deserve to do
(20:41):
whatever the hell you want withyour time.
This is your business and youcan run it any way that you damn
well please.
So I know that that's reallydifficult, especially when you
are in the beginning phases of abusiness.
You might feel like you are,you know, emboldened to just
respond at all times and youknow you're just hungry for
(21:02):
clients.
But I promise you that is kindof desperate energy and it's
only going to bite you in thebutt in the long run.
So so set your boundaries now.
This is something I work withmy clients on ongoing, and for
some people it's easier thanothers.
For some people it's easier toimplement boundaries, for some
it's very, very hard.
(21:23):
This also is probably becauseof a lot of your own programming
and how you were raised, and sowe have to undo some stuff and
reprogram and reframe it so thatit feels good and safe in your
body to protect your energy.
Another example of how you canimplement some energy is to
charge what you are worth and Iknow we hear that a lot and you
(21:44):
guys have a lot of varyingopinions and feelings about that
but don't undercut your pricesto attract more clients.
Okay, I know that there's a lotof talk in the photography
world right now of people arejust not buying things or
they're not valuing photographyor whatever, but you can find a
(22:07):
lot of proof to the opposite andyou're welcome to use me as an
example, right, sometimes wehave to find other people to use
as an example so that we canget to that place, and I do that
as well.
So, if you feel like all you'rehearing is negativity and all
you're swimming in is, you know,lack mentality or whatever, you
(22:30):
have the power to change howyou're consuming that content.
So, as a little side note, I'venoticed, particularly on
threads, there's a lot of I'mnot going to say negativity.
There's some negativity, butthere's definitely a lot of just
(22:54):
opinions, right?
So threads is so much likeTwitter in the old days.
I don't know if you were onTwitter in 2007, 2008,.
You know what I'm talking aboutand I don't dislike threads.
I just find that it can be areally unnecessary thing
(23:15):
expenditure of your time.
So be very careful about howyou're spending your time,
because time is like your mostvaluable commodity, truly.
And if you are like spending alot of time reading all of these
threads about how you knowpeople just aren't spending the
money the way they used to withthe photography business and
(23:36):
photographers are having a hardtime getting clients and they're
closing their business down,and here's why you should be
lowering your prices.
And all of this noise it's somuch noise.
I just spend very little timeover there and I know that
threads is rewarding people.
Now, just as another side notethat the more threads you post
and the more interaction andengagement you garner on threads
(23:59):
, you can actually earn moneylike physical money.
So they're doing bonuses likethey did with Reels bonuses back
in the beginning of Reels and Ithink it's great that you can
make money off your content.
But I would just encourage youto not just post content just
for engagement, just for thesake of sparking some discourse,
(24:21):
let's say, because I feel likethat's a lot of what's happening
over there and I don't knowabout you, but I just don't have
time for that, like that's timeI could be spending on actually
like attracting my clients, andthat's what I would like you to
be focusing on.
So, getting back to chargingwhat you're worth, you know
charge rates that reflect yourexpertise, your experience, your
(24:45):
creativity, the value you bringand also what you want and need
to make period.
So it doesn't matter.
I know it's very unpopular tosay this, but I don't look at
what my competition is charging.
I never have, never.
I don't care what they'recharging.
I don't care.
If it's less, I don't care.
(25:06):
I am focused on what I knowthat I need and want to make to
make my business sustainable andprofitable and also for the
life that I live, what my billsare, what I need to kind of make
and support my family with.
So I would just encourage youto take a good look at that and
(25:27):
make sure that your prices arein alignment what you feel is
right for you and what isvaluable for you, because when
you do charge what you're worth,you do send a message that your
work is valuable and that notonly attracts higher paying
clients, but also it boosts yourconfidence and helps you grow
that sustainable business thatwe're all after.
(25:49):
So tune out the noise.
If you are having a hard timewith that, and also if you're
going to work with a coach or amentor to raise your prices,
it's really important that youmake sure that person actually
has experience working withother businesses as well,
because what worked for thatphotographer in their market may
(26:11):
or may not work for you in yourmarket, and if someone is just
telling you across the boardjust raise your prices without
giving you some strategies toalso implement, that's kind of a
recipe for disaster.
It could work out, but in a lotof cases it's not and you're
going to feel like you don'thave a good leg to stand on.
(26:32):
So make sure that you vet thatperson as well, because there's
a lot of people doing coaching.
There's a lot of photographerstrying to diversify their income
right now by offering mentoring, and a lot of them are great,
but a lot of them don't have theexperience yet to really give
(26:53):
you an educated strategy basedon not just their business.
Basically, another way you canshow up with energy is to just
say no without guilt.
Say no right.
Learn to say no to projects andclients and even opportunities
(27:14):
that do not align with yourvalues or your business goals do
not align with your values oryour business goals, whether
it's a low paying gig or aclient who doesn't respect your
process.
Saying no is a really powerfultool, and I don't feel like
enough of us do that.
Saying no frees up your timeand energy for projects that
really excite you and align withyour vision.
(27:35):
So if you're saying yes to allkinds of things that you don't
wanna do and you're just suckingyour energy, you're not gonna
have time to say yes to thingsthat really light you up.
So the thing here to rememberis that you have to know what
lights you up, you have to knowwhat you want and you have to
(27:55):
have that clarity right.
I have a whole episode aboutclarity.
I will link it in the shownotes for you.
If you are having a hard timeunderstanding what you really
want in your life right now orjust in your business, go listen
to that episode too, and it'llhelp.
But saying no really helps youavoid resentment and burnout and
(28:16):
it allows you to really staypassionate about your work.
So I got to tell you once Istarted leaning into this.
It really just changed a lot ofthings for me and really the
catalyst for this was melearning about my human design,
and you guys have probably heardme talk about that a lot.
But as a generator, I say yesto everything because I have
(28:39):
this internal energy, that Ihave the energy to do a lot of
things.
I really do.
I'm a doer, but there's noprize at the end of this for
doing the most.
And when I do all these thingsthat don't light me up, I get
really resentful, and that isnot a way to live, because you
(28:59):
create a lot of internalproblems, and not just mentally,
but physically.
It will manifest physically asillnesses and sickness.
So you need to know what youwant to do and just start saying
no to the things that do notlight you up.
Another way to have this bratenergy show up in your life is
to embrace your unique style.
Stop trying to fit in to trendsor what other people are doing.
(29:25):
Embrace your unique creativestyle and let it shine in your
work.
That's going to be whatattracts your clients to you,
not just trying to copy whateverybody else is doing.
And look, I got to just saythat there's a lot of just
senior photographers inparticular, where I scroll and I
can't really tell whose work iswhose anymore.
(29:48):
There's a few of you that I candefinitely tell, but a lot of
y'all are trying to find yourstyle still, and that's totally
fine.
But in doing so you are tryingto be like other people and the
trap is that a lot of seniorphotographers and photographers
in general tend to follow mostlyother photographers, which is a
really bad idea.
(30:08):
I talk about this a lot becauseyou're going to start to
unconsciously it's not on aconscious level, but you're
going to start to unconsciouslymarket to other photographers.
Those are not your clients andyou're also going to
unconsciously try and becomethat person, because it's just
the way that we're wired ashuman beings.
So be unapologetic about yourartistic choices and stand in
(30:30):
them, even if they'reunconventional, and especially
if they are.
Your uniqueness is yoursuperpower and when you embrace
your style, you differentiateyourself in the market.
You attract clients who loveyour work and the way that it is
for what it is, and you feelmore authentic and more
fulfilled in your creativeexpression.
(30:51):
So you got to be standing out.
Number five on the list of howyou can infuse some brat energy
is to inject some playfulnessinto your work.
Allow yourself to have some funwith your projects.
So experiment with newtechniques or take some creative
risks.
Don't be afraid to break therules.
(31:12):
Bring a sense of playfulness toyour work and your daily
routines.
This is something that I thinkI've been able to be pretty good
at ongoing.
I have never really likedfollowing the rules of
photography.
I break them all the time.
I don't care.
I'm unapologetically a naturallight shooter.
(31:32):
I don't care.
Come after me if you thinkoff-camera flash is the only way
to go.
No, it's not.
I've built a really successfulhigh school senior business.
Using it very minimally Doesn'tmean I don't know how to do it,
I just don't like it and Ibreak rules of composition all
(31:54):
the time.
Guess what?
My clients still spend upwardsof $5,000 with me.
Break the rules, it's okay.
People really like it when youdo your own thing.
Infusing playfulness into yourwork can also look like just
doing stuff for just you.
It's really important to dothat.
That's going to also save youfrom a lot of burnout too.
(32:15):
Fun energy is contagious and itattracts positive experiences
and positive people.
When you really enjoy whatyou're doing, it shows in your
work and that makes yourbusiness way more attractive to
potential clients, especiallyteenagers, and it also helps you
stay motivated and inspired.
Number six in how you canreally infuse some brat energy
(32:38):
into your life is to practiceradical self-care indulging in
your hobbies outside of yourwork or treating yourself with,
like you know, the same respectand care that you give to your
(33:06):
clients.
You're just so much betterequipped to take care of your
business when you do this foryourself.
So self-care replenishes yourenergy.
Obviously.
It boosts your creativity, itkeeps you grounded and it helps
you show up as your best self inall aspects of your life, and
it's a really, really greatexample to show to other people
(33:27):
in your life who might bewatching, like your kids.
Number seven on my list of waysthat you can infuse some bright
energy into your life is totrust your instincts.
Follow your gut feelings whenmaking business decisions,
whether it's choosing a client,setting a price, deciding on a
creative direction.
Trust that inner voice and letit guide you.
Okay, your instincts arepowerful tools for navigating
(33:49):
the business world just ingeneral, and by trusting them
you make decisions that arealigned with your true desires
and values, leading to moreauthentic and successful
outcomes across the board.
I know that a lot of us areoverthinkers, and so we have a
lot of internal dialogue.
So sometimes it can be reallyhard to figure out what's really
(34:13):
your gut feeling and what'slike your intuition versus that
inner saboteur.
But a really good reminder isthat your instincts and your
inner vision, your higher self,whatever you want to call it, is
never going to be mean orjudgmental.
It might be firm, but it's notgoing to be mean.
(34:34):
So if your inner voice istelling you something fear-based
or mean, that's not the voicethat you want to listen to.
Number eight, on how you canshow up with some more bright
energy in your life and yourbusiness, is to manifest with
intention.
Okay, so I talk about the lawof attraction a lot on here, but
use the law of attraction tomanifest your dream clients and
(34:54):
your projects and your businessgrowth.
It really works.
You guys, I have so manyepisodes on this you can go back
and listen to it.
I mean, basically, I infuse thelaw of attraction in pretty
much all my coaching andeverything that I talk about,
because when you visualize whatyou want and you feel you embody
the emotions of it alreadybeing done and having it, and
(35:19):
then you take inspired action tomake it a reality.
That's when the magic happens.
Manifesting with intentionreally helps you align your
energy with your goals, and sowhen you embody what you really
want and you take action towardsit, you attract those
opportunities that match thosedesires, the frequency of that,
(35:41):
and it really does create thosequantum leaps that you hear all
these things about.
That's how you do it, and Iknow that it's been sort of
spoken about a lot now, which Ithink is great, but I do think
that doing it with intention isthe key here, because a lot of
people talk about it and a lotof people talk about
(36:01):
affirmations.
But if you're just kind of usingit on a surface level, that's
probably why it's not reallyshowing up for you.
Yet.
You got to reallyunapologetically show up.
So that's where that bratenergy comes in.
You just got to go all in andsay you know what?
I don't care if this sounds woo, woo I, I don't care if people,
whatever poo-poo on it.
You got to do if it feels rightto you.
(36:23):
That's what you need to leaninto and you can actually show
up with this brat energy to theuniverse as well and tell the
universe in no uncertain termsthis is what we're doing now.
This is what I want.
That is what I want over likethis create that vision, really
(36:45):
see it and believe it and feelit, and I swear to God, you guys
, it happens faster than youthink All right.
Number nine on how you caninfuse some energy into your
life and business is tocelebrate your wins.
You guys don't do this enough.
Take some time to acknowledgeand celebrate your achievements
unapologetically.
Throw yourself a damn party,okay, big or small.
(37:08):
You don't have to have abirthday to do this, by the way.
Whether it's landing a newclient, completing a really
challenging project, or workingwith a client that was, oh my
gosh, difficult, or hitting amajor financial milestone,
celebrate the progress, okay.
Celebrating your winsreinforces a positive mindset
(37:31):
and builds momentum, becauseyou're rewarding your
unconscious mind.
When you do this, it's likeyour inner child gets a gold
star.
It helps you stay motivated,appreciate the journey and
attract more success and joyinto your life and business, and
all of those are great things.
This can look as simple as everynight before you go to sleep,
(37:55):
whether you want to journalabout it or just put it on a
notes app on your phone or justthink about it.
What are three things that youaccomplished today.
Pat yourself on the back.
What is something amazing youdid.
Like I said, throw yourself aparty, a dinner, an excursion.
I personally take myself to thespa.
I go get a massage or go get afacial.
(38:16):
It doesn't have to be somethingthat you are spending a lot of
money on either.
It can be just small,intentional, beautiful ways to
praise yourself, because, at theend of the day, sometimes you
know that's what we really.
We need to be our biggestcheerleader.
Being a solopreneur can feelvery lonely, but again, if you
(38:39):
are in my Elevate groups, youknow that I am big on this and
I'm always prompting you guys todo it, and it's a great place
to do it when you are in a group.
So if you belong to amembership that you love or
belong to any sort of group, gopop in that text thread or that
Voxer thread or that Facebookgroup and say hey guys, I have
(39:02):
some really awesome news and Iwant to share it with you guys,
and it doesn't matter how smallit is.
If it's a win, it's a win.
I love seeing these in mycoaching groups.
It is like crack cocaine for me.
I really love seeing you guys.
It's also contagious, right?
So someone else shares theirwin.
You're like, oh yeah, thatreally good thing did happen to
(39:24):
me too.
I want to tell you about it andit makes you want to attract
more of that into your life.
And the last on my list number10 of how you can infuse some
Brad energy into your life andyour business is to surround
yourself with positiveinfluences.
Cultivate a support system oflike-minded people who uplift
(39:45):
and inspire you, and don't takeno for an answer.
Whether it's a community ofcreatives, photographers, a
mentor or a coach or just somepositive friends in your life,
choose to be around people whoencourage your growth.
Make a decision that you willaccept, nothing less.
If there are people in yourlife who are not encouraging and
(40:09):
who are nothing but negative,even if they're in your family,
you can choose to not spend timeand energy with those people.
Just let those experiences fallaway and watch how many more
supportive people actually showup for you, because the energy
of those people around youinfluence you a lot more than
(40:33):
you probably know.
Right, there's a reason whythat saying is like you are the
five people you hang out withthe most.
We tell our kids that all thetime and then we forget it as
adults.
But by surrounding yourself withpositivity, you maintain a high
vibrational frequency, whichnot only enhances your
creativity and your business,but it also enriches your life
(40:53):
and makes you feel good, andwhen you feel good, you are so
much more able to attract allthat you want in your life.
That is also positive.
So don't be a victim of yourenvironment essentially, be a
brat.
So embracing this brat energyisn't just about being bold and
(41:15):
confident.
It's about creating a businessand a life that truly reflects
who you are and what you want.
And when you set boundaries,when you respect yourself and
inject fun in your work, youalign with the energy of success
and abundance, and this notonly helps you grow your
business, but it also makes thejourney way more enjoyable and
(41:37):
fulfilling.
By living and working with thisenergy, you attract
opportunities that resonate withyour highest self, leading to
quantum leaps in both yourprofessional and your personal
life.
So I really hope that this was afun episode for you and that it
maybe gave you a little swiftkick in the pants that you might
(41:58):
need right about now, because Ifeel like we are being called
to be more unapologetic, to bemore authentic and our true
selves.
Whatever that is for you, youhave to decide that for you,
tune out the noise.
Stop following so many otherpeople in your industry on
(42:20):
social media.
You want to be following andengaging with your actual
clients.
Remember that.
But also, if that means youhave to tune out for a little
bit, right that.
If that means you have to logoff for a little bit, that's
okay.
Do what you need to do to getwhat you want.
So go and just be a brat andbring that energy to your
business and to your clients.
(42:43):
And, as a side note, if you area high school senior
photographer, you really do needto be up on what your teen
clients are consuming, and thisis a really big factor in that
right.
Your teen clients, they knowwhat Brought Energy is.
Our Gen Z clients, our GenAlpha clients they know what
(43:05):
this is.
And even if you're not going tolike talk about it and name it,
you need to know what they'reconsuming.
You need to know what they'reall about so that you can market
to them.
And I've been saying this foryears.
I think it was probably 2018,2017 or 2018.
(43:25):
Well, I started talking aboutGen Z and how we need to be
marketing to them in 2014because they were like on the
rise, right.
They were literally changingthe game and how we operated our
senior businesses, and so Istarted creating a lot of
content about that.
I have blogs that I wrote aboutthat from way back when, and my
(43:45):
whole like senior photographyeducation platform and my
creative team method the waythat I teach and run senior rep
teams is very much all aboutthat.
You know teen energy, gen Z, genAlpha, what they want, and I've
sort of made it my life'smission these last like six or
(44:05):
seven years to really help highschool senior photographers
understand how to market moreefficiently to their teen
clients, because if you're onlymarketing to the parent, you are
losing business.
You are losing your teenclients.
More often than not, theparents are letting the
teenagers decide who gets hired.
So I've been talking about thisfor a long time, longer than
(44:28):
pretty much anybody in ourindustry was talking about it.
Some people in our industry arestill not talking about this,
and that's why I'm so passionate.
You guys have to be marketing tothe teenager.
I can't tell you how importantthis is, because your teen
clients need to feel like you'rethe right person for them.
(44:48):
Their parents are going to letthem choose who gets hired for
the high school senior portrait.
Even if the parents are paying,which most cases they are, the
parents are also letting theirhigh school senior determine
what gets purchased, by the way.
So if you haven't seen that inyour ordering sessions, if you
do IPS which I really hope youdo I hope you're doing that and
not just shooting and burningbut you probably have already
(45:12):
seen that in your sales sessionsand if you haven't, it's coming
, coming the parents willliterally turn to the kid and be
like do you want this album?
What do you think it's reallyup to you to infuse your
marketing with the right kind ofmessaging so that it never kind
of gets to that part wherethey're like letting a kid
determine if they purchase a$2,000 product.
(45:34):
When you have your messaging inline with that teenager, they
already know they want it beforethey even shoot the session
with you.
That's the whole deal.
Your marketing really needs tobe intentional.
So that's my little side notefor high school senior
photographers, because I see alot of you not doing that enough
.
Nobody in my communities.
(45:54):
I know you guys are doing itbecause you hear me talking
about this nonstop.
But if you need help with thisthat's what I'm here for you can
either sign up for someone-on-one coaching with me,
which I only have like one ortwo spots open for that right
now, so you definitely want toreach out ASAP Link is below in
the show notes for that.
Just book a call.
We'll chat and see if coachingis right for you, especially if
(46:19):
you are just starting out inbusiness as a senior
photographer or if you have beena photographer for a while but
you're trying to pivot intosenior photography.
Our genre is a whole differentgenre.
This niche is very differentbecause we still do need to be
marketing to the parent.
This niche is very differentbecause we still do need to be
marketing to the parent, but weneed to lead with the teen and
(46:39):
we have to be marketing to twotarget clients.
It's very different than mostother niches of photography and
that's what I'm really good at.
I have a whole program thatshows you how to do it and I
walk you through it and I holdyour hand through the process,
and I also talk a lot about thisin the creative team method,
which is on a ridiculous,ridiculous sale right now.
I am going to be revamping someof this.
(47:00):
If you don't know what thecreative team method is, the
link is below.
It is how you should be runningyour high school senior rep
program, because your teenclients do not want a model
program like the ones that weused to run in the 2000s.
They also may not really alignwith the word influencer.
I was the first person to callmy team an influencer team way
(47:21):
back in 2017, but I changed itto creative team and creator
because, guess what?
Our team clients really alignbetter with that word and things
are shifting once again prettysoon.
So my job is to stay on top ofthat stuff for you guys and
update the program whenever itdoes shift.
So if you already own thecreative team method, you get
those updates automatically, butif you don't own it, you should
(47:43):
definitely buy it right now,because it is not ever going to
be this cheap ever again.
I walk you through the entireprocess of starting or revamping
a high school senior repprogram that keeps you booked
year round, because your teenclients need more than just
pretty pictures.
They're not going to post them.
They don't do that anymore.
So if you're just relying onyour teen clients to hopefully
(48:04):
post and you're running your repprogram either free or very low
cost.
That's not sustainable and itis definitely changing.
So check my program out.
I do things really differentlyfrom a lot of other senior
photographers and there's a lotof feedback on that page as well
A lot of testimonials fromphotographers who have gone
(48:24):
through the program and who areabsolutely killing it and
thriving with their businessesbecause they went all in and I
love that for them.
So I want that to be you too.
I want you to be profitable inyour business.
All right, you guys, I hope youhave a productive and fun and
brat rest of your week andplease reach out to me over on
(48:46):
Instagram If you have anyquestions or feedback about this
episode or any episode.
It's.
I'm at Renee Bowen over onInstagram and I love chatting
with you guys in the DMS, asalways, and I will talk to you
guys next time.
Love you, bye.
Welcome to Tried and True with the Dash of Woo, where we
blend rock-solid tips with alittle bit of magic.
I'm Renee Bowen, your host,life and business coach and
professional photographer atyour service.
We are all about gettingcreative, diving into your
business and playing withmanifestation over here.
So are you ready to getinspired and have some fun?
Let's dive in.
Hey friends, welcome back toTried and True with a dash of
(00:27):
woo.
I am your host, renee Bowen.
I know I've been absent the lastcouple of weeks.
I have thoroughly enjoyed alittle bit of downtime not a ton
, I'll be honest with you,probably not as much as I would
like, but it's been a little bitof a crazy summer.
So it was necessary for me tojust pull the plug a little bit
(00:48):
and take the podcast off thelist, because I have had a house
full of all my kids and summeris summering and I just, you
know, honestly, did not feellike overextending myself and I
have to remind myself too toalso practice what I preach,
(01:11):
because I'm always telling youguys honor your boundaries and
honor your capacity, and I hadto get real with myself and
realize that my capacity was atits capacity basically.
So it's been great.
It's been a really wild summer.
I have been busier than Inormally am, I think, in the
summer, but also just reallytrying to rest and recharge and
(01:37):
be as present as possible,because I did have all three of
the kids in the house and Idefinitely worked as well, but I
wanted to be available, eventhough it's not like they are
little kids and they, you know,need me to take them places or
anything like that.
There's still this energy of Iwant to be more available than I
(01:58):
probably normally am, you know,on the regular.
So it's been really, it's beenreally awesome, and now I am
about to head into fall.
It's not going to get coolerhere for a while, unfortunately.
It's still going to be reallyreally hot, but school's
starting, so the energy of theseason is changing.
I can kind of feel that, youknow this.
(02:21):
The summer energy is leaningmore into the fall, energy of a
little bit more doing andgetting more things accomplished
.
I've got some travel coming up.
I'm heading out to Tennesseethis next weekend to shoot a
couple of senior sessions thereand a branding session.
(02:41):
So I have a client flying usout.
Jamie and I are both going, sothat should be a quick but fun
experience.
I always love shooting in newlocations because it just keeps
me on my toes.
I love breaking that routineand I love traveling just in
general.
And it's been a minute, sowe're excited about that.
And I also am going to beheading out to Boston to help my
(03:04):
son move into a differentapartment and my husband and I
are both going, so it's going tohave to serve a little bit as a
vacation for us, because wedidn't really get a vacation
this summer.
So that'll be really nice justto kind of get away just to us
for a couple of days.
And I have a lot on the docketas far as my coaching as well as
very full calendar of seniorsthis fall.
(03:27):
It's been busy already in thesummer.
It's going to be busy allthrough fall and I am not
complaining about that.
My coaching students have someamazing milestones happening in
their businesses right now too,so that's been really awesome to
bear witness to and to helpthem through.
And if you are looking for helpwith your photography business,
(03:47):
you should be inside of Elevatemy Membership because it is
coaching, it is guidance, it'stemplates, it's new and
up-to-date marketing and all thethings.
So definitely join us there.
If you are needing some help inyour business and you're
needing some accountability, youget a little bit of all of that
and it's only $49 a month.
(04:07):
As always, that information isin the show notes.
But we're going to dive intotoday's topic, and that topic is
embracing your brat energy.
So if you have no idea what I'mtalking about, I'll give you a
little bit of an introduction towhat brat energy means.
Brat summer, the brat trend youprobably have seen it.
(04:29):
Okay, first of all, if you area high school senior
photographer and you haven'tseen any of this, it means that
you are not marketing to yourteenage client, and you need to
change that ASAP, because if youwere marketing to a teenage
client, you definitely wouldhave seen some of this on your
social feeds.
And if you're not on yoursocial feeds, that's also not a
(04:50):
great thing.
And if you're not booked,that's probably why.
But that's a whole differenttopic and we're going to get
into some of that a little bitin today's episode.
But it's really about embracinga rebellious and unapologetic
spirit which, if you know me,even just a little bit, you know
that I'm really into this andhave been for several years.
(05:14):
I'm a big proponent of bratenergy.
I definitely wasn't calling itthat because the saying just
wasn't around but unapologetic,rebellious, yes, I'm 100% on
board with that.
So basically, where this camefrom is, you know, brat is the
latest album by pop icon CharlieXCX and it really does capture
(05:38):
that spirit of rebelliousness.
And it inspired this concept ofa brat summer, a cultural
movement where people,especially women, embrace their
inner confidence, assertivenessand unapologetic attitude.
The idea is to embody the bratpersona standing firm in your
(06:01):
desires, setting boundaries andrejecting societal pressures to
conform or please others.
I mean, sign me up right.
And in her own words, charli XCXhas said that this album is
really direct.
She said that she's really overthis idea of metaphor and
flowery lyricism and not sayingexactly what you think, the way
(06:25):
that you would say it to afriend in a text message or on a
FaceTime.
She said this record is all thethings that I would talk about
with my friends, said exactlyhow I would say it to them, and
it's in ways very aggressive andconfrontational, but also very
conversational and personal, andnot in that boring way where
(06:45):
artists are like.
This is my most personal record.
To me it feels like listeningto a conversation with a friend,
so those are her words of whatshe really feels this album
communicates and I want to goover just sort of basically this
cultural movement and how itkind of took over social media
(07:07):
this summer and how we ascreative entrepreneurs and
photographers, and especiallyhigh school senior photographers
, can embrace this brat energy.
Because this idea of a bratsummer trend is all about
empowerment and reclaiming yourown agency In a world that often
(07:31):
expects women, especially, tobe agreeable and accommodating.
This movement encourages ashift towards self-assurance and
boldness and visibility.
It celebrates individuality andthe courage to say no, to
prioritize yourself and todemand respect and fair
treatment in all areas of yourlife.
(07:51):
And I don't know about you, butsign me the F up because that
is the kind of energy that Iwant to bring in to the rest of
2024.
I am done playing small.
I know that I am always talkingto you guys about visibility
and owning it and showing up andfeeling aligned with your
(08:11):
purpose and not being afraid toshow up unapologetically.
But if I'm being really honestwith you guys and I always want
to be there has definitely beenan underlying current of don't
be quite so loud still showingup for me and I know where it
(08:33):
comes from.
I have identified it and it'stime to move on from that,
because that is not going to getme anything that I want in my
life and I am going to shift alot of the way that I show up
(08:53):
online.
I feel like I tend to tempermyself a little bit.
I feel like I probably alwayswill, just because I really do
like being cognizant of otherpeople's thoughts and feelings
and I never want to offendpeople.
That's not what this is about,like I'm not going to all of a
sudden turn into an offensiveperson.
However, I do feel like thereare certain things that I don't
(09:16):
say because I don't want to seemtoo much or whatever it is at
the moment, and I'm just kind ofdone with that.
I really am just embracing thisidea of brat summer and brat
fall.
Let's keep it going because,honestly, reclaiming your own
agency, especially right now andespecially as a woman, feels
(09:40):
really good and really right.
So today's episode is going tobe about why I feel like this is
important and some practicalways that you can actually use
the energy of Brat Summer toshow up a little bit more boldly
in your business or just inyour life.
So first let's dive into thepsychological insights that we
(10:04):
can embrace from brat energy.
First of all, it boosts yourself-confidence, and that is
always a win right.
So embracing this brat attitudecan really enhance your
self-efficacy, this belief inyour ability to achieve your own
goals.
This mindset fosters a sense ofcontrol and competence, and I
(10:27):
feel like that is reallyessential for your success in
business.
When you have this positiveself-perception, you are really
able to stand firm in your ownbeliefs and your boundaries and
it helps develop more of apositive self-image for yourself
, which is really crucial forfacing challenges with
resilience.
(10:48):
And I know I've spoken aboutself-confidence a lot on this
podcast and I've done a lot ofsocial content about it and this
whole idea of faking it tillyou make it and I'm a big
believer in that honestly,because your unconscious mind
doesn't know what's real andwhat's not.
So you get to choose, you getto be delusional and tell it
(11:09):
what you feel like is actuallyhappening.
So if you really have this idea, this vision of how you want
your life and your business tolook and to feel, the feeling
part is the most important part.
But if you have that vision,let's say, it's really important
for you to create that feelingin your body and to trick your
(11:31):
unconscious mind into feelinglike it's already yours, and
that's how you're able to timejump to it so much faster.
So a big part of embracing thisbrat energy is allowing
yourself to be completelydelusional in what you want,
because that's the only wayyou're going to get it.
If you keep listening towhoever maybe people in your
(11:53):
family, in your closesurrounding, maybe even your own
inner saboteur if you keeplistening to the voice that says
, no, you can't have it.
You're too this, you're toothat you're going to keep
standing in that state, and soit's really important for you to
create the vision.
(12:14):
Create the feeling and then bedelusional enough to believe it,
so that your unconscious mindgets on board.
Once your unconscious mind getson board, that's it.
Things shift.
They really really do.
So I encourage you to be deluluabout this.
The other thing that embracingBrett energy does
psychologically for us is thatit encourages healthy boundaries
(12:36):
, and you know I'm all aboutboundaries.
I see a lot of you guys,especially photographers,
bending over backwards andforwards and all all of the ways
to do too many things for yourclients to be available at all
times for feeling guilty for notgetting those images back in 24
hours.
(12:56):
There's a lot of that that goesalong with owning your own
business and especially being awoman.
So one of the core elements ofthis brat energy is setting and
maintaining boundaries, and thisis vital in business so that
you can prevent burnout, toensure fair compensation and to
foster respectful clientrelationships.
(13:19):
Your clients really want theboundaries.
They're just like little kids.
If you're a mom, if you're aparent and you have parented
small children, probably one ofthe main things that you heard
from parenting experts was thatkids need boundaries.
Well, so do your clients.
Okay, they don't understandanything or don't know how it's
(13:40):
going to roll out, how yourprocess looks, until you tell
them, and so it's up to you toreally create that framework for
them.
So if you have not createdthose boundaries already for
them, so if you have not createdthose boundaries already, now's
a really good time to do that,and by not bending over
backwards for price shoppers ordifficult clients or just
clients in general businessowners, can really protect their
(14:04):
time.
You're going to be able toprotect your energy and your
resources, and that's going tolead to just more work more
sustainable, more fulfillingwork.
Another psychological benefit tothis brat energy is that it
enhances your decision-making.
Embracing this brat energy,this unapologetic energy,
involves practicingassertiveness, which improves
(14:28):
your decision-making skills aswell.
So being really clear anddecisive helps in navigating
business negotiations and makingstrategic choices.
Being really good with strategy, having these clear boundaries
and assertive communication,reduces your stress in the
(14:49):
long-term as well as youranxiety, which creates a more
balanced and productive workenvironment.
So it does reduce your stress.
The more things that you checkoff that list, take care of and
just get it done, the more calmyou're going to feel in the long
run.
And then the other psychologicalaspect to all of this is that
it promotes your authenticity,which we know is highly
(15:12):
desirable.
But more than just it beingdesirable, I really believe that
it's necessary and integral forjust your self-awareness in
general.
A side effect of authenticityis that, obviously, your
branding is going to feel morereal, right.
So standing in your confidencereally allows for a more
(15:33):
authentic brand representationto emerge, and your clients,
especially your teenage clients,are drawn to genuine
personalities, who you reallyare.
And this makes it so mucheasier for you to attract and
retain the right target loyalclients right.
(15:55):
So you really want to bestanding firmly in your
authenticity, unapologetically.
That's what I was talking aboutat the beginning of this
episode and how I am going toforce myself to be a little bit
more unwavering in that, and Iinvite you to do that as well.
(16:15):
And then, just as a side note, Ithink there are three main ways
that women, especially inbusiness, really need to embrace
this brat energy.
So, first of all, it's going tocombat that gender bias.
Women often face societalexpectations to be nurturing and
accommodating, and a lot of uslove that and we lean into it,
(16:39):
and I'm not saying there'sanything wrong with that, but
adopting a brat attitude helpscounteract these biases, which
fosters a more equitablebusiness environment in general.
So anything that's going tohelp you step more into showing
up a little bit more andunapologetically visible in your
(17:02):
business, I think is a greatthing.
The other one is empowerment.
So embracing this brat energyempowers women to take charge of
their lives and their careers,to negotiate better, to ask for
more money, to even just be ableto not feel guilty about asking
for money and demand therespect that they deserve, and
(17:26):
it's also really wonderful forrole modeling.
So, by embodying confidence andassertiveness.
Women in business can inspireothers to do the same, because
they are always watching Ourdaughters, our clients
especially if you work withteens, they're always watching
(17:46):
us, even your sons.
This is not just a woman thing,right?
This is going to helpcontribute to a cultural shift
towards creating greater genderequality, which is awesome.
I mean.
Look at the Olympics.
I think that for the first timefirst of all, first time in
history we've had an equalamount of women athletes
(18:10):
competing.
And then I think I just saw astatistic that said that women
led with gold medals or medalsin general, so more women got
medals this year.
So we are definitely embracingthis brat energy already, and I
feel like if we're just a littlebit more intentional with it,
we can really make some reallyawesome things happen.
(18:33):
Okay, so let's talk about 10specific ways that you can
actually implement this bratenergy, okay, in your business,
specifically as a creativeentrepreneur or as a
photographer.
The first one is you're goingto set some non-negotiable
boundaries, right, so establishthese clear boundaries around
(18:53):
your work hours, your clientcommunication and the scope of
your projects in general.
Make it known that your timeand expertise are valuable and
you don't allow clients to pushthose boundaries.
This is important becauseboundaries protect your energy,
they prevent burnout and theyhelp you maintain a really high
(19:13):
standard of your work.
So by standing really firm inthis, you are going to attract
clients who respect your timeand your skills, leading to more
fulfilling and profitableprojects.
So this could look like turningyour phone off or just not
answering texts or calls after acertain time.
A good example of this is thatI have an autoresponder set up
(19:37):
with my email for my businessemail and it basically goes out
to everyone who sends it to me.
It says I respond to emailsMonday, wednesday, friday If you
need to get in touch with me.
Beyond that, you can leave amessage here.
It also gives some really goodinformation about you know
(19:57):
whether you're if you're acoaching client, where to look,
if you're a a photography client, where you can go to find more
information.
So it's set up as an automationso that it, you know, frees up
some time for me and I'm nothaving to constantly send that
message to people, but also itlets my clients or potential
clients know upfront that theycan't get in touch with me 24
(20:18):
seven.
That's not how this goes and Ithink that we all will encounter
some clients along the way whodo expect a lot of you.
So it really is up to you.
It's up to you to set theseboundaries and to stand firm in
them and to not waver on them,because you deserve to have
downtime, you deserve to take aday off, you deserve to do
(20:41):
whatever the hell you want withyour time.
This is your business and youcan run it any way that you damn
well please.
So I know that that's reallydifficult, especially when you
are in the beginning phases of abusiness.
You might feel like you are,you know, emboldened to just
respond at all times and youknow you're just hungry for
(21:02):
clients.
But I promise you that is kindof desperate energy and it's
only going to bite you in thebutt in the long run.
So so set your boundaries now.
This is something I work withmy clients on ongoing, and for
some people it's easier thanothers.
For some people it's easier toimplement boundaries, for some
it's very, very hard.
(21:23):
This also is probably becauseof a lot of your own programming
and how you were raised, and sowe have to undo some stuff and
reprogram and reframe it so thatit feels good and safe in your
body to protect your energy.
Another example of how you canimplement some energy is to
charge what you are worth and Iknow we hear that a lot and you
(21:44):
guys have a lot of varyingopinions and feelings about that
but don't undercut your pricesto attract more clients.
Okay, I know that there's a lotof talk in the photography
world right now of people arejust not buying things or
they're not valuing photographyor whatever, but you can find a
(22:07):
lot of proof to the opposite andyou're welcome to use me as an
example, right, sometimes wehave to find other people to use
as an example so that we canget to that place, and I do that
as well.
So, if you feel like all you'rehearing is negativity and all
you're swimming in is, you know,lack mentality or whatever, you
(22:30):
have the power to change howyou're consuming that content.
So, as a little side note, I'venoticed, particularly on
threads, there's a lot of I'mnot going to say negativity.
There's some negativity, butthere's definitely a lot of just
(22:54):
opinions, right?
So threads is so much likeTwitter in the old days.
I don't know if you were onTwitter in 2007, 2008,.
You know what I'm talking aboutand I don't dislike threads.
I just find that it can be areally unnecessary thing
(23:15):
expenditure of your time.
So be very careful about howyou're spending your time,
because time is like your mostvaluable commodity, truly.
And if you are like spending alot of time reading all of these
threads about how you knowpeople just aren't spending the
money the way they used to withthe photography business and
(23:36):
photographers are having a hardtime getting clients and they're
closing their business down,and here's why you should be
lowering your prices.
And all of this noise it's somuch noise.
I just spend very little timeover there and I know that
threads is rewarding people.
Now, just as another side notethat the more threads you post
and the more interaction andengagement you garner on threads
(23:59):
, you can actually earn moneylike physical money.
So they're doing bonuses likethey did with Reels bonuses back
in the beginning of Reels and Ithink it's great that you can
make money off your content.
But I would just encourage youto not just post content just
for engagement, just for thesake of sparking some discourse,
(24:21):
let's say, because I feel likethat's a lot of what's happening
over there and I don't knowabout you, but I just don't have
time for that, like that's timeI could be spending on actually
like attracting my clients, andthat's what I would like you to
be focusing on.
So, getting back to chargingwhat you're worth, you know
charge rates that reflect yourexpertise, your experience, your
(24:45):
creativity, the value you bringand also what you want and need
to make period.
So it doesn't matter.
I know it's very unpopular tosay this, but I don't look at
what my competition is charging.
I never have, never.
I don't care what they'recharging.
I don't care.
If it's less, I don't care.
(25:06):
I am focused on what I knowthat I need and want to make to
make my business sustainable andprofitable and also for the
life that I live, what my billsare, what I need to kind of make
and support my family with.
So I would just encourage youto take a good look at that and
(25:27):
make sure that your prices arein alignment what you feel is
right for you and what isvaluable for you, because when
you do charge what you're worth,you do send a message that your
work is valuable and that notonly attracts higher paying
clients, but also it boosts yourconfidence and helps you grow
that sustainable business thatwe're all after.
(25:49):
So tune out the noise.
If you are having a hard timewith that, and also if you're
going to work with a coach or amentor to raise your prices,
it's really important that youmake sure that person actually
has experience working withother businesses as well,
because what worked for thatphotographer in their market may
(26:11):
or may not work for you in yourmarket, and if someone is just
telling you across the boardjust raise your prices without
giving you some strategies toalso implement, that's kind of a
recipe for disaster.
It could work out, but in a lotof cases it's not and you're
going to feel like you don'thave a good leg to stand on.
(26:32):
So make sure that you vet thatperson as well, because there's
a lot of people doing coaching.
There's a lot of photographerstrying to diversify their income
right now by offering mentoring, and a lot of them are great,
but a lot of them don't have theexperience yet to really give
(26:53):
you an educated strategy basedon not just their business.
Basically, another way you canshow up with energy is to just
say no without guilt.
Say no right.
Learn to say no to projects andclients and even opportunities
(27:14):
that do not align with yourvalues or your business goals do
not align with your values oryour business goals, whether
it's a low paying gig or aclient who doesn't respect your
process.
Saying no is a really powerfultool, and I don't feel like
enough of us do that.
Saying no frees up your timeand energy for projects that
really excite you and align withyour vision.
(27:35):
So if you're saying yes to allkinds of things that you don't
wanna do and you're just suckingyour energy, you're not gonna
have time to say yes to thingsthat really light you up.
So the thing here to rememberis that you have to know what
lights you up, you have to knowwhat you want and you have to
(27:55):
have that clarity right.
I have a whole episode aboutclarity.
I will link it in the shownotes for you.
If you are having a hard timeunderstanding what you really
want in your life right now orjust in your business, go listen
to that episode too, and it'llhelp.
But saying no really helps youavoid resentment and burnout and
(28:16):
it allows you to really staypassionate about your work.
So I got to tell you once Istarted leaning into this.
It really just changed a lot ofthings for me and really the
catalyst for this was melearning about my human design,
and you guys have probably heardme talk about that a lot.
But as a generator, I say yesto everything because I have
(28:39):
this internal energy, that Ihave the energy to do a lot of
things.
I really do.
I'm a doer, but there's noprize at the end of this for
doing the most.
And when I do all these thingsthat don't light me up, I get
really resentful, and that isnot a way to live, because you
(28:59):
create a lot of internalproblems, and not just mentally,
but physically.
It will manifest physically asillnesses and sickness.
So you need to know what youwant to do and just start saying
no to the things that do notlight you up.
Another way to have this bratenergy show up in your life is
to embrace your unique style.
Stop trying to fit in to trendsor what other people are doing.
(29:25):
Embrace your unique creativestyle and let it shine in your
work.
That's going to be whatattracts your clients to you,
not just trying to copy whateverybody else is doing.
And look, I got to just saythat there's a lot of just
senior photographers inparticular, where I scroll and I
can't really tell whose work iswhose anymore.
(29:48):
There's a few of you that I candefinitely tell, but a lot of
y'all are trying to find yourstyle still, and that's totally
fine.
But in doing so you are tryingto be like other people and the
trap is that a lot of seniorphotographers and photographers
in general tend to follow mostlyother photographers, which is a
really bad idea.
(30:08):
I talk about this a lot becauseyou're going to start to
unconsciously it's not on aconscious level, but you're
going to start to unconsciouslymarket to other photographers.
Those are not your clients andyou're also going to
unconsciously try and becomethat person, because it's just
the way that we're wired ashuman beings.
So be unapologetic about yourartistic choices and stand in
(30:30):
them, even if they'reunconventional, and especially
if they are.
Your uniqueness is yoursuperpower and when you embrace
your style, you differentiateyourself in the market.
You attract clients who loveyour work and the way that it is
for what it is, and you feelmore authentic and more
fulfilled in your creativeexpression.
(30:51):
So you got to be standing out.
Number five on the list of howyou can infuse some brat energy
is to inject some playfulnessinto your work.
Allow yourself to have some funwith your projects.
So experiment with newtechniques or take some creative
risks.
Don't be afraid to break therules.
(31:12):
Bring a sense of playfulness toyour work and your daily
routines.
This is something that I thinkI've been able to be pretty good
at ongoing.
I have never really likedfollowing the rules of
photography.
I break them all the time.
I don't care.
I'm unapologetically a naturallight shooter.
(31:32):
I don't care.
Come after me if you thinkoff-camera flash is the only way
to go.
No, it's not.
I've built a really successfulhigh school senior business.
Using it very minimally Doesn'tmean I don't know how to do it,
I just don't like it and Ibreak rules of composition all
(31:54):
the time.
Guess what?
My clients still spend upwardsof $5,000 with me.
Break the rules, it's okay.
People really like it when youdo your own thing.
Infusing playfulness into yourwork can also look like just
doing stuff for just you.
It's really important to dothat.
That's going to also save youfrom a lot of burnout too.
(32:15):
Fun energy is contagious and itattracts positive experiences
and positive people.
When you really enjoy whatyou're doing, it shows in your
work and that makes yourbusiness way more attractive to
potential clients, especiallyteenagers, and it also helps you
stay motivated and inspired.
Number six in how you canreally infuse some brat energy
(32:38):
into your life is to practiceradical self-care indulging in
your hobbies outside of yourwork or treating yourself with,
like you know, the same respectand care that you give to your
(33:06):
clients.
You're just so much betterequipped to take care of your
business when you do this foryourself.
So self-care replenishes yourenergy.
Obviously.
It boosts your creativity, itkeeps you grounded and it helps
you show up as your best self inall aspects of your life, and
it's a really, really greatexample to show to other people
(33:27):
in your life who might bewatching, like your kids.
Number seven on my list of waysthat you can infuse some bright
energy into your life is totrust your instincts.
Follow your gut feelings whenmaking business decisions,
whether it's choosing a client,setting a price, deciding on a
creative direction.
Trust that inner voice and letit guide you.
Okay, your instincts arepowerful tools for navigating
(33:49):
the business world just ingeneral, and by trusting them
you make decisions that arealigned with your true desires
and values, leading to moreauthentic and successful
outcomes across the board.
I know that a lot of us areoverthinkers, and so we have a
lot of internal dialogue.
So sometimes it can be reallyhard to figure out what's really
(34:13):
your gut feeling and what'slike your intuition versus that
inner saboteur.
But a really good reminder isthat your instincts and your
inner vision, your higher self,whatever you want to call it, is
never going to be mean orjudgmental.
It might be firm, but it's notgoing to be mean.
(34:34):
So if your inner voice istelling you something fear-based
or mean, that's not the voicethat you want to listen to.
Number eight, on how you canshow up with some more bright
energy in your life and yourbusiness, is to manifest with
intention.
Okay, so I talk about the lawof attraction a lot on here, but
use the law of attraction tomanifest your dream clients and
(34:54):
your projects and your businessgrowth.
It really works.
You guys, I have so manyepisodes on this you can go back
and listen to it.
I mean, basically, I infuse thelaw of attraction in pretty
much all my coaching andeverything that I talk about,
because when you visualize whatyou want and you feel you embody
the emotions of it alreadybeing done and having it, and
(35:19):
then you take inspired action tomake it a reality.
That's when the magic happens.
Manifesting with intentionreally helps you align your
energy with your goals, and sowhen you embody what you really
want and you take action towardsit, you attract those
opportunities that match thosedesires, the frequency of that,
(35:41):
and it really does create thosequantum leaps that you hear all
these things about.
That's how you do it, and Iknow that it's been sort of
spoken about a lot now, which Ithink is great, but I do think
that doing it with intention isthe key here, because a lot of
people talk about it and a lotof people talk about
(36:01):
affirmations.
But if you're just kind of usingit on a surface level, that's
probably why it's not reallyshowing up for you.
Yet.
You got to reallyunapologetically show up.
So that's where that bratenergy comes in.
You just got to go all in andsay you know what?
I don't care if this sounds woo, woo I, I don't care if people,
whatever poo-poo on it.
You got to do if it feels rightto you.
(36:23):
That's what you need to leaninto and you can actually show
up with this brat energy to theuniverse as well and tell the
universe in no uncertain termsthis is what we're doing now.
This is what I want.
That is what I want over likethis create that vision, really
(36:45):
see it and believe it and feelit, and I swear to God, you guys
, it happens faster than youthink All right.
Number nine on how you caninfuse some energy into your
life and business is tocelebrate your wins.
You guys don't do this enough.
Take some time to acknowledgeand celebrate your achievements
unapologetically.
Throw yourself a damn party,okay, big or small.
(37:08):
You don't have to have abirthday to do this, by the way.
Whether it's landing a newclient, completing a really
challenging project, or workingwith a client that was, oh my
gosh, difficult, or hitting amajor financial milestone,
celebrate the progress, okay.
Celebrating your winsreinforces a positive mindset
(37:31):
and builds momentum, becauseyou're rewarding your
unconscious mind.
When you do this, it's likeyour inner child gets a gold
star.
It helps you stay motivated,appreciate the journey and
attract more success and joyinto your life and business, and
all of those are great things.
This can look as simple as everynight before you go to sleep,
(37:55):
whether you want to journalabout it or just put it on a
notes app on your phone or justthink about it.
What are three things that youaccomplished today.
Pat yourself on the back.
What is something amazing youdid.
Like I said, throw yourself aparty, a dinner, an excursion.
I personally take myself to thespa.
I go get a massage or go get afacial.
(38:16):
It doesn't have to be somethingthat you are spending a lot of
money on either.
It can be just small,intentional, beautiful ways to
praise yourself, because, at theend of the day, sometimes you
know that's what we really.
We need to be our biggestcheerleader.
Being a solopreneur can feelvery lonely, but again, if you
(38:39):
are in my Elevate groups, youknow that I am big on this and
I'm always prompting you guys todo it, and it's a great place
to do it when you are in a group.
So if you belong to amembership that you love or
belong to any sort of group, gopop in that text thread or that
Voxer thread or that Facebookgroup and say hey guys, I have
(39:02):
some really awesome news and Iwant to share it with you guys,
and it doesn't matter how smallit is.
If it's a win, it's a win.
I love seeing these in mycoaching groups.
It is like crack cocaine for me.
I really love seeing you guys.
It's also contagious, right?
So someone else shares theirwin.
You're like, oh yeah, thatreally good thing did happen to
(39:24):
me too.
I want to tell you about it andit makes you want to attract
more of that into your life.
And the last on my list number10 of how you can infuse some
Brad energy into your life andyour business is to surround
yourself with positiveinfluences.
Cultivate a support system oflike-minded people who uplift
(39:45):
and inspire you, and don't takeno for an answer.
Whether it's a community ofcreatives, photographers, a
mentor or a coach or just somepositive friends in your life,
choose to be around people whoencourage your growth.
Make a decision that you willaccept, nothing less.
If there are people in yourlife who are not encouraging and
(40:09):
who are nothing but negative,even if they're in your family,
you can choose to not spend timeand energy with those people.
Just let those experiences fallaway and watch how many more
supportive people actually showup for you, because the energy
of those people around youinfluence you a lot more than
(40:33):
you probably know.
Right, there's a reason whythat saying is like you are the
five people you hang out withthe most.
We tell our kids that all thetime and then we forget it as
adults.
But by surrounding yourself withpositivity, you maintain a high
vibrational frequency, whichnot only enhances your
creativity and your business,but it also enriches your life
(40:53):
and makes you feel good, andwhen you feel good, you are so
much more able to attract allthat you want in your life.
That is also positive.
So don't be a victim of yourenvironment essentially, be a
brat.
So embracing this brat energyisn't just about being bold and
(41:15):
confident.
It's about creating a businessand a life that truly reflects
who you are and what you want.
And when you set boundaries,when you respect yourself and
inject fun in your work, youalign with the energy of success
and abundance, and this notonly helps you grow your
business, but it also makes thejourney way more enjoyable and
(41:37):
fulfilling.
By living and working with thisenergy, you attract
opportunities that resonate withyour highest self, leading to
quantum leaps in both yourprofessional and your personal
life.
So I really hope that this was afun episode for you and that it
maybe gave you a little swiftkick in the pants that you might
(41:58):
need right about now, because Ifeel like we are being called
to be more unapologetic, to bemore authentic and our true
selves.
Whatever that is for you, youhave to decide that for you,
tune out the noise.
Stop following so many otherpeople in your industry on
(42:20):
social media.
You want to be following andengaging with your actual
clients.
Remember that.
But also, if that means youhave to tune out for a little
bit, right that.
If that means you have to logoff for a little bit, that's
okay.
Do what you need to do to getwhat you want.
So go and just be a brat andbring that energy to your
business and to your clients.
(42:43):
And, as a side note, if you area high school senior
photographer, you really do needto be up on what your teen
clients are consuming, and thisis a really big factor in that
right.
Your teen clients, they knowwhat Brought Energy is.
Our Gen Z clients, our GenAlpha clients they know what
(43:05):
this is.
And even if you're not going tolike talk about it and name it,
you need to know what they'reconsuming.
You need to know what they'reall about so that you can market
to them.
And I've been saying this foryears.
I think it was probably 2018,2017 or 2018.
(43:25):
Well, I started talking aboutGen Z and how we need to be
marketing to them in 2014because they were like on the
rise, right.
They were literally changingthe game and how we operated our
senior businesses, and so Istarted creating a lot of
content about that.
I have blogs that I wrote aboutthat from way back when, and my
(43:45):
whole like senior photographyeducation platform and my
creative team method the waythat I teach and run senior rep
teams is very much all aboutthat.
You know teen energy, gen Z, genAlpha, what they want, and I've
sort of made it my life'smission these last like six or
(44:05):
seven years to really help highschool senior photographers
understand how to market moreefficiently to their teen
clients, because if you're onlymarketing to the parent, you are
losing business.
You are losing your teenclients.
More often than not, theparents are letting the
teenagers decide who gets hired.
So I've been talking about thisfor a long time, longer than
(44:28):
pretty much anybody in ourindustry was talking about it.
Some people in our industry arestill not talking about this,
and that's why I'm so passionate.
You guys have to be marketing tothe teenager.
I can't tell you how importantthis is, because your teen
clients need to feel like you'rethe right person for them.
(44:48):
Their parents are going to letthem choose who gets hired for
the high school senior portrait.
Even if the parents are paying,which most cases they are, the
parents are also letting theirhigh school senior determine
what gets purchased, by the way.
So if you haven't seen that inyour ordering sessions, if you
do IPS which I really hope youdo I hope you're doing that and
not just shooting and burningbut you probably have already
(45:12):
seen that in your sales sessionsand if you haven't, it's coming
, coming the parents willliterally turn to the kid and be
like do you want this album?
What do you think it's reallyup to you to infuse your
marketing with the right kind ofmessaging so that it never kind
of gets to that part wherethey're like letting a kid
determine if they purchase a$2,000 product.
(45:34):
When you have your messaging inline with that teenager, they
already know they want it beforethey even shoot the session
with you.
That's the whole deal.
Your marketing really needs tobe intentional.
So that's my little side notefor high school senior
photographers, because I see alot of you not doing that enough
.
Nobody in my communities.
(45:54):
I know you guys are doing itbecause you hear me talking
about this nonstop.
But if you need help with thisthat's what I'm here for you can
either sign up for someone-on-one coaching with me,
which I only have like one ortwo spots open for that right
now, so you definitely want toreach out ASAP Link is below in
the show notes for that.
Just book a call.
We'll chat and see if coachingis right for you, especially if
(46:19):
you are just starting out inbusiness as a senior
photographer or if you have beena photographer for a while but
you're trying to pivot intosenior photography.
Our genre is a whole differentgenre.
This niche is very differentbecause we still do need to be
marketing to the parent.
This niche is very differentbecause we still do need to be
marketing to the parent, but weneed to lead with the teen and
(46:39):
we have to be marketing to twotarget clients.
It's very different than mostother niches of photography and
that's what I'm really good at.
I have a whole program thatshows you how to do it and I
walk you through it and I holdyour hand through the process,
and I also talk a lot about thisin the creative team method,
which is on a ridiculous,ridiculous sale right now.
I am going to be revamping someof this.
(47:00):
If you don't know what thecreative team method is, the
link is below.
It is how you should be runningyour high school senior rep
program, because your teenclients do not want a model
program like the ones that weused to run in the 2000s.
They also may not really alignwith the word influencer.
I was the first person to callmy team an influencer team way
(47:21):
back in 2017, but I changed itto creative team and creator
because, guess what?
Our team clients really alignbetter with that word and things
are shifting once again prettysoon.
So my job is to stay on top ofthat stuff for you guys and
update the program whenever itdoes shift.
So if you already own thecreative team method, you get
those updates automatically, butif you don't own it, you should
(47:43):
definitely buy it right now,because it is not ever going to
be this cheap ever again.
I walk you through the entireprocess of starting or revamping
a high school senior repprogram that keeps you booked
year round, because your teenclients need more than just
pretty pictures.
They're not going to post them.
They don't do that anymore.
So if you're just relying onyour teen clients to hopefully
(48:04):
post and you're running your repprogram either free or very low
cost.
That's not sustainable and itis definitely changing.
So check my program out.
I do things really differentlyfrom a lot of other senior
photographers and there's a lotof feedback on that page as well
A lot of testimonials fromphotographers who have gone
(48:24):
through the program and who areabsolutely killing it and
thriving with their businessesbecause they went all in and I
love that for them.
So I want that to be you too.
I want you to be profitable inyour business.
All right, you guys, I hope youhave a productive and fun and
brat rest of your week andplease reach out to me over on
(48:46):
Instagram If you have anyquestions or feedback about this
episode or any episode.
It's.
I'm at Renee Bowen over onInstagram and I love chatting
with you guys in the DMS, asalways, and I will talk to you
guys next time.
Love you, bye.
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