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Love your newsletters - Rachel Larsen Weaver
175 Plays2 years ago
Happy Woo Wednesdays!
Rachel is my favorite family photographer and does long form family shoots meaning she's with the family ALL Day. I love the way she loves herself, her family, her clients, and her body.
www.rachellarsenweaver.com/links
Rachel Larsen Weaver is an artist-educator and film photographer in Maryland on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. She is a mother to five who travels the country creating art with families and she mentors photographers who are interested in building businesses that are rooted in their creative longings.
Today's Hot Topic
Let's talk newsletters! Rachel talks about why you should start one, how to do it, and ways to grow your list.
1. choose a format and schedule that feels exciting and not overwhelming
2. stories sell- so determine what stories you want to tell
3. repurpose. repurpose. repurpose.
Favorite sales technique: How do you get a HECK YES from your dream clients?
This one is kind of hard for me. I have often remarked that I feel confident when it comes to marketing but less so in sales. For me the heck yes really is about the client feeling deeply connected to me and the offer. When I love the things that I am creating- I think that my joy and enthusiasm is contagious. When my offers are not actually aligned with my deepest desires- they don't have that same magnetic energy.
What is your Woo Factor? The Woo Factor is how you stand out from the crowd. What makes you unique?
I think its two fold: one is that my work is really about honoring the art of the offer. I talk a lot about studying the artists I admire, exploring the tradition photography. I want to make a William Eggleston photo at your wedding. I want to create a Sally Mann when I'm photographing your family. That would seem really snobby though and possibly intimidating and not the easiest sell. So I couple that with really genuine relationship building. One of the things that I love to do is to respond to dm's with voice messages- A) I find it so much easier to respond in a thoughtful way quickly when I can talk and have my hands free (I have five kids remember) B) I hope it feels sort of personal.
Connect with Rachel
https://www.rachellarsenweaver.com/
instagram.com/rachel.larsen.weaver
Connect with Carissa
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Rachel Larson Weaver
00:00:00
Speaker
Happy Will Wednesdays. Today I have Rachel Larson Weaver in the house. She's my favorite family photographer and she's based in Maryland.
00:00:07
Speaker
She does long form family sessions. Don't know what that is? Tune in. I didn't know either. She has five kiddos of her own and I was mind blown at the end when she said she stopped saying anything negative to herself. It was a wake up call for me. Today we talk about newsletters. Get on my newsletter, heckyesmedia.co and hers at rachelarsonweaver.com.
00:00:31
Speaker
If you're
Podcast Themes and Focus
00:00:32
Speaker
my student, you get a year-long worth of newsletter templates. So enjoy this episode. You're going to hear all about her family sessions and how she markets herself in newsletters. Enjoy!
00:00:49
Speaker
Welcome to Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. I'm your host, Carissa, and I've been a Los Angeles wedding photographer for over a decade. I've traveled the world, built my team, and seen it all. I now coach wedding photographers hit 10K a month and build a thriving business. In this podcast, we are going to deep dive into how top wedding creatives get that heck yes from their dream clients. We are not holding back on the struggles of the business and how to push through the noise, some healthy hustle,
00:01:15
Speaker
mindset shifts, up-leveling your money story, time hacks because I'm a mom of two, a little bit of woo-woo, and most importantly, self-love and confidence are just a few of the many things we will talk about. I want to give you a genuine thank you for following along my journey. I hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesday so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon.
00:01:40
Speaker
Hey everyone, I'm back. Carissa Woo, your host. Welcome back to Get a
Rachel's Photography Philosophy
00:01:44
Speaker
Heck Yes. I have a very special guest. Her name is Rachel Larson Weaver, and I found you. She has the greatest Instagram. You guys have to check her out, rachel.larson.weaver. Rachel Larson is an artist, educator, and film photographer in Maryland on the shore of the cheap
00:02:01
Speaker
The Chefsky Bay. Did I say it right? No, no. Chesapeake Bay. But I like your way too. I was going to say Cheapskate. I was like, no, that's all right. I like your version. She is a mother to five who travels the country creating art with families. And she mentors photographers who are interested in building businesses that are rooted in their creative longings. Welcome Rachel. How's it going? Oh, it's so good. Thanks for having me.
00:02:30
Speaker
here. And I have to tagline because your website is so awesome. But she says, Rachel makes photos that document truths, both deeply joyful and wildly complicated. What does that mean to you? Because I love those words. I like the idea. Lots of my work is around families, but more specifically mothers and then also bodies. And so I really like
00:02:56
Speaker
getting to make pictures with people that it doesn't feel like a single thing. The emotion isn't maybe completely obvious because I feel like so many of the things that we feel and experience
00:03:13
Speaker
hold a lot of things in that given moment. And so I feel like when you're aiming for that really truthful thing that it becomes so big and so complicated and kind of points to everything.
Journey from Writing to Photography
00:03:26
Speaker
Okay. So I just, just from what you're saying, like, I just imagine you're going to like a family shoe and you're just like looking at like literally everything, like expressions, dynamic, like what's in the kitchen, like what they're wearing, like how they're interacting. And you're just kind of like creating this story for them.
00:03:44
Speaker
It's absolutely that. My primary offering these days is I shoot long form sessions. I come and I stay with people for 24 hours. I usually sleep at their house. I eat all of their meals with them. Sometimes it's even longer depending on how the flights work because I do it all over the country. It's so that I have the time to be able to pay attention to everything and to really
00:04:11
Speaker
feel that connection and slow the whole thing down. And it's not necessarily that it's purely documentary work. It's just that it gives you the time to really notice and sink into it. Well, did you say 24 hours? Yeah. Yeah. So I mean, like I said, it's sometimes sort of longer because we're aiming for at least like a 24 hour window. So sometimes I'll
00:04:38
Speaker
you know, fly in on a Friday afternoon and stay with them and then we'll shoot all day Saturday. And then I leave on Sunday morning. That's pretty typical. I never heard of this type of photography. So I mean, I a little made it up. Okay. Yeah. I mean, I do think people do day in a life sessions and that was a thing that I, I think had, but I sort of wanted to reimagine it so that it wasn't quite so like documentary based that it was just,
00:05:07
Speaker
that, you know, that there is sort of that lifestyle or, I always feel weird calling something like fine art, like who are we to say what's fine art or not? But, you know, like looking at the photographers who like really inspire me with their work and wanting to be able to have time that I can create that kind of work with clients.
00:05:27
Speaker
I love that. Yeah, like my family sessions are pretty long. And I used to do minis, but I didn't really like them because they're so stressful. And I didn't get to connect with my families. So I actually do like 45 minute sessions. And I thought that was long because you know, all the coaches say do like the 10 to 15 minute like, yeah,
00:05:47
Speaker
boom, boom, boom. And I'm like, but I just, you know, want to connect with them more. And I want to like chat it up like the last like five, 10 minutes. And you take this as a whole, whole next level. Yeah. I want to really get into your journey. Like, I guess take it back from like the start, like growing up and then your journey of how you became a mom of five and also like this wonderful family portrait photographer. Oh, thanks.
00:06:15
Speaker
I grew up in a big family. So I feel like that's, I grew up one of six. I still live in the same small town where I grew up. So like within a two mile radius, five of my six siblings live here and there's seven nieces and nephews. So anyhow, just like a sense of what my days are like right now upstairs hiding with my kids away from where I'm recording. One of my nieces is up there. There's always like kids coming and going. And so,
00:06:43
Speaker
So that feels like a foundational piece. But my background was actually more in writing and not in visual arts. My undergraduate degree was in English, specifically doing creative nonfiction. And that'll kind of come up later when we talk about newsletters. And then I started an MFA in creative nonfiction. I had a kid in the middle of it. And so I gave up on that part of it.
00:07:14
Speaker
And so I was teaching English as a high school teacher and I wanted to like have a place for my writing. So that's how I started a blog because I was like, Oh, I want to play stuff. And so I bought a camera because you should have pictures on your blog. And it was funny how it transformed and people started asking me to take their pictures. So I like kind of became a photographer by accident.
00:07:39
Speaker
But then once I did it, I realized because I've always liked telling stories, but I'm a pretty extroverted person. Photography let me do what I love doing with writing, but kind of do it with other people. And also, as I mentioned, I have a lot of kids and it's pretty chaotic house life. You can make photos in the noise and in the chaos. Like I can make those with my children.
00:08:06
Speaker
do that in the thick of it, whereas like writing takes more of a separation. So I like to have finding this creative medium that felt like a way of being with my kids and being present with them and actually sort of noticing more in our day to day and seeing the beauty. And so I feel like from that place, the photography
00:08:30
Speaker
You know, it came from that spot. Yeah, I mean, I just I even forgot about the hot topic newsletters, guys. Yeah. But I totally forgot about that. But just I couldn't stop looking at your Instagram because it is like the beauty of the beauty of life, but very complicated. And I don't know, I just felt like sometimes when my first child was born, I just felt like I had to take like the perfect, you know, curated picture.
00:08:55
Speaker
you know, perfect outfits and I was kind of the mommy blogging thing. And then I just kind of gave up on it. I was like, this is so miserable. And then now I'll bring it like my little Fuji and just take some photos like in the mess, the laundry, and some of the shots come out really beautiful. And those are the ones I really treasure.
00:09:16
Speaker
That's, I mean, what I feel like you're speaking to partially too, like we had this aesthetic kind of with the mommy blogger thing and those pictures can be beautiful, but they feel more like an advertisement. Do you know what I mean? Like that's, but like what I want is to create something that feels like.
00:09:39
Speaker
I mean, first off, I just wanna create a thing so that I see the beauty in the life and like that it exists for me personally. But when I study artists, I like to think about what can I create that actually says something about childhood in general or motherhood like in a universal way? Like how can I use this specific moment to speak to something larger? And I feel like that's not gonna be the perfectly
00:10:07
Speaker
you know, dressed child, you know, in the neutral
Authenticity in Family Photography
00:10:11
Speaker
scene with their, you know, all wooden, never a plastic block. Like nothing has batteries. We've never seen an iPad in a single kid's hand. Do you know what I mean? Like that, we're not going to be studying those photos in 40 years. We're not going to
00:10:28
Speaker
you know, be like, what was her point? Like, what was the message? Yeah, interesting. Okay, it goes, it goes deeper than that. Have you heard of me die chance?
00:10:38
Speaker
No. I mean, people don't know her around here, but she's like this little girl, her dad shot film, and then she's like in the village in Japan. And it was just so real, like she would have like a big snot bubble or like she'd be like really mad or like snot all over her face. And it's so good. It's so real authentic that people buy her books, like people have like posters of her like in their house. Like I bought a book and it was expensive, like 53 bucks.
00:11:06
Speaker
and people having their on their coffee tables, because it was just like kind of ridiculous and just heard her like everyday village life, but it was so beautiful. Oh, I want I hope you'll get in the show notes or send it to me later because I want to look her up. Yeah. How much percentage film do you use and digital?
00:11:25
Speaker
100% film, all of my own. So I switched over. The only thing that I was like holding out on, I would still make self portraits digitally. And when I was shooting more weddings, I was still shooting those primarily digitally, but my family sessions have been all filmed for a long time. And now I'm not shooting as many weddings. Like I have a wedding this spring, but that's gonna be 95% film.
00:11:53
Speaker
Okay. I want to ask you like a deep question before we go into the hot topic, but I don't want to ask. Yes. A question, but I just want to say, ask you like, what do you think the most beautiful thing about motherhood is? Oh, I like it. Cause that is deep, but also hard. Um, sort of recently I had a friend comment and it felt like a really wonderful compliment in a way.
00:12:23
Speaker
that she talked about how I genuinely enjoy my kids. I like them and so having these relationships with these five different humans that all feel really unique and
00:12:38
Speaker
like getting to have those friendships while also trying not to be like the needy mom that's like too much, especially now that I have an almost 18 year old where I'm like, she's kind of my best friend, but I need to let her go be her own person. But I do think like that's a part of motherhood that I think that's my favorite part.
00:12:57
Speaker
That's a good answer because it's kind of like that quote like, I like you but and I love you too, or I love you. And like, I sometimes get sad when I think about my little kids growing up, but having older kids that I so enjoy in new ways, you know,
00:13:16
Speaker
to have this 18 year old daughter who is giving me music recommendations and you know we get to talk about clothing and you know what I mean like I just I like getting to have that while I'm still you know doing a lot of like tickle fights. Oh yeah they grow up so fast it's crazy my daughter is five but she's just I feel like she's more in like a 21 year old mind like
00:13:43
Speaker
She's, you've got one of those. Yeah, I've got one of those. Yeah. Okay. Let's get into our hot topic topic. And why is it so near and dear to your heart? Well, and you might've picked up on it a little from what I was saying that, uh, we're going to talk about newsletters, which I absolutely love. As I mentioned, you know, a lot of my,
00:14:06
Speaker
more formal background is in writing. And so a year and a half ago, two years ago, I started a weekly newsletter on Monday nights and it has been so transformational for my business. I don't think that I would have been able to, that the success of long form sessions would have happened without having that newsletter as like a foundational part of my business and marketing.
00:14:32
Speaker
Wow. OK, so what was this like turning point where you just said like, I need to make a newsletter and I'm going to make it weekly and I'm going to pour my heart into it. Like what what kind of gave you the aha moment? So I always, you know, liked writing and it had been when I had had really solid writing practices that I was my happiest because I like how writing makes me more observant.
00:15:00
Speaker
It kind of allows me to enjoy a good moment twice, you know, like I get to savor it. But I was working with Eliza Louise, who is a business coach, mentor. They do a lot of work with folks doing newsletters. We weren't working specifically on newsletters, but they kind of gave me the push and they were like, you,
00:15:25
Speaker
You like writing, you like, you know, your Instagram captions are good, you have a background in this, like, go that direction. And so, because I wasn't convinced people wanted to, I don't know, I didn't like read a lot of newsletters, like I don't read a lot of emails. So I was like, who's kind of, isn't that kind of archaic? But it's been, but also I think sometimes when you do a thing that doesn't feel like what everybody else is doing,
00:15:54
Speaker
And when you're doing it in a way that's not exactly how everybody is doing it, then you start to become known for it. Like, I think that people really connect and kind of know me through my newsletter. Okay, everyone go to her website right now and then you'll get a little pop up to get on her newsletter. It's so powerful. All right, so let's get into it. You have three tips. What's number one tip?
00:16:20
Speaker
I didn't know how to get into spaces that I wasn't invited into. My aha moment was I finally found a venue that I jammed with and I think that we're gonna have a great relationship so I'm super excited to be on their list.
00:16:37
Speaker
I have presented myself, my art, and my business in a way that is speaking to someone, that is speaking to somebody enough where they recognize my brand. They know who I am and I don't know who they are, which is amazing, and they want to work with me.
00:16:55
Speaker
Yep, she's just one of my dozens of students crushing it. Go on my website, www.hecyesmedia.co and book a 15-minute strategy session with me. Only if you want to be booked out on multiple preferred vendor lists and have a proven marketing plan.
00:17:15
Speaker
First off, I think it's just really important, choose a format and a schedule that feels exciting to you, that it's gotta feel like something you want to
Effective Newsletter Strategies
00:17:26
Speaker
do. I feel that way about anything I do in business, if I, when I am excited about it, the enthusiasm comes through. Like I am not excited about reels right now and I'm just not doing it. If I can figure out a way that I am, fine. But anyhow, so,
00:17:43
Speaker
I realized that a weekly format was gonna work for me and that it was gonna be primarily writing, but that doesn't have to be your way of doing a newsletter. If doing a weekly list or doing a roundup of things you love, and it doesn't have to be weekly. It can be, you know, I think consistency is good, but it can be every other week. It can be once a month, but something that doesn't feel like a burden to you, feels like an important,
00:18:12
Speaker
starting point. That's the biggest takeaway. I've got like the past year of being a coach is not one size fits all. Like I do teach social media, like the principles of your core brand values and like talk, learning how to curate them and talk about them. But to get someone to be like, you have to do this and make one real a week and show your face. Like it just, when you tell that to people, it just doesn't work. Like you have to find the principal, tell them the principles, but then they have to get comfortable with their own rhythm. So I think you're completely right about that.
00:18:42
Speaker
Yeah, because, you know, if that magnetism that happens through a thing that we like and I can see the people who are making reels because they have to or showing their face because they feel like it's just the thing they have to do.
00:19:00
Speaker
And it doesn't have the same sort of dynamism, you know, dynamic energy to it. So figuring out like what works for you and then getting excited about it. Though I will say kind of my second tip maybe is now saying, but you should probably stories sell. And I even feel kind of weird. I love my newsletter so much that it's not just about selling, but
00:19:27
Speaker
people want to feel connected and and through that narrative they they get drawn in and if we want them to show a lot of like vulnerability and openness to what we're bringing to the table our stories help prepare the way for that and so to decide on like a few stories that you want to tell
00:19:50
Speaker
in different ways throughout. You don't have to be sharing every part of yourself, but what are the stories about motherhood that you wanna talk about? Or it can be about business, or it can be about mental health struggles, or it can be about living in a body like yours. Pick a few things that feel meaningful and people will feel connected and find a way to allow the narrative to come through.
00:20:17
Speaker
Interesting. I do love stories because I'll look at other people's podcasts and there's like minute 1.1 13. We talk about branding. Oh, three. We talk about this. I'm like, no one really cares. Just tell a little story about like, you know, why this podcast was important to you. What, what stood out like in a very like short form blurb. And then there you go. So yeah, I agree. Wait, wait.
00:20:43
Speaker
We don't want to be lectured at. We don't want only bullet points. We want to feel connected to a person. Do you use Flowdesk? I do, and I love Flowdesk. I find it really
00:20:59
Speaker
I find it really intuitive to use. I wish, Flowdesk, if you're listening, I really wish your analytics, I wish they had more powerful analytics, cause I don't think that they're great. And I can like get a little nerdy. I wish I could like dig into the data more, but I mostly love it. And, you know, I have no desire to ever, I use my newsletter to sell. I'm not trying to sell my newsletter. I know lots of people that are like moving to sub-stack.
00:21:27
Speaker
but I'm not interested in like charging people for that. Oh, okay. Interesting. Okay. So just a little bit of mindset, businessy question. I know it's like your work is so beautiful. You tell the stories, but is it stories? And then is it kind of like the Jenna Kutcher thing, like jab, jab, sell, jab, jab, jab, punch, or like you do offer like mini sessions. Is it just, um, people are just so drawn to your stories that they'll all like book, like, is there a link to book a session or how does it all work?
00:21:57
Speaker
Like, I don't know the Jenna Kutcher method, so I can't speak to whether or not I'm doing that. In my newsletters, there's always something I'm selling at the end, like 90% of, and I try to do it in a pretty artful, smooth way. In one way, the things that I offer feel so
00:22:22
Speaker
resident and aligned with what I want to do. It usually is really easy to talk about the cell in a way that feels connected. And so the newsletters almost always have a mention. I want it to have like value all throughout. And then it's funny, my husband and I met through like we were both English majors at the same unit at the same school and
00:22:49
Speaker
he will edit and sometimes he'll be like, oh man, I could tell when your tone shifted into sales. So it usually happens somewhere at the end, but it's relatively subtle. Like I said, I'd like it to be enough value that anybody can read. I mean, maybe not anybody, but like most people who are like interested in family, interested in cultivating presence, interested in like kind of thoughtful, intentional living,
00:23:19
Speaker
in creativity, like they could get something out of the reading. And so then the cell is kind of light. And my Instagram is similar, like I'll have periods of time where I'm like, you know, launching something or really trying to like book sessions and then it's more present and then they'll kind of, like I just finished one of those. And so then it'll like taper off and I feel like, oh, I'm just sharing
00:23:48
Speaker
for a little while and then.
00:23:50
Speaker
You know, it ends in photos. It's funny, my husband too, like how your husband kind of could tell you shifted, but I posted a photo from like my second shooter and he was like, that's not one of your poses. I was like, oh my God. That's so itchy. Yeah. That he like notes like that. Because I don't think like, you know, one of my poses, but it just comes down. So you kind of have your, your go-to shots. And then your last tip was repurpose. Tell us about that.
Expanding Newsletter Reach
00:24:20
Speaker
If you're writing newsletters, you're creating a lot of content typically. And don't be afraid then to pull from it. And I don't love as a method when people
00:24:39
Speaker
when all of a sudden something hits and it's, they're in their newsletter and it's in their Instagram stories and it's in their, like all at once. Whereas what I, my method, I mean, again, do whatever you want. People aren't paying as much attention to us as we think they are or should be. But like, I will go back
00:24:57
Speaker
If I know that I'm talking about stories of mothers, I might go back to old newsletters and then I just steal a paragraph out of it and put it as my caption, or I, you know, I'm reusing those things all the time so if you're putting the energy into the newsletter.
00:25:15
Speaker
like let that be kind of a bank of information that you then pull from. I mean, I also have started where I kind of keep banks of like Instagram captions on different topics where I'll go back and look a couple of years and be like, oh,
00:25:32
Speaker
just reuse that it can be the caption twice it was good then it's still good totally oh my god i wrote a cool caption on like uh woman's day one time and i always look back on it i was like what did i say yeah no and and you don't like you don't have to and especially if that's a thing that uh is slowing you down in your workflow like let it be there and know and also
00:25:58
Speaker
I mean, one of the other things you can do is if you have a small bit of it in your caption, then it could become a teaser that you're encouraging people to get the rest through reading your newsletter. Because, you know, the one of the things about newsletters is if you want to do it,
00:26:16
Speaker
then you're also trying to feel, you know, figure out ways to get your following over there or to build up a following, following your newsletter. I recommend it because you own, I mean, most of you all know all of this. You own that email list. We never know what's going to happen with social media. Like, you know, it, it feels like a good safety net no matter what your plan is. Yeah, for sure. Because I got hacked and my cousin got hacked and
00:26:45
Speaker
You know, 13, 14,000 followers and she had like 17,000 followers. So it's crazy. One last newsletter question. How do you get people on your newsletter? Yeah. So that's, that's what I'm saying, where you have to, where you are mentioning and you're bringing people over from your Instagram. I mean, so here's a few things you want to make sure that there is a link in your Instagram bio that gets you right to it.
00:27:15
Speaker
a pop up on your website totally is a good idea. There's really no reason not to, you know, lots of people do freebies, which is just not the, hasn't been my primary way of bringing people in. Um, last winter I did a challenge and it was a five day self-love challenge. And because it like there was excitement, people wanted to join so that they could get like self-love practices coming into their inbox every day for five days. And that, you know, brought in a pretty,
00:27:46
Speaker
You know, good chunk of people. And one of the things, this is another kind of like newsletters. I like choosing things that I feel like aren't being done in always my favorite ways or to find a way to make it my own.
00:28:04
Speaker
Like I'm a big fan of webinars. Like I like hosting webinars. I've like co-host them with people sometimes. And that has been a huge boost because I do things like in education. It's, you know, I don't, my webinars are not, um,
00:28:25
Speaker
It doesn't feel like an infomercial, I don't think. I try to make sure it's like, here's 50 minutes of interesting learning content, engaging. And then at the end, here's a sale that is honest and open-hearted and the attract and repel is in there. And anyhow, they've been huge for me. Wow. What is your offer at the end?
00:28:54
Speaker
Uh, it's been, you know, different every time. So maybe the first one I was offering a discount or it was when I was launching long form sessions. And so.
00:29:09
Speaker
It was a webinar that we were like, I was showing who some of my favorite photographers were, like historical photographers and showing how they had influenced my work. So the people who were showing up tended to be kind of creative academic artsy types, just like who I loved to work with. And so there was an offer, I've released a self-portrait guide. And so again, that was like studying with like artists who do,
00:29:40
Speaker
I'll probably be doing when I'm doing a writing class that help people work on. It doesn't have to be specifically for newsletters. Like I like writing as an art, but I'll be doing that in March. So probably sometime at the end of February, I'll offer like an hour writing class to give people a sense and then hopefully you kind of hook them and they want more. Yeah, I love that. And you said you're speaking at Photo Native. What's like your hot topic for that? It's a writing class.
00:30:04
Speaker
self-portraits.
00:30:10
Speaker
So that one will be about helping people think about ideas and stories and narratives that pair well with their images. So what are the kinds of things that we can say? Sometimes I joke. Yeah, a picture might be worth a thousand words, but none of them are by me. So how do you get the words to help get somebody to be like,
00:30:38
Speaker
I'm gonna pay for that thing. Oh, I love it. I'm gonna take that because my sister's a writer. She works for LA Times. I'm just like the, you know, type of queen, like have a nice summer. Like I just don't come to me. I'm an audio learner, but I don't, I can't write and I love taking pictures, but let's get into rapid fire questions. What's your biggest boss mom hack?
00:31:01
Speaker
You don't have to be like all the time paying attention to your kids. Give each one like 15 minutes a day where you're actually connecting to them and then like relieve yourself of some of the guilt because I feel like there's too often we spend time in that gray time. Like make sure you're connecting with your kids every day, but like let yourself off the hook. Like when you,
00:31:29
Speaker
you know, so they don't have to be at their beck and call constantly. I think I'm good at that. Yeah, I think some, yeah. What's your biggest self-love technique?
00:31:43
Speaker
Well, I love self-portraits that they have been huge because it has gotten me used to seeing myself. I think sometimes we stop seeing ourselves and then we get surprised when we see it. And when I've just become very familiar with myself, I can't see a picture of myself now that I'm like, what the? I'm like, oh yeah, sometimes my body does that. Sometimes my face does that.
00:32:10
Speaker
I don't know, it's just made a lot of space for me to know and love myself because I feel familiar with me. Oh, interesting. It's like a level of self-awareness. Yeah. And so because I think it used to be like you'd flip the camera around and be like, what? I'm sure it was a better situation than that. But now I'm like, oh yeah, you're a human that some ways look good and some ways don't. And, you know,
00:32:40
Speaker
that's paired with the fact that like I don't say mean things to myself anymore. Once I got rid of the mean words, then it was easier to like look at the picture. I love that. What's your favorite date night with your hubby? Oh, that's so cute. Date nights like that.
00:32:58
Speaker
You're like, what the? This is probably bad because it's like not appear. I think that both of us also like going out with our friends like another couple sometimes because it like maybe makes us become more energetic than if it's just us. Like I think then maybe it can kind of feel like, oh, but like having somebody else that's like,
00:33:26
Speaker
Let's get another bottle of wine, feels like. And I don't know, maybe also when you're like in public places and other people are seeing them and you see how handsome they are in that light. I don't know. I think. Oh, I like the answer because I think I think the same thing, but I didn't know how to verbalize it. Yeah.
00:33:43
Speaker
that I feel like it's more interesting. But I didn't know like, I didn't know it was a thing. And you're like, does it count as a date night if it's a double date? Yes, it does. You're going out and you're dressing up. Last question, I always like to ask this question, like say someone's listening photographer or wedding professional and they're struggling, maybe one takeaway, one advice, one mindset shift just to do or action to do today to get out of their heads.
00:34:11
Speaker
For me, it's always go create something.
00:34:17
Speaker
And it can be a caption, it can be like, just like take an action. And I feel like that is what helps get me out of my head. I have, my best friend owns an antique shop and she'll talk about sometimes if there's like a thing sitting on the counter and nobody pays attention to it for months. And then somebody comes in and like just like touches it or moves it. And then that person leaves and then like the next person walks in and they buy it.
00:34:46
Speaker
And I, like, she's like, there just needed to be energy around that object. And sometimes I just think, how do I put energy around my business? How do I get it to like, just like shine up a little so that the next person who sees it is like, oh, that's for me. Oh my God. That's interesting. It's like.
00:35:05
Speaker
the transference of energy, like, yeah, those three nos and randomly, like someone will say yes, that you didn't even have a sales call. Like it's, it's, it happens all the time. Yeah. And so just like, what can I do to like, keep it shifting and evolving and moving? Oh, that's a good, great answer. Well, it was so nice to hear from you today. A great conversation. Where can everyone find you and how did it get, get on your amazing newsletter?
00:35:32
Speaker
You can find me at rachel.larson.weaver on Instagram, or it's altogether rachellarsonweaver.com. And either of those places will give you a spot to get on here and now, which is my Monday night newsletter. I'd love to have you there. Yay, thank you. Thank you.
00:35:57
Speaker
Thanks for joining me this week on Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. Make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, or tell a friend about the show. Take a screenshot and post to IG. Tag me! Also, don't forget to download my free guide on how to become a lead generating machine. See you next time, wedding pros!