There are 2 main things I do every morning for my business - I post to my VIP Group on Facebook and I post to Instagram. I "should" be posting to TikTok, I should be posting Reels, and I need to keep up on Twitter. And I should post 7 or 8 times a day in my Facebook group. Keep up with the algorithm. Be a content creator! And that constant push of "DO MORE OR FACE FAILURE" really hit me hard a few days ago. I sat staring at my monitor this week, feeling the pressure because "other boudoir photographers do this" and why wasn't I doing that. I felt like there was a rat running on a wheel in my head, only it was running so fast it was bordering on spinning completely out of control and flying free.

I'm not a content creator, nor do I want to be one. I LOVE watching reels and tiktoks, but it really causes me a lot of anxiety to try to come up with an idea to maybe film one myself. I really hate being on twitter in general for a multitude of reasons. And to spend prolonged amounts of time on Instagram and Facebook really chips away at my mental health. I know these things about myself. BUT, I love reading and I love writing. I love sitting down across from someone and having a heart to heart over coffee while munching croissants with nutella and strawberries. Being honest and open is fairly easy for me in those types of situations.

As I sat there feeling so unauthentic, the thought surfaced that I believe in women being who they are, regardless of what the world around them is telling them they MUST do, who they HAVE to be, and where they NEED to go. And if I tell women, and want women to not just believe but OWN these things, why was I not also believing and owning these principles for my own self?

So many women are told from the moment they wake up until they go to sleep that they need to change, conform, fit in, stand out, stand up, sit down, talk louder, talk quieter, be more, be less, on and on and on and on. We are told to be something other than what we are. And there should be shame for being who we are. People used to joke around me that I would apologize for living, and their jokes were not too far from the truth. There was a lot of apologizing because of the shame I felt for not being what I thought I should be. And a long time ago I told myself I wasn't going to apologize for being me any more because it was and is exhausting being anyone else but myself.

I'm not going to feel bad if I don't post 7 or 8 times a day on Facebook and if I still post carousels on Instagram. I don't want to play algorithm games, they aren't fun. I just want to share the incredible women who have stepped in front of my lens and want to unapologetically be themselves. I want to share my stories and their stories because that is my passion. And that's truly what I am about as a human at the end of the day . So if there is anything you can take away from this, don't let whatever noise is around you cause you to silence your own music. Don't feel ashamed if you don't "fit the mold" or "don't have it together" because YOU don't need to. Who you are is ENOUGH. And you should NEVER apologise for being YOU.

If you want to have a heart to heart with me during your own empowerment session contact me today. I'll bring croissants, nutella, and strawberries if you request it too! Until next time, enjoy the absolutely divine Miss A who is an inspiration to me and always so true to her self! ~Emily