Happy Birthday Backroom Boudoir! Ten Years Since Everything Changed

Today marks my official 10 years in business.

Sort of.

You see, I was fired on this day ten years ago. I was burnt out, bitter, and justifiably angry to have only been at that company for six months and already witnessing all of the promises they made during the interview slip away. They fired me because they could tell I was unhappy, and I had no will left to hide it.

The moment I was fired I felt a huge rush of relief and resolve wash over me. I was done with the nonprofit industry. As much as I loved the missions of every organization I worked for, as much as I loved every person I held hands with, helped get back on their feet, every person I worked beside, every volunteer, I could no longer be at the mercy of another employer. The resolve that I felt that day made me certain that it was time to do something on my own, finally. Within weeks I schemed up Backroom Boudoir.

I hired my first “client” off of a model casting website. She was so patient with me as I figured out how to photograph women in a way that felt sexy, but powerful. Like a Playboy with an art degree. Of course, I failed miserably with my first shoot. The lighting was flat, the set was uninspiring, and the way I edited the photos looked like they had bad Instagram photo filters slapped on them, but there were a few shots that showed promise. I wasn’t ashamed of all of the photos and that kept me inspired to do more. I took classes, I hired more models, I devoured what I could find on Youtube, and eventually clients started actually paying me to take their photos. From there things snowballed.

I get asked, “why boudoir” by almost everyone. To be honest, I’ve never had a great reason. I didn’t feel some great calling. When strangers ask me what I do, I often cheekily reply that I take pictures of people in their underwear. It’s true, but what has kept me around is that I’m completely enamored with brightening someone’s day by showing them how gorgeous and sexy they really are. I love the love notes I receive from women just sitting down to go through their photos. The “why boudoir” came later when I realized how powerful it was to help people see themselves through a kinder, more loving lens.

Running my own business turned out to be exactly what I needed in life. I’m stubborn and arrogant. I hate being told what to do. That doesn’t naturally make for a good employee. But I do love to work hard for something I believe in. I dream up ways to make my business better every day. I cherish meeting new people, listening to their stories, calming their nerves, and making them feel like the most stunning creature who woke up that day. Here I am again, feeling burned out. But this time it’s because I’m coming off of my most successful year ever. I am drowning in retouches I need to finish, and just barely answering all the emails in my inbox. However, unlike this time 10 years ago, my soul feels happy and I’m looking forward to tomorrow where I get to take more pictures of people in their underwear.