Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Wilkinson.
Hi Alyssa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Creativity has always been a part of my life in many forms, but especially through photography and writing. My unofficial life motto is “Find beauty everywhere.” That little phrase defines who I am as a mother, a photographer, and as an author.
I honestly believe that the exquisite masterpieces of our lives can be found in the tiny details of every day – in the chubby dimples of baby hands, the way a summer breeze ruffles grass in a meadow to look just like waves on a sea, and the way we interact with our loved ones, even during the seemingly ordinary day-to-day moments. Often that beauty goes unnoticed because we are surrounded by it so often, but as we slow down and take the time to see, to TRULY see our life through fresh eyes, those little wonders become apparent again. That’s what I try to capture in my photography and writing- the hidden beauty of every day.
I can remember two pretty clear indicators in my childhood that pointed to where I have ended up today:
1.) My mother always made a point to buy me those little wind-up cameras any time we would go somewhere interesting, and I would use every last bit of film, every single time. I’d be so disappointed after it ran out! She started having to buy me multiple cameras for a single field trip. When they bought me a digital camera as a pre-teen it changed my life!
2.) I would sneak out my window and sit on the roof for hours, scribbling away in my black and white composition notebook, overlooking the sunflower fields we lived next to in rural Colorado. I’m honestly not sure if my parents knew that their eight-year-old was up there as often as I was, but it was my happy place.
Writing and photography continued to be hobbies throughout high school and college, but I didn’t transition to pursuing photography professionally until I became a mother in 2018. When my son was born I naturally began documenting his life and all the tiny details that I never wanted to forget about him and started sharing those images on my social media platforms. From there I started receiving requests from friends to take photos for them, and my wonderful husband encouraged me to take the dive into really taking my business seriously. I’ve been incredibly blessed to see substantial organic growth over the years and now have hundreds of clients across multiple states. I am always so incredibly grateful for the love and support I receive from my clients. They truly are the best people!
Motherhood also inspired my writing journey, as well. As I mentioned before, I’ve always considered myself a hobby writer/poet and always dreamed of becoming published, but I really decided to pursue it in 2022. I’d collected several manuscripts of stories I had written for my children and I could just feel in my heart the pull to finally start seeking representation. I started submitting my work to literary agents and publishers and hope to see my stories on shelves soon! I have some poetry being published in an anthology next month (April 2023) and eight-year-old me is just over-the-moon thinking that all her scribbles are finally seeing the light of day!
We were put on this Earth to create. We each do it every day in different ways, and I just feel overwhelmed with gratitude that I have the opportunity to run businesses that speak to my creative interests and honor who I have been since I was a child. I hope everyone has that chance at some point in their lives. It feels good.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, how I wish I could say it has been a smooth road! But that would take the fun out of things, wouldn’t it? My biggest obstacle to overcome as a professional creative has been dealing with Imposter Syndrome and Toxic Perfectionism. At times it has felt completely daunting and impossible to overcome- the feelings of never being enough, never measuring up to those around me, like I’m just pretending to be all the things that I say I am. I’ve let that anxiety rule most of my life.
I don’t like a failure, I don’t like rejection, and I don’t like being a “beginner.” But motherhood really opened my eyes to those complexes that I’ve let shrink me over the years. I want my kids to see me as someone who tries. I want them to know their mother chased her dreams, and I want them to give themselves permission to do the same, however, that may be. Interestingly enough, I’ve found the more I stretch outside of my comfort zone and seek rejection and failure, the less I fear it and the less hold it has on me.
That’s not to say that I don’t still deal with it- I do. Every single day of my life. But the more I shine a light on what I’ve always feared, the less scary it becomes. It’s kind of like the shadows in your bedroom as a kid- they seem terrifying, but once you turn the light on you can see that they are really just piles of toys and clothes. It’s sort of funny how that works as an adult, too.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a photographer and a writer.
In photography, I specialize in family documentary photography, and really focus on capturing candid images that freeze the beauty of our ever-evolving relationships with our loved ones for my clients to look back on forever. When I was first starting out, I snapped a detailed shot of one of my client’s grandfather’s hands holding on to her little son’s hands as they sat together. I loved the juxtaposition of the smooth versus worn skin, and the simple tenderness of that moment. It told a story to me, even though there wasn’t anything else in the image. After I sent her gallery to her, she messaged me that she had burst into tears when she saw that picture. She said, “I didn’t know a picture of hands could do that to me.”
Ever since then I’ve always sought that in my work- to capture the beautiful little details of our lives, the small things that fade in our memories but make up the masterpieces we live in. I’m really proud that I’ve built a business where I consistently have clients tell me they’ve never felt more at ease during photo sessions, and that they feel like I’ve captured photos of themselves and their children the way they see them, not in posed unnatural ways. That means the world to me.
My writing is kind of an extension of that desire to find beauty everywhere- I love to craft tales that take simple everyday moments and reveal the whimsy in them. The kind of stories that parents and children will love to sit and read together, to laugh together, to bond together. I hope that my stories give families the opportunity to create beautiful, simple moments of their own. I also specialize in poetry, specifically regarding motherhood and the sweet sanctity of that calling. Sometimes the daily tasks of parenthood can feel redundant and unseen, but I try to honor the power of that holy work through my poetry.
Creativity is my way of processing my daily experiences and reminding myself of the eternal impact being a mother has. Those tiny moments and sacrifices- bath time, bedtime, finger painting, sandwich making, it all is beautiful. I try to illustrate that with both my words and with my images.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I can be contacted through my various social media platforms or email.
Photography:
Facebook: Alyssa Wilkinson Photography
Instagram: @awilkinsonphoto
Email: awilkinsonphoto@gmail.com
Writing:
Facebook: Alyssa Wilkinson, Author
Instagram: @awilkinsonbooks
Email: awilkinsonbooks@gmail.com
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awilkinsonphoto/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awilkinsonphoto/
Image Credits
Amy McNett Photography, Alli Reid Photography, and Alyssa Wilkinson Photography
