Introducing The AWE Studio!
I’m Ashley West Edwards, the creator of The AWE Studio, a brand photography business that does more than just take pretty photos of you with coffee cups. We create photos that illuminate your brand’s sparkle and help you stand out from the crowd, not blend in.
The AWE Studio is something I’ve been dreaming up for a while…but there was something that was always stopping me from developing the idea further. I was a hobby photographer for quite a while and never really took myself seriously. I felt the imposter syndrome like a MOTHER, let me tell you!
I was like, who am I to be taking photos for money? Who am I to be telling people to be unique, when I’ve been dulling myself online for years. My confidence was so low and the Instagram feeds full of gorgeousness overwhelmed me. So I played small.
But the dumpster fire that 2020 was became a giant motivator for me to get up and take action, rather than sitting around like a mopey teenager, sad that I couldn’t figure it all out.
I’m going to tell you something hilarious- I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing management (yeah, people still go to college for these degrees, that was silly huh?) but I did not do any of the proper brand building with Westward Way Photography (my former photography venture). I can’t tell you exactly why not, but one thing I do know, is there was a sense that my ambitions were unrealistic and it wouldn’t be worth it to put in the time to properly brand and market that venture. I didn’t feel worthy of it, nor did I feel capable.
Not to mention, I have always been really ambitious and frankly, all over the place when it comes to what I want to do. There was too much excitement everywhere and I was looking for marketing jobs (and not getting them) that really didn’t sound interesting at all, especially for “entry level.” None of the marketing jobs I searched for made me feel like I would be happy to go to work, not like photography made me feel.
Being a passionate person, I am best expressed when I am able to show my creativity in whatever way it shows up. So when I decided to stop looking for boring corporate jobs and start focus my passion on creating a photography brand that made me feel JOY and helped me spread JOY to others, I was like HELL YES…I finally got it figured out.
So I finally made the decision to go all in with The AWE Studio and create a brand photography business that stood out. I wanted to go ALL IN with a colorful, fun brand that expressed how enjoyable life can be, how uniqueness is a superpower and how fun branding photos can set you apart from the competition.
There were doubts, especially because I was afraid of being so in front of others with such a colorful, crazy brand. There was a giant part of me that never wanted to be the face of my business. And it wasn’t about shyness or because I was afraid of speaking to large groups. I’ve been a musician for many years and I am used to playing on stages in front of large people- even doing solos and speaking on stage…but it was because throughout my life, I’ve been told to make myself less.
I felt like I was too extra, so I had to dull myself down for others, so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed by my big personality, because I am loud, silly, slightly inappropriate and pretty quirky. So when I wanted to be on social media and online places, I had that same mindset of dulling myself so I wasn’t too extra.
But what I failed to realize, that I now realize, is that being EXTRA is what makes me….well, me.
Now that I realize that, my mindset has completed changed when it comes to showing up online. And if you are struggling with that too, I want you to know that you can show up as extra as you want so you can be fully expressed.
So I’m here to tell you that you need to stop dulling your shine online. Stop telling yourself that you need to be less extra and more boring and relatable. Because you need to fully express yourself and your brand. Not just for you, but for your people- the ones that need YOUR HELP and your business to solve their problems.
Can I get a hell yeah?
So, tell me, is this something you can relate to?
