Katie Spicer‘s mission is to bring creative brands’ stories to life through her captivating light and life-filled photography. Kate deep dives into her clients’ worlds to capture the essence of the business, creating images that make their dream clients fall in love with them.
We share a passion for helping elevate small businesses. A Reading girl too, I was thrilled Katie agreed to be part of my series, as we’ve taken what was an Instagram friendship very much into the real world. today
In this My Work Happy post, Katie tells how she uses images to make brands’ dream customers fall head over heels in love with them, the power of journaling, trusting yourself as a business owner and just how she’s planning to run her business when her baby arrives early next year.
Tell us about yourself and your business
Well, where to start! I’m a photographer and I work with inspiring brands to capture the details that make them special. My photography style brings light and life to my clients brands, so that they stand out from the competition. I feel really strongly about taking photos with meaning, not just pretty pictures. That’s why I do a brand deep dive with all my clients to really get to the heart of their business and find their uniqueness. I then bring this to life in their images so that their dream customers fall head over heels in love with their brand! I live in London but need to be in the countryside as often as possible to balance it out!
What are your goals for 2018?
Well my first goal for 2018 is to have my baby!! I am about to go on maternity leave at the end of the year, and I’m expecting our first baby early Feb! For the first time in my life I am not planning the hell out of everything and am going to go with the flow and see how things work out when Little One arrives…eeek! I will be focusing on working with more beautiful retailers and quirky places to stay in 2018, which is exciting!
It’s not all coffee and sparkles, how do you stay focused on low-mojo days or, when you hit a wall in your business?
Journaling! I don’t know how I ever survived without it. If I am struggling with something in my biz I get it all out on paper and break it down. It helps to sort it out in my head and always feels more manageable when laid out, instead of floating around draining valuable brain power! The answer is always within and I find it through writing. As business owners, we need to learn to trust ourselves more. We always know the answer, we just have to make the quiet time to hear it. Going for a walk in the countryside is another way of sorting my head out and getting the answers I need and is good for my soul too!
How do you celebrate your success?
I went through a phase of buying myself a bottle of bubbly in advance of reaching goals and it really worked! But obviously not doing that now I am pregnant! I am sad to say I don’t really celebrate, I barely even acknowledge what I’ve done and how far I have come, which is bad I know. Post-baby I ‘ll go back to my pre-success bubbly as it’s a much more positive way of living!
What’s the one success habit that’s changed your working life?
One I am still working on really. Learning from my mistakes! Instead of beating myself up I am grateful if things don’t go absolutely perfectly (when do they ever?!) for the chance to learn what I would do better next time. I found I was just staying in a trap of repeating the same ones and telling myself I couldn’t do something, rather than actually using it positively to improve. Not beating yourself up is definitely the way forward!
What’s exciting you most at the moment?
Ticking everything off my to do list before I go on maternity leave! I have written a rather ambitious one for the next month…! But ticking things off and feeling productive is always a great feeling! The thought of having time off from my business absolutely terrifies me but at the same time I cannot wait to have January off and pressure-free. I’m hoping I’ll be flooded with ideas in my down time!!
Work-life balance – what’s the secret?
Ha! Well this is all about to change dramatically, so ask me again in a year’s time! But for now switching email off at 6pm and not checking it again until the next day, not checking it at weekends. You can never truly switch off but not looking at emails definitely helps me stay present. I am lucky that my husband works shifts so I can get extra hours in at evenings and weekends occasionally, which helps me, it also gives me the freedom to take time off in the week when he is off, which I love. Freedom is one of the reasons I started my own business. What’s the point of it all if you don’t have a balance?
Self-care – what’s your non-negotiable?
A candle lit bath + relaxing meditation (I highly recommend Cassie Mendoza-Jones) every night as soon as the email is switched off. It signifies the end of the working day and the start of relaxation time. I am really hoping this won’t go out of the window too much when Little One arrives as it keeps me sane! I used to love going to the spa pre-pregnancy as well, would always have my best ideas there, so I’m looking forward to that when I can go back! You can’t run a business if you’re not feeling balanced, so you can’t feel guilty about doing things to regain that balance!
What makes you happiest about your work?
Ooh difficult one! Meeting lovely people and making new friends, working with people who are just as passionate about small businesses as I am, seeing the beauty in people’s brands capturing that and turning it into beautiful imagery that helps elevate their businesses, giving people the power of confidence within their businesses that who they are and what they are about is coming across beautifully and to the right people, learning new things and being able to listen to podcasts on the way to shoots and whilst editing!
