Yesterday I was invited to be a special guest at two of the Guelph YMCA summer camps that focused on art and girl power. Part of my visit involved me speaking in front of about 20 pre-teen girls and talking about how I got to where I was, what obstacles I overcame, and how to be awesome. Despite the fact that this would have been a total nightmare for the middle school me, I did it, and it made me realize that the biggest step I’ve made was only in the last few months.

Looking back on when I first left college and started a career in photography, it is crazy to me to imagine how it is that I mustered enough gall to actually keep with it. I was greeted immediately by negativity spewing out from every corner of the industry —



I think it may be from that first year or two being so difficult that makes me appreciate the sudden surge of positivity more than I would otherwise. I am finally surrounded by people, women especially (heck yes!), who are encouraging each other to succeed. Some of this, I attribute to just dumb luck, but most of it, I attribute to the Rising Tide Society and the #CommunityOverCompetition movement.

TuesdaysTogether are gatherings organized by the Rising Tide Society’s ambassadors all over the globe that typically take place on the second Tuesday of each month, simultaneously, in different cities. They are designed for creatives and business owners to get together and talk shop in relaxed environments to minimize the whole fear sweats from crippling anxiety scenario that normally accompanies networking for people like me. I’ve been so lucky to be a part of the Toronto meet-ups for the last two months and have met so many people who have opened my eyes to things about this industry I never knew about.


My biggest takeaway from being a part of this movement is the way I approach interacting with other people at every opportunity. If I see people doing things that I love, I reach out instead of sitting back and wishing I were doing it. I verbalize positivity opposed to joining all of the people spewing in negativity, and thrive on seeing other people succeeding.


Thinking back to my nervous speech yesterday in front of all of those young girls, I wish I would have spoken about the importance of this attitude. To everyone feeling the same way I was when I first started my career, I urge you to get out of your comfort zone the way I did. Talk to those intimidating peers, send someone you follow on social media an email, spread happy vibes all over your life and see what comes of it. Comfort zones are made to be stepped out of.