the mentoring sessions // 2016 – cristina

This year, I intentionally built time into my photography schedule to take on ten mentorships. Teaching has always been important to me, but I’ve never purposely made time for it until now. A mixture of fear and an overstuffed schedule held me back. I finally realized that if I wanted these sessions to happen, I had to make the space for it, and I’m so glad I finally did.

When I announced that I was ready to take on ten mentorships this year, I was legitimately terrified. I thought I’d be lucky to have even 1 or 2 people interested. But, my heart is for teaching, so I took a chance anyway. If I’m being honest, I’ll probably never evolve to the point of being completely “fearless,” but I’ve learned to be brave in the face of fear and push through anyway. So what if no one is listening? If you’re speaking from your heart, then your message matters, YOU matter. Your dreams and goals matter. Be afraid, but push through anyway, because a life filled with regret is scarier than anything else you might be afraid of.

At this point, I have 7 of the 10 spots filled, and I’m so grateful.  To be able to sit down with someone, listen to them excitedly talk about their business goals, and then help them come up with an action plan to achieve them is such a gift, and it’s one that I do not take for granted.

So, this begins my 2016 series of the ten incredible people who decided to take a chance on me as a photography and business mentor. My first session this year was with Cristina of Glover Photography.  She’s an aspiring portrait photographer who is ready to grow her business and take things to the next level!!! She has so much talent, a winning personality, and a heart for children, families, and capturing authentic moments.

We talked about:

• pricing for profitability and sustainability
• how to attract your ideal client
• effective social media strategies
• and, how to capture authentic moments in an artful way

We covered so much during our time together, and her enthusiasm was so inspiring!  Cristina’s heart is on fire for achieving her business goals, and I’m excited to watch her grow and succeed in the coming months.  You can learn more about Cristina HERE and HERE. :)

These are some of my favorites from her personal branding mini-shoot.  Scroll down to read her thoughts on the mentoring experience:

“Jenn Ayres is an incredible mentor, totally committed to teaching and developing photographers. By keeping me focused, yet providing an unbiased point of view, she helped provide me with a clear vision of where I want to be and the steps I need to take to get there. She devoted her time to understanding my dreams, goals, and aspirations, and provided untold amounts of support, advice, and encouragement.  She is a dynamic woman who by coming from her heart, has a unique insight and tremendous ability to connect with people where they really are at, inspiring and nurturing them to move in a positive direction. In spending time with her and her family, I have grown to consider her a wonderful teacher, mentor and friend. My business is continually growing in all areas by leaps and bounds thanks to my mentoring experience with Ayres Photography.”

Interested in growing YOUR business this year??  Click HERE to learn more!!

Read more testimonials HERE.