261: Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero - Finding Your Why

Finding your why as a photographer is a noble life-long pursuit that can lead to many wonderful and satisfying years of creative exploration and output. On today's podcast, we are joined by nature photographer Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero to discuss her journey as a photographer and her pursuit of finding her why. Jeanie and I get into the weeds a bit on her past evocations, but be sure to stick through our chat as there are some valuable lessons to be gleaned from what she shares. On this week's episode, we discuss: Jeanie's wild journey in life as a software engineer, massage therapist, English teacher, and business owner; How Jeanie suffered from major burn-out in her career and how it has impacted her approach to photography; Jeanie's former business creating software for quilt-makers and how that business informs her views; Jeanie's experiences as an English teacher in Vietnam; How a tragic wild fire inspired Jeanie to work on a photography project; Jeanie's thoughts on Instagram and other social media; And a lot more! Other topics discussed on the podcast this week: Support the show on Patreon. Sign-up for 1:1 Mentoring with Matt. Brene Brown videos. Simon Sinek on Finding Your Why. Here is who Jeanie recommended on the podcast this week: Dave Showalter. Karen Hutton. Kristi Odom. Eileen Rafferty. Sean Tucker. Over on Patreon, Jeanie and I have a deep, candid, and thoughtful conversation about the dangers in comparing ourselves to others in photography including a bit of a rant about a recent article I wrote about deception - so if you're not supporting the podcast on Patreon, and this topic is of interest to you, you might want to check it out. For just $5/mo, you can support the podcast on Patreon and gain access to hundreds of hours of bonus content. I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. We also have an Instagram page, a Facebook Page, and a Facebook Group - so don't be shy! Did you also know we have listener after-parties on Twitter Spaces? This is a great opportunity to interact with other listeners, guests, and the host (when I can) regarding your thoughts on the episode. We also have a searchable transcript of every episode! Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week. P.S. you can also support the podcast by purchasing items through our B+H affiliate link.