Hey Sexy!
I am so excited, can you tell? I know, I’m over here, basically bouncing up and down, about to burst because I’ve got a surprise. Well, not so much a surprise as a secret. And, it’s not so much a secret as it’s just something you might not yet know (but, okay, you probably do, I’m just excited)!
Here’s the tea, Joy Gustin Photography has officially moved into it’s very own studio!!!
Now I know some of you are thinking, *Wait, Joy, didn’t you tell me that you moved into your studio back in June*? To which I have to say (*SHHHHHH, not so loud! I’m sure there are people who don’t know yet! And I can’t wait to tell them!*).
But Yes! We did move into our studio back in June! And this is an excuse to tell you all about it! Honestly, I’m still surprised it happened. I didn’t think that I’d find myself looking for studio spaces last year. I didn’t think I’d be going full time with my boudoir photography business in 2019 either.
Sometime in March 2019, I was talking with a friend of mine about my boudoir “side-hustle”, and about how I’d love for it to grow into a full blown hustle all it’s own.
She replied, “Maybe if you quit your job, you’d have the time book up enough clients to go full time. Sometimes, you’ve gotta make the space in your life to let your goals grow.”
I nodded, and smiled, dreamily thinking, *Yes. That’s definitely going to happen. One day!*.
I’ve been specializing in boudoir since 2015, and that one day had always been a point in the future, just out of reach. One day I would be a full time photographer. One Day I’d have a studio. One day, I’d say goodbye to my 9-5.
But then, something happened. My 9-5 decided my work could be outsourced. And I was left in a whirlwind of shock and unexpected time on my hands. I threw myself into my passion project, and before I knew what had happened, my little side-hustle grew up.
By Thanksgiving 2019, it was my new full-time reality. I started dreaming of the next point in the future. “I’d love to move into a studio, one day,” I told my dad. “Doesn’t have to be somewhere big. But a space of my own would make life so much easier.”
“Why not find one now?” He said. And I laughed. That’s not how all this worked…. was it?
We sat on the couch, and he pulled out the computer to look for potential locations. “Oh, this one is 300 Sq FT and only $3,500 a month. What a steal!” (Spoiler, it was not.) “Oh, I found one that is in your budget, but it’s three and a half hours away? Would that work?” (LOL, no.) No matter how we searched nothing was right. But that was not too surprising, not given my budget and the Nashville market.
I kept looking and dreaming. Around New Years, a listing popped up for a little space just like I’d described to my dad. (Literally, almost verbatim what I’d described to him. It was uncanny.)
If the Rona hadn’t decided to bust in on 2020 like the Kool-Aid man, I’d have been in the new space by March. But things happen in their time. And June was just as good.
I’m so excited to share this space with you! To fill it with encouragements and empowered feels. I’m so excited to hear your stories and laugh together and grow. I cannot wait for you to see it! For us to make some art in these walls!
I’ve got some fun new ideas for sessions and new sets that I want to get going (Glitter? Shower set up? Woodsey fantasy?), now that I have the space for them. And I am just so excited for you to see it! If you’re interested in staying up to date with what’s going on in the studio sign up for our newsletter! We’ll keep you up to date with new session offerings! Or, if you want to join in a more engaged community, join our facebook group! We have monthly giveaways, and I’d love for you to be our next winner!
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Regardless, thank you so much for everything you’ve done to help us grow this far! I’ve always wanted a dragon’s lair of my own, and now we’ve got one. I am already excited to bring you along on the next step of the journey!