Fall Joy/Fall Focus Mode

Nov 05, 2025

When I come down the stairs in the morning, the sun is shining through our front window and through the little crystal prisms I hung in the window making rainbows all over the room. I started sitting in this room while writing these Substacks because the morning light is just impeccable. Fall, for photographers, is usually one of the busier seasons. Weddings, engagements, family sessions for past wedding clients, new inquiries coming in for the next season, and all the fall festivities for my own family make this season full, fun, and sometimes overwhelming. But I’ve made a point over the last few years to really savor the time and make room for memories with my family and friends.

This fall in particular has brought some more specific challenges as well. Watching ICE terrorize our neighbors or seeing food insecurity rise for our greater community puts a specific heaviness to the season. Finding small actions that make a big impact has been the focus of this season. One of my biggest beliefs, is that as creatives, business owners, and visionaries… we can be creating the change we want to see around us, even if it feels like small actions.

We’ve been working with our mastermind to focus on core values, decide a path and stick to it, and show up where your talents can make a difference.

So here’s a few things that have brought joy, more focus, and more impact to this fall season:

Bricking my phone. Anxiety scrolling is a big struggle for me and getting a Brick has helped me limit my work hours, put healthy boundaries on social media, and not get caught in so many doom scrolling loops. I can still post, stay informed, and create what I need to online in 1 hour a day vs. 9 hours (lol). Loving this tool so far!
Taking care of my own house (putting my oxygen mask on first). Making sure my friends are taking care of their financial well being is a big deal to me. “Do you have a High Yield Savings account yet?” is something I commonly text my friends. “Have you opened your Roth IRA yet?” We’re more positioned to help others when we have our own side of the street in good order. Seriously, if you don’t have one, get one here. If you’re a photographer, how well do you really know your numbers? This pricing spreadsheet can help.
Sneaking in a weekend getaway or staycation. My family went through it in October, so we needed a little R&R. We went to RT Lodge in Maryville, TN to enjoy fall leaves, get outside, play games by the fire, and eat amazing food.
RT Lodge getaway
Invested in our own memories. I definitely understand that life gets crazy and planning family photos can feel like such a hassle sometimes, but hiring my friends to photograph us has become such an important part of our fall. From the gallery wall I look at every day, to the photos I make into books and murals, photos of my family bring us all SO much joy.
Photos by Erin Fox
Volunteered for my friend Chaz Molder’s campaign. I have never wanted to be in politics or anything like that, but I think local government is so important to a thriving community and when you find a person who truly cares about their community, you put your weight behind them. I’m committing to not being someone who complains without being a part of community building.
Started a fund so we can start giving grants to causes we care about. This is a new one for me, but learning about Donor Advised Funds and Philanthropy has gotten me really excited about giving in a more substantial way. Now Andrew, Hudson, and I have a meeting once a month to decide where we’d like to give and how we want to give back as a family.
And spent a week in NYC creating for the fun of it. Bridal fashion week is always such an inspiring time to be around other creatives, shoot personal work, network and connect, and be inspired by the city. I took a crew from our coaching programs and we had an absolutely amazing time.