With the first one on the books earlier this year in February, and our next one currently being planned with registration open, I’ve been reflecting on The Illuminate Retreat.  And I’m just going to be honest about how it came to be.

Last year in 2015, after having a successful photography business for a while and also teaching workshops for a while I became frustrated that I wanted to go and attend a workshop, but felt like there was really nothing for me.  Don’t misunderstand my words, I truly believe we can never stop learning, but let’s face it, there are only so many marketing & business strategies & ways to shoot like I do when there is little you want to CHANGE.  And I didn’t want to go to a workshop and completely change to be someone else.  And I also didn’t want to go to a workshop and learn how to be myself (I think I’m pretty good at that!) or find myself.  And I didn’t want to go to a workshop and learn things I’ve been teaching for years, even if they apply to different genres. All of which I’ve done and am disappointed after I’ve spent thousands to do so.
So I felt like there was nothing that was worth the money of a workshop at thousands of dollars + travel when really all I truly needed was to get away and be refreshed with my colleagues, not my students. I had just put The Motherhood Anthology to paper after years of, “I should do a motherhood blog…”, “…I should separate teaching from portrait clients…”, etc. and together the curators and I came up with the perfect “workshop” experience. NOT a workshop at all, but a retreat for women who were busting our bums in our photography businesses, fairly happy with where we were or the direction we were going, but needed SOMETHING. 

It turns out that SOMETHING was deep lifelong friendships, in person time with people who understood us, relaxing downtime away from busy schedules and children; something for ourselves.

And so The Illuminate Retreat was born.

To be perfectly honest, it was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken in my 32 years.  I laughed so hard I peed my pants (true story, hey, I wasn’t the only one!), cried in the arms of some of my, now, best friends after a traumatic family loss just before that, and came home so hopeful about this industry, my career, and my self worth.

You see, there is a workshop for everything out there. Everyone is trying to sell you something. Some dream. Some perfect action.  This prop and that. And I’m not knocking them. I’ve attended them. I’ve taught them. I’ve earned money from that. They have their place. But what about for the more established photographer?

But this. This is more.  This is getting together with photography friends who have just as much to share with you as you do them. And it’s relaxing & calming.  No, we’re not going to sell you any magic beans. Just a magical beach house that looks like Restoration Hardware decorated (because hey, we like good branding!) and pastel beaches and real women.  Women who get you. Who just need to get away and recharge our business batteries.

And it turns out, it’s been worth more than a typical workshop & we hope you’ll join us
next year so we can laugh together, cry together, talk business, shoot on the beach together, and recharge.

xo

Jenny

Jenny Cruger Photography

(join us on this beach next year!)