(Part 1) Pivoting Pursuits: From Photographer to Creative Community Builder - Marley Parker

What happens when you follow that inner tug pulling you away from a successful career path toward something unknown? Marley Parker's journey from wedding photographer to the visionary behind Wild Magnolia Studios reveals the beautiful transformation that occurs when we honor our creative instincts.

Starting in a tiny space she hesitated to even call a studio, Marley shared how her vision evolved from simply providing a rental location for photographers to creating a vibrant creative community in Valdosta, Georgia. "I wanted to create a studio that other photographers could rent and use," she explains, "but then the passion for creatives started bubbling up more." That passion has fueled Wild Magnolia's growth through multiple spaces over four years, each step guided by her commitment to serving other dreamers and makers.

The conversation takes an intimate turn as Marley reveals the struggles behind the success. With three young children at home, she candidly discusses falling into the trap of being unhealthily consumed by her vision. Through tough conversations with her husband, she discovered a profound truth: "The health of your relationships translates to the health of your business." This realization led her to establish boundaries like protecting weekends for family time - a counterintuitive move that actually accelerated her business growth.

Perhaps most compelling is Marley's mission beyond simply running a successful studio. "My biggest passion is to awaken dreamers and creatives," she shares, revealing that her true calling transcends photography itself. She speaks passionately about helping others recognize that "whatever dream is in your heart was put there for a reason." From monthly memberships and content creation days to upcoming workshops, Wild Magnolia Studios has become a catalyst for creative courage in South Georgia.

Want to experience this creative community for yourself or learn how to build your own? Follow @WildMagnolia.Studio on Instagram to discover upcoming workshops, membership opportunities, and see how one woman's decision to follow her intuition is now empowering countless others to do the same.

Marley's E-Book: https://marleysinclairephoto.gumroad.com

Marley's Personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/marleysinclairephoto?igsh=YTVuOHUxajY4ZGVy

Wild Magnolia Studio IG: https://www.instagram.com/wildmagnolia.studio?igsh=b3h5ZHdjbm12M2Z0

FilmStory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/filmstory/id1641955836

What do we do: https://myfilmstory.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@myfilmstory

Transcript

Welcome Back: Introducing Marley Parker

Speaker 1 0:01

Hey guys , welcome back to the Story First podcast . Let me say it again Welcome back to the Story First podcast . Sometimes recording cuts off , like right in the beginning . So welcome back , guys . Thanks for coming back . I'm excited again today because we have an OG in the building . That's right . That's right .

Speaker 1 0:19

She was here Very first episode , graced us with her presence , shared with us her story . It encouraged hundreds of thousands . I don't know , maybe it did . I don't know , maybe it did . You never know . But no , I've been so grateful to kind of see up close and afar her career and just how she's been able to kind of pivot into things that she has deemed worthy and worth doing , from starting out as a photographer . As a photographer , wedding photography and some other things , and really seeing her desire to one help the community as well as going a little bit more of a creative route in her photography . It was really cool to see her make the pivot . I know it's not easy , especially with children . We'll get into that story more but , man , her and her family have done some really great things and has helped a lot in the community . Today we have Marley Parker with us , today , marley with Wow , magnolia Studios . Thank you so much for hopping on today . I appreciate it .

Speaker 2 1:20

Yeah , absolutely , I'm excited .

Speaker 1 1:22

Yeah for sure .

Speaker 1 1:23

So I looked it up and you being the first episode , quote unquote that was two years ago , um , I don't remember the exact date , but that was two years ago , um , and you , I want to kind of set a little bit of the initial foundation , um , and kind of give you the floor a little bit .

Speaker 1 1:42

You , you started out doing like wedding photography , pursuing photography and , through that , recognizing the desire to want a little bit more of a creative outlet and to see how that's pivoted into what it has become now . It's crazy , right , but you've been able to do that in , I'd say , kind of a short amount of time . So I know there's a lot of things that you had to go through in the trenches and I want to just give you the floor to kind of bring everyone up to speed . I know two years ago you were kind of in between where you are now and when you started as a wedding photographer , but I'd say now we're kind of at a full circle moment here , at least I think . So I don't know . You know , share your thoughts , but I'd love to kind of just give us a little bit of a foundation as to you going from where you were into

The Evolution of Wild Magnolia Studios

Speaker 1 2:35

where you are now and then a little bit of the trenches on that .

Speaker 2 2:36

Yeah , so two years ago I think I was still sort of doing wedding photography , but I did that . For I did that like on my own for maybe a year and a half , not quite two years , and I kind of realized it just really wasn't for me . I couldn't give you specifics why , but I just felt kind of the tug into a different direction .

Speaker 1 3:01

Wow .

Speaker 2 3:01

Yeah , but as far as the studio goes , you know , back then I started out in this really small space , very small space , and so I don't even know , like back then to me I felt like I couldn't call it a studio , but it was a studio Okay . But I had like a vision and an idea for what I wanted Wilder Magnolia to be in the long run , but just didn't really have like everything laid out in front of me . You know , it was everything's just been kind of like snowball effect , um , and just saying yes to things that I know will kind of help reach the goal of what I wanted Wild Magnolia Studio to look like . And I still think it's still evolving even now was that vision ?

Speaker 1 3:43

was that vision that clear back then , where you had like initial ? I think ?

Speaker 2 3:48

I think the biggest thing that I was clear on was , like , I knew I wanted to create a studio that other photographers could write and use , and that was pretty much where I was at .

Speaker 1 3:58

Got it .

Speaker 2 3:59

But then the passion for creatives started kind of bubbling up a little bit more and , knowing that I wanted to create community , not just place for people to photograph , take photos , you know , I really wanted it to be community-based , be able to reach other creatives and just create space that people can freely create in . I just say create a lot . But that's really where it has evolved into . And so , um , from that small space adding on an office , then going into a little bit bigger space , and then now to where I'm at now , um , it's just been all been aligned with that vision of community and creatives .

Speaker 2 4:39

And , um , you know , even from back then to now , back then I kind of did the whole rent the studio kind of thing . I had to kind of switch it to like a membership sort of thing , and so that kind of limited what we could do in there and also the space in there , limited what we can do . And now don't get me wrong , that area that I was in , where I began , always have my heart . I love it . It's just was a beautiful , amazing space .

Speaker 2 5:03

But I knew that , in order to walk magnolia , to grow to what I had in mind , um , it was going to be time to expand , though that did kind of fall in my lap a little bit faster than I ever expected , um . But I think that , um , through following the peace of the lord , first of all , with all my decisions that I made I made wrong decisions here and there , of course , having another kid in the mix , three kids deep at that point and really learning the balance of life as a mom and a wife , life as a business owner and life as somebody that was trying to grow a business . I think there was a lot of lessons learned there and a lot of like mistakes made , of course , that I learned from . Of course that's going to happen , but then also just so much grace , so much peace moving forward in each step .

Speaker 1 5:55

Absolutely . Yeah , I think . I think it's , it's , it's . You know , one thing that I really enjoy about your story , marley , is you don't hear and maybe it happens everywhere , but you don't really hear a lot , or at least I haven't heard a lot of people that to pursue a big like passion of theirs without , um , like , and I guess it's just in a raw form , like this , this isn't , you know , and I feel like I can share this a little bit just because I've been there .

Speaker 1 6:40

But you know , marley sinclair , photography wasn't , you know , booking 60 weddings a year and it's 2025 . We got 2026 booked already and you know , like it wasn't , it wasn't anything like that and to to go as quickly as it did from what you were doing to what you're doing now , it's almost I don't say it's unheard of , but it's very rare , um , because , at the same time , even when you're doing the world of photography , people are still trying to figure out who they are like , what they're trying to do , and I I'm curious for you . You know where you are now . Do you feel like you've made a stride in kind of identifying what you were put on this earth to do , like ?

Speaker 2 7:35

do you feel that , in the stuff that you do now , I mean , I guess , if you , I don't know I feel like that's like can be such a deep question but as far as like , because it doesn't get answered .

Speaker 2 7:52

I'm sorry , Go ahead , Go ahead . No , yeah , I mean absolutely . I think that if I had to answer that question like point blank , what was Marley put on earth to do ? I think that my biggest passion and I don't think it's a coincidence is really to just teach people that their dreams and their visions and their creativity is not something that you should suppress and it's something that actually was put inside of us in order to put out what we were supposed to do . Does that make sense ?

Speaker 2 8:29

Put out like the world

Building Community Over Competition

Speaker 2 8:30

needs , whatever dream is in your heart and whatever vision is in your heart , and I think that yeah , I mean , I think that just being a visionary dreamer I feel like that's such a silly term . I think it's just so important for those people to be awakened . Does that make sense ? And it doesn't even . And it's not even like I was put on this earth to be a photographer . I don't think that at all . I think that I could not be a photographer next year who knows ? You know , I could just be running the studio but then doing something different , who knows ? But I think that my biggest passion as I do love photography it will always be like a part of who I am , of course , but I think my biggest passion is to awaken dreamers and creatives in our community , but also , hopefully one day , everywhere .

Speaker 1 9:23

Absolutely , yeah , 100% , and you know , let me , let me clarify in no way , shape or form . I asking Marley , now that you're doing this , do you feel like you're doing what you were meant to do on this , like you're just alluding to ? That can change , like when I first started doing video photo , whatever , versus what I'm doing now . That has changed at least like four times .

Speaker 1 9:49

You know , so I think I think what I'm asking is now that you're doing what you're doing now , do you feel like you've gotten closer to like the things that you're doing now is getting you closer to identifying what that is , versus like what you're doing before in the photography , in the photography world , kind of thing ?

Speaker 2 10:09

yeah , I think so . I think that at first , when I first started photography I started photography technically in 2016 now it was very like um , how everybody starts with photography , let me me shoot you for $50 , you know , you know it , we all started there . And so I think that , like , as things have changed over time , like you said , like it has changed from one end to the other , that it definitely is getting closer , but it's because I think , with each step , it's like another layer gets peeled back . You know what ?

Speaker 3 10:48

I mean .

Speaker 2 10:49

And so I and it and it's always been pretty consistent in that area . So I think that even with the studio as it changes , my photography as it changes , or what I'm photographing as it changes , I think that it is definitely like pulling closer and closer . Maybe there's , like this , one big thing that I don't even know is gonna happen , like one day . You know , I don't know , but I do think that it's always been , it's never been like okay , do this , but now do this .

Speaker 2 11:15

That's like totally out of left field , that doesn't make any sense and doesn't relate to whatever their original like vision is , you know and so I do think that here is just the starting point of like what you said , like it's just getting closer to closer to know what I'm on this earth to be , or to you know , yeah , so yeah , I mean , I'm that must , that must feel like a little bit of a breath of fresh air .

Speaker 1 11:40

it's like to be able to like know in your core , know like , yeah , I think I'm finally heading like in the right direction , like the direction that I I feel the most peace in what I'm trying to do because , truthfully , man , it's so easy to let you know and I'm sure you know all about this like , let , I need to get ends met be the guiding factor in what I'm trying to pursue , and I've been there many , many , many times in my career , right , but to be able to say , man , I can , actually . I'm at a point now where I can actually pursue things that I believe is in my core , in alignment with , and have ends get met , and it actually feels like refreshing to me . I would , I would hope that that would feel good for you .

Speaker 2 12:34

Yeah , and I mean you say like having ends meet . I will say I've been , I've had this Wild Magnolia Studios since 2021 . So this is how to do math on my fingers . This will be my fourth year going into Wild Magnolia Studios , from it starting in that small room sharing it with a friend , paying $250 a month , which was huge for me , you know . But since then to now , there has not been a single month where rent wasn't paid . Now there has been some months where I had to save everything that I was making to pay that for that room , or for that space or whatever .

Speaker 2 13:14

But I feel like ends meeting for me almost caused me to quit , because it felt like for a short time , for a good amount of time , that everything that I was doing was getting poured back into the studio . And so I feel like that's where people kind of get stuck and like give up or want to quit is because they're like this is not making ends meet , it's not paying my home bills , it's just pouring back into it . But then you have to kind of get to that realization that that's what it takes to build something , especially when you don't have like a lump sum of money to just to throw into it , you know . And so I think that I think , like going back to , like I said , each step . It was always a financial decision as well , and you know I don't want to make it seem like it was just easy every step of the way . And so you know I don't want to make it seem like it was just easy every step of the way , and so but yeah , but looking now , it's just crazy how I went from being frustrated that I felt like I was doing everything and it was just getting poured back into the studio .

Speaker 2 14:19

But yeah , I have . We have a family of five , like we have three kids and of course my husband basically pays the bills , but like getting to that point where I'm like I want to be able to provide for my family as well , Like I want this to be able to provide for my family . So I have walked through those frustrations as well and , um , you know , still can feel that way , Um , but I don't regret it , you know , I don't regret pouring back into the studio , as needed , you know , and I think it's gotten me also to where I'm at now . Does that make sense ?

Speaker 1 14:52

Yeah , absolutely Awesome . Well , yeah , that I think that's great , and I just wanted to highlight that because a lot of people that I know are just in the game . You know , they they don't find that , or or it's it takes a long time to find like , yes , I actually feel like I'm doing something that is worth doing and it's something that I want to do and it's actually like in alignment with who I am . You know that that's like a lot of people don't find that in this space , right ? So I just wanted to highlight that . Talk with Molly Parker Pursuing Passions Wild Magnolia Studios . We'll be right back , guys .

Speaker 2 15:31

What's up guys . My name is Marley , I am a portrait photographer and studio owner , and I just wanted to introduce you to Wild Magnolia Studio , open to writ , for your photo shoots , for your content , whatever you need . We have all kinds of little details that you can use . Everything in the studio that you see you can use . There's a whole closet full of backdrops , props , chairs , seating , all that kind of stuff . So , yeah , we also host multiple workshops throughout the year , so if you want more details , follow us at Wild Manoya Studio on Instagram .

Speaker 3 16:05

So the truth is , creating social media video content can take forever Figuring out what to film , how to film it , what to say , how to say when to post , where to post . All these things continuously right . But there has to be a way to streamline that process . There has to be a way to make sure that whatever you're posting , you're connecting with your audience for sure and it's targeted , it's not just random throwing it out hoping it lands right . There has to be a process to this , and that's what Video Blueprint is all about .

Speaker 3 16:30

I want to streamline the process , I want to help you make sure that you're connecting with your intended audience and I want to remove the distractions and make sure that , when you leave this in-person workshop , you have a clear plan on how you want to go forth in creating your social media video content for your business . That is it . We'll teach you the filming , not using camera , using your phone . We'll teach you the editing . We'll teach you storage and organization . Click the link below , let's sign up , and I'll stop freezing myself off trying to create this video for you .

Speaker 1 16:58

Okay , bye all right , welcome back guys . So , with Molly Parker talking about Wild Magnolia Studio man , like we're saying how far it's come in a short amount of time I'm curious about the studio now getting into all that . It is the vision for it . You know kind of where you're planting your flag . I'm curious , what's it been like ? Maybe some of the tangible steps that you've had to take to kind of get

Breaking Free from Imposter Syndrome

Speaker 1 17:37

it to where it is now , whether that's getting things there set up or whether it's just kind of figuring out the infrastructure and how you want to grow this studio and kind of go grow into it , kind of a thing . What's been the mentality like that for you ? Um , I'm just curious because because that's a big transformation from what you're doing to what you're doing now , um , so yeah , what's that been like for you ?

Speaker 2 18:00

I know I wish I had like a video of like first space to now . I need to find like a video to kind of compare so people can really see yeah , the difference a lot , that's a lot um , but sorry , you froze there .

Speaker 2 18:16

you are okay . Um , but yeah , uh , I think that , um , sorry , I'm getting my thoughts together , oh , you're good . So , from like I said , the vision for Wild Magnolia has always been the same creating community , creative community and so I think , with that being kind of like , the backing of Wild Magnolia Studio , has really helped with even the specifics of how I have things in the studio or how I have things that can be used by other photographers or other creators that are in here using the studio .

Speaker 2 18:56

I think that all throughout the process of moving and moving spaces and adding on things , and I think it was all coming with the mindset of how can I best make this space be versatile for people so that people can come in and make it their own , and then also , how can I make it to where I can start doing things like workshops and doing things like hosting just creative get-togethers , just because and having the community be able to join , and so one of the biggest things like , for example , this year that we're going to implement , and especially even more so strong on for next year , is things like workshops that can really start teaching and it'll start being like photography based stuff .

Speaker 2 19:45

really start teaching and it'll start being like photography based stuff , but eventually the whole vision for it is for creators , even like social media managers , um , even things that can teach people about business or just empower creatives to really use their gifts . Anything that can help with that is and and using people that are in the community .

Speaker 2 20:04

so , for example , um javon that is here has been a photographer for a very long time and he is going to be hosting a creative lighting workshop in the studio , and so I think that being able to first of all connect photographers with photographers it creates an amazing community but then also being able to teach people things that they want to learn but maybe don't have the resources here to do that , and I think that's just another stepping stone for Wild Magnolia Studio to really bring in that community aspect . And so that has always been that backing force of the decisions that I've made for the studio , because it was never Wild Magnolia started yes , started , yes , just me I was shooting in there , you know , by myself doing things . But as things moved on , it was never like what is , what do I want for my specific brand or what do I want for my specific thing ? And you know I have things for myself that I do in here . But any , any decision I make really is more geared towards what is beneficial to these creatives that are using the studio .

Speaker 2 21:10

And , um , if I look back , like the storyline of Wild Magnolia , if I look back at just each step , it was always a step for growing the space . Like I said , I wish there was like a picture or a video of before and after , because you would see what I'm talking about . You know , you've seen it , and it was always like a step for more space and more expansion and more room to grow into this creative community . But then also , of course , on the logistics side , it's a space that people can rent out hourly memberships , um , that's kind of like the business model of it , um , but it's so much more than that and it's and I have ideas and vision to bring people in to make it so much more than that . Even now , like there's , I want I wish there could be people in here like all the time just creating . You know , that's kind of like . My overall vision is like , just come in and create . Whatever you want to do , like let's just do it , but obviously I have to , like you know , run a business .

Speaker 3 22:12

So there's that side of it as well it .

Speaker 2 22:28

You know , looking at it , it's on the storefront street , whatever , and looking at it , you're like , oh , that's , you know , professional business and I have to keep that in mind . But I'm like , but hey , if you have an idea that you want to do , let me know and I will meet you there and we will do it . You know , I want people to know , like , that's kind of the heart behind Wild Magnolia . It's not like , oh , I have to go online and book this day and do all this in order to use a stew . Yes , that is true , of course , but through events , workshops or even just simple get-togethers that people want to do . That's where the community comes from .

Speaker 1 22:58

Yeah , man , that's great because it's rare to have that kind of uh access . As a fellow creative in the community , like if I was like man , I'm really curious about what it would take to even , like , have a studio one day and build something in a studio , like do a shoot in a studio , like how do I even go about doing that ? And a lot of the times , for most of us , it's it's youtube , it's it's trying to figure out what I do , it's how do I get the equipment . It's YouTube , it's trying to figure out what I do . It's how do I get the equipment , or it's man , I need to use this camera or this strobe for this thing . Maybe I can learn to borrow something and it's a grind a little bit and I love that you have the perspective of .

Speaker 1 23:43

I want to open it to those that want those desires , those that want those desires , and I don't want it to be a stumbling block where they want to do these things , but it's , oh , it's too professional , Like , oh man , I got to subscribe , pay whatever and I got to make sure that , and part of that , of course , is the business aspect of it , Like you want to make sure that you're doing that . But I think , knowing you to have that there is big . That perspective , that mindset , the mentality , I'm curious , has there been being where you are now ? Has there been like any challenges that have made you maybe second guess the pursuit like question you know if it's worth doing , or a question like how you're pursuing what you're trying to do ? Has there been anything like that so far ?

Speaker 2 24:40

I yeah , I mean , I think that what kind of makes me question is , like , if I don't get the response that I'm expecting , you know , if I put something out there and I don't get the response that I'm expecting , you know , if I put something out there and I don't get the response that I'm expecting , and it always turns out great , like , for example , I hosted a style shoot and it was perfect , perfect amount of people . You know , I overthought it a lot and I was like maybe I should not do this . Like , maybe people don't want this . You know , I think that that sometimes is like . The thing that gets in my head is like , what if people don't want this ? What if people don't want community ?

Speaker 2 25:13

what if you know people don't show up . You know stuff like that .

Speaker 2 25:16

I think is really the biggest stumbling block , that sometimes I will say I'll have an idea and then I'm like no , maybe I shouldn't do that right now , you know , but I just sometimes can't shake it . I'm like'm like you know what , let me just try this . And let me just , you know , we've started doing once a month and members get together . So we have memberships at the studio , members get together once a month and we just kind of like tomorrow actually we're doing a content day where we all come together and help each other record some content , and so of course those are members that are paying for the studio and that's just kind of a way that I make it worthwhile to them but also build that community , um , and so I think that's kind of built my confidence in realizing that people really do actually want community . And so , um , yeah , I think it's just my own mind that gets in the way .

Speaker 2 26:04

There's nothing . There's nothing like logistically that's happened or anything where people just don't show up to stuff . Nothing like that has happened . But I get in my own mind and I'm like what if people think this is stupid ? You know what ? If people like question who I really am or think that I'm being some way when I'm not . You know , just silly stuff like that . Other than that , though , once I get past that , I'm good , you know .

Speaker 1 26:28

Yeah , gosh , yeah . Why is that such a thing ? And I understand very , very specifically . Somebody's going to come in and question your worth who you are . I don't know , she might try to get one up on me or like man . Maybe I shouldn't do this event . What if people don't turn up ?

Speaker 2 26:50

Yeah .

Speaker 1 26:51

And I definitely understand and I think you know I've been in some of that recently with stuff that we've been doing . And I think I was listening to another podcast Shouts out to Jasmine Starr , social curator if anyone wants to listen to that and she was talking about imposter syndrome .

Speaker 2 27:10

Yes .

Speaker 1 27:11

And one of the things that she was sharing when she was researching imposter syndrome was a lot of the times we think that the imposter syndrome is man . This person is already doing what I'm doing , or what I'm doing is just not up to that standard . Like the stuff online is so amazing , like it's not up to you know , these workshops . Hundreds of people show up .

Speaker 1 27:41

Like no one's going to want to show up to my you know , like that kind of a thing . But she said , in actuality , a lot of the times what people are thinking , and these are people that are making , you know , $50,000 a year and people that are making six , seven , $8 million a year , like all the entire aspect of it . A lot of them think that what they're doing is default , as in , it's just the normal thing to do , and everybody's doing this exact same thing . And I found that interesting because we would think that it's more the first , like what I'm doing isn't up to what everybody else is doing . But in actuality , everybody just thinks that everybody is just doing the same thing and I'm not different from anyone else , right ? But I think , you know , what's interesting is like Marley you are the only person who can reach the people that you're supposed to reach .

Speaker 2 28:41

Yeah .

Speaker 1 28:41

Yeah , no one else that's going to reach the people the way you would reach them than you reaching them , and I think that's that's always been interesting to me , because there's no one else that can do how I would do it . Like there's , there's not a second Marley or second Damien in the world . They may have my name but they're not me , right ? And I think that's given me a little bit of Liberty to say , hey , I do not have to be . And I think that's given me a little bit of liberty to say , hey , I do not have to be connected to the end result , meaning like , if no one shows up to the workshop , that does not mean that Damien is now a bad person who has zero idea of what he's doing and is a fraud . That's harsh . What I'm just saying , like that one plus one in that case does not equal two , like just because that happens and I think it's it's taken some time to kind of separate myself from those results and say , okay , if this happens this way , um , let's , let's get inquisitive . Um , I'm afraid that people won't show up to my workshop . Why ? Well , because maybe the content that I put out isn't good enough . Why , well , because I see other people that are doing content and it looks cooler . How , if you go through all that and you recognize , oh yeah , they are doing that and I'm not doing that , well then just start doing that , like it's not , like there's this and that's the thing . Like , try to keep it mysterious , like , oh , I don't know , I don't know , maybe no , you know , if you have the desire and it's not working how you want it to , we have the permission to pursue and like figure out what's going on . But again , that does not equal I'm a failure . It just means we have something we need to pursue and figure out . And I think once that clicked , I was like imposter syndrome for what ? Like there's , no , all that means is that I need to get some questions answered like and let's pursue that , and I think that was very liberating for me . Um , and just allows me to like all right , I failed here , all right , cool , why ? Like let's , let's keep going , um and uh . It's been very encouraging to be able to kind of separate myself from it . So , on the on the outside , I'm very glad that the workshop turned out well for you . You had a perfect amount of people . That's great , that's really cool , and I love .

Speaker 1 31:15

What you said about which kind of is going into another question . You talked about the people that are subscribed to the workshop . Workshop , um , they all meet up and help each other in content creation for their respective businesses , or you know , creatives . I'm assuming most of them are like photographers or something like that . Um , number one , yes , like that's perfect , right , that's , that's the cyclical never ending . I help the person next to you . Everyone grows . I'm sure there's a lot of sayings about everyone , one person , all those sayings , right , man , that's really cool . But I'm curious for you , like , why the importance on that , on the community , like you've shared even in this interview , the word community a lot .

Speaker 3 32:17

And .

Speaker 1 32:17

I'm just curious , like for Marley , why has that been such an important part of this for you ?

Speaker 2 32:25

I don't know and I will a little shameless plug here imposter syndrome . I could . We could do a whole other whole podcast on that . But I did write an e-book about it's called Captivate and it's called it's experiencing creativity , specifically in photography , but really any creative honestly ? But , experiencing freedom in your creativity . Creative honestly , um but experiencing freedom in your creativity and imposter syndrome and comparison is one of the big things that I kind of write about because I've been there but , and I'm still , I still get there .

Speaker 2 32:57

Of course , you know , it's not just something that you're just like oh , I'm not you know , comparing myself anymore .

Speaker 2 33:03

You know it happens , um .

Speaker 2 33:05

But as far as the community thing , um , I think that kind of goes back to what I was saying before when you asked about what I'm on earth to do , and I can't really explain why , because it's not like I don't know , it's not like it's benefiting me other than , like , growing the studio .

Speaker 2 33:29

I don't know , I can't really say why , but I think it just goes back to just so badly wanting people to see the value in their creativity and in their passions and in their dreams , and I think that there's just , with our generation especially , I think that there's just something so powerful about people stepping in to their visions and their ideas . I think that it's not a mistake and I mean it would be insane that if every single person , you know , told himself this idea is not dumb , I'm just gonna step in and do it , you know , and so I think that's kind of what kind of pushes that forward is . Just it's so exciting to see people start a new thing , like our friend Colleen . She just started a podcast as well , and I was like yay , and I love it when my friends step into like different things that they're like creating for themselves .

Speaker 2 34:26

I just think that's so amazing , and so I think that , with the community here and with photographers here , which is the main you know , hub is photographers here . Of course , I would love to reach other people in different aspects , but right now it's really focused on photographers . I think that seeing them , like , unapologetically , step into the things that they want to step into , even if it doesn't match what everybody else is doing , or if it does whatever , at least they're taking a step into something that they're passionate about and putting stuff out there for the world to see or not . You know , it's okay if you're creating in secret . Like you know , not everything has to go on social media , and that's one way I had to kind of train .

Speaker 2 35:10

My mind is like yeah , you know when creating it doesn't have to be social media , perfect , you know . And so , um , yeah , if that answers the question , I think that just stems from that desire to see other people step into the things that either the lord is calling them to , the things that are on their hearts to do , and the things that keep them up at night when they're like dreaming and , you know , have a vision for things you know .

Speaker 2 35:36

Yeah , I think there's a lot more people that have notebooks full of things that they're dreaming about than we realize . I think all they need is somebody to say hey , you can do it Like yeah do it Even if you mess up , just do it , you know .

Speaker 1 35:52

Absolutely . Yeah absolutely , man . That's

Balancing Family, Business and Creativity

Speaker 1 35:55

, that's great and I I really enjoy . You know what you're sharing . You know for for us and for me .

Speaker 1 36:03

I believe that that is how business was slash is supposed to be yeah um , there is supposed to be a helping your neighbor , um , and being there for them and helping them grow into more stewardship over what they've been given . Um , and I think it's in a . In a world where the focus is a thousand percent on I , the , it's refreshing to be able to build an entity where the focus can be the people around you and not just look at me trying to film on this new red camera you know , like you know , like and that stuff is great , you know I love it's really cool learning about it and using that kind of stuff .

Speaker 1 36:55

But man , I think even from the beginning .

Speaker 2 36:58

Those things for yourself .

Speaker 1 36:59

You can post about it , you can have people celebrate with you , and that's another thing is you have this community now that we celebrate each other , you know right , exactly , exactly , and that's that's the , that's the , that's the , the balance . Like I , we are a for-profit business . Like we want to profit from what we're doing , but that doesn't mean that the entire , everything I do , who I am , is based on me doing me all the time . Like there there is , there is excellence in learning how to serve the person next to you and I'd say your growth , uh , can be hindered if you don't .

Speaker 1 37:39

Um , where you need that perspective , you know , I have another person we speaking with soon and she has built an entire platform to help businesses receive video testimonials from their customers Um , it's a whole software and really cool app that she built and designed and to see the response from businesses that have been like , man , this has been great and it's so easy because we actually get feedback that we need . Yeah , as well as the customers that say , man , this is really cool . I feel like my voice was actually heard . I'm like , yes , like we need the perspective from others in order to grow into what we're trying to do .

Speaker 1 38:21

Um , and it's it's not , it's not a , a haphazard like it , like it , it might help if we get it . It's like you need it in order to grow the best way possible . So I think one of the reasons why it happens with such speed with what you're doing is because there's just a plethora of opportunities to get those perspectives that's outside of just you and kind of like foster some relationships . You know I , you know I'm not , I'm not there in the trenches with you . You could share more to that , but I think that's really cool to have that . Um yeah sweet .

Speaker 2 38:59

And I think that I think that too , like , like you said , like fostering the relationships , I think that I , as far as like the photography side , booking clients , stuff , like that- yeah . I get more referrals , I guess you could say , or more business from like word of mouth , from the relationships that I've made you know whether it be through other photographers or through other business owners . More so than just the client , the random clients that come in , got it .

Speaker 1 39:28

Yeah , more so than just the random clients .

Speaker 2 39:29

That come in , got it . Yeah , I feel like that has been kind of like in turn word of mouth through my relationships , more so than clients Nice , very nice .

Speaker 1 39:38

I think that's super important . Yeah , that's refreshing . Man cool , we're here with Marlee Parker . Thank you guys for listening . We'll be right back .

Speaker 2 39:48

What's up , guys . My name is Marley , I am a portrait photographer and studio owner , and I just wanted to introduce you to Wild Magnolia Studio , open to RIT , for your photo shoots , for your content , whatever you need . We have all kinds of little details that you can use . Everything in the studio that you see you can use . There's a whole closet full of backdrops , props , chairs , seating , all that kind of stuff .

Speaker 3 40:12

um , so , yeah , we also host multiple workshops throughout the year , so if you want more details , follow us at wild manolia studio on instagram so the truth is , creating social media video content can take forever figuring out what to film , how to film it , what to say , how to say when to post , where to say how to say when to post , where to post all of these things continuously right . But there has to be a way to streamline that process . There has to be a way to make sure that whatever you're posting , you're connecting with your audience for sure and it's targeted , it's not just random throwing it out hoping it lands right . There has to be a process to this , and that's what Video Blueprint is all about . I want to streamline the process . I want to help you make sure that you're connecting with your intended audience . I want to remove the distractions and make sure that when you leave this in-person workshop , you have a clear plan on how you want to go forth in creating your social media video content for your business .

Speaker 3 41:03

That is it . We'll teach you the filming not using a camera , using your phone . We'll teach you the editing . We'll teach you the filming not using a camera , using your phone . We'll teach you the editing . We'll teach you storage and organization . Click the link below . Let's sign up and I'll stop freezing myself off trying to create this video for you , okay , bye-bye .

Speaker 1 41:20

All right , we're here with Marlee Parker Wild Magnolia Studios . Thank you for taking the time . What a joy it's been to be able to hear how you've grown and grown into what you're doing now . I think it's really cool to see both the business grow but also the person grow , and I think this is where I kind of wanted to hear your insight Going from what you're doing to where you are now . Of course , that's a big change , business-wise , you know , I'd say business-wise front and back end . So like branding online websites and building different systems and platforms and social media and changing the name and business registration , like all that's all that fun stuff , right ? I'm curious , just , you know , from your perspective , how has Marley , the person , uh grown , changed , uh , maybe things that you have noticed in yourself , um , from where you were , uh in in in the photography world when you're starting out to where you are now Taking a little bit of inventory of self . I'm just curious how that's been for you or what things you've recognized .

Speaker 2 42:33

Yeah , well , I think , with having three children married , you know that all is a huge role in what I do , of course , and I went through a time where , I'll be honest , all of my attention was on this . It consumed me in an unhealthy way , and so that has honestly been the biggest curveball that came to me around that time . Now , this was a few years ago but , um , and I think it happens especially with people that have vision for something , it's easy to get consumed by it , and it's easy to like , only want to focus on that , and hard to switch gears to something else .

Speaker 2 43:21

And so I think the biggest thing that I learned from that , through a conversation that I had to have with my husband , is , you know , and realizing that because my focus and because I was so unhealthily consumed by it that it was affecting me as a wife and a mother and the things that I have to take care of that realm in a not healthy way , that if I continue to do that , then there's no way that this would be successful .

Speaker 2 43:47

And so , um , having that healthy balance , which sometimes , when things get crazy and busy , I have to find my way back , but now I know the trigger points or the things that happen , or the things in my mind that start to happen , where I start going back down in that rabbit hole .

Speaker 2 44:03

I'm not saying I'm perfect at it , but it's something that has helped me to readjust and be able to have a balance between home life , business life , creator life , you know , kind of balancing those things , and I can't even really put into words what I've learned from it other than building just the healthy dynamic of the things that has helped me to be able to be okay on the weekends , having family time and not feeling like I have to do a million things .

Speaker 2 44:37

I even got to the point . The biggest thing that I had to do was set a schedule for myself and close off weekends , because my family , of course , is super important to me and will always come first . I always tell myself , if this fails , at least I have my family , like that doesn't matter . And so making sure that that's healthy in turn creates success in my business . Making sure my relationships are healthy in turn creates healthy , healthy growth and success in my business . It's hard to explain , but it just works that way , and I think it's because when my mind is so consumed with the next steps , I start doing things that aren't either I'm not ready for or that could essentially take me down a path that isn't for me .

Speaker 2 45:31

You know , making decisions based off of like um , fear or thinking what if somebody gets there before me , kind of thing and kind of coming to the realization that this is for me and as long as my fear on the ground is happening , and it's okay to rest , it's okay to take a few days out of the week to focus on my home , or it's okay that I have to reschedule and rearrange some things for my children , you know , and it was a hard lesson to learn because of the tension that it did cause initially , but I'm so glad I learned that lesson early on , before it got to now .

Speaker 2 46:12

You know it was an important lesson and I think that is like the biggest growth and even still , from moving into here to now as well , I think the biggest thing that I've grown in and learned and I know that I mean , of course I've learned things in photography and like , grown in of course , the basic things , but I think behind the scenes things is really what propels you forward . And so being patient and not spending all my money in a bank account because I want something to look a certain way , and understanding that it takes time to build on , um , I think all that just kind of is represented in a business and how healthy it is . Does that make sense ? And so , um , and one of the biggest things that I learned early on is , um the what's it called , I guess the health of your relationships , whether it be friendships , marriages , kids , all the things will translate in the health of your business , and so having that mindset really kind of changed the way I do things , um , yeah , yeah , absolutely Sorry about that .

Speaker 1 47:26

I had to write this down what you're saying , man , I think that's great and I'm so glad . I know it's tough , but I'm so glad you went through it , yeah . I'm glad I went through it early because yeah , yeah , true , yeah , um , and you know she , she alluded to it earlier , ladies and gentlemen , but uh , three kids ain't easy , you know what I'm saying like and they're all little . I know they're all , they're all together .

Speaker 2 47:59

Gosh man yeah , but you know , the cool thing about that is , though , they get to grow up knowing the studio . They get to grow up seeing me and my husband both make decision and take step into dreams , you know , and so I just feel like that's just gonna make it so much easier for them to be able to grow up and have that same mindset , or at least I hope you know , regardless of what they do , cause they see , like Whoa , like my son , when he first walked in he was like what is this place , like this is yours , what you know ?

Speaker 2 48:31

for his little brain to comprehend that , and so yeah , yeah , I can imagine .

Speaker 1 48:37

Oh , that's great man , that's , that's encouraging . I'll take that . I'll take that . Yeah , I mean , we just had our first and he's seven months now and you think about all those things . It's now . I can easily understand how you want the world for your children .

Speaker 2 49:09

But you also .

Speaker 1 49:11

I don't want to say have to be there for your children , but you also have to be there for your children .

Speaker 2 49:17

Yeah .

Speaker 1 49:20

So when there's only one Marley , and there's so much going on . I mean and you know we're talking about Marley here but you know shouts out to Caleb everything that he's done to be there for his family and to help with making ends meet and your partner and getting through these things and having those tough conversations about making moves on the , on the studio and like all that stuff . Like that .

Speaker 1 49:45

That's a collaborative effort , you know that's not just uh yeah , that's not just uh , let's see what happens like there's some tough conversations lots of conversations , yeah and I'm sure , yeah , so , but very cool .

Speaker 1 49:57

I think one of the things that I pinpointed what you're saying was before you had the desire of I wanted to get there first . And I think I have to hone in on that because , man , that that's like wanted to get there first . Because what Like someone else is going to open up a studio space ? Like get there first . Because what Like someone else is going to open up a studio space , like , get there first .

Speaker 3 50:25

In front of who Right ?

Speaker 1 50:28

That's what I'm saying . Is everyone just lined up in downtown Mount Austin trying to buy a studio ? Get there first in front of who , for what Exactly ? That's what I'm saying . Like we just make up stuff , like we just don't know . Well , we make up stuff like we just don't know . Yeah , well , I was gonna say we just don't know where it comes from . But I know where it comes from and it's not good . Yeah , um that the the fear of , of the fear of missing out . You could say , um , yeah , for me , you know for me and you know us .

Speaker 1 50:59

I'd say , spiritually , there's a lot there to unpack as far as the fear of missing out and the fear of someone is going to beat me to it and I need to hurry up and scorched earth before I lose my opportunity to win at something , and that's where that originates from . And that's where that originates from . But , yeah , I think , being able to get that in check beforehand and like you said , you said it . So even recognizing , like man , I'm kind of like putting these things , these , like I said earlier stumbling blocks in front of me and it doesn't have to be there , like there is a way to walk appropriately , where I'm not trying to scorched earth and burn all the bridges in order that I might succeed , and then I succeed , and then I'm like , yeah , this is nowhere near what I was trying to do um .

Speaker 1 51:56

So I I think that's really cool that you're having those conversations , and it's always , uh , my encouragement to , to myself , to to do the same um . And the truth is , you know , even you know , you're married , you have three kids , I'm married , I have a seven month old um . Even amidst all of that , sometimes that road can feel lonely lonely um , there's , there's .

Speaker 1 52:20

Only you are in that position . As you know , I'm wanting to pursue this thing . Like you , have that desire in your heart . Um , caleb has the desire to support and wants to be there for you and wants to help 100 , but you are in that driver's seat and trying to figure that out and , uh , sometimes it can be lonely . So , to be able to recognize man , I have all these desires of wanting to get there first and all this stuff , but then checking yourself , that's like man , that's key . That's something that if Marley was hosting a workshop and trying to help photographers pursue things that they want to pursue , photographers pursue things that they want to pursue .

Speaker 1 53:06

That's like all right . Step number one don't rush . Yeah , don't rush this . You know it's , that's the , that's what we're in now , like we gotta , we gotta go , um . So it's really cool that you brought that up and I'm glad that you're able to kind of check yourself on that .

Speaker 2 53:17

Um , that's big , that's big absolutely , yeah , yeah , yeah , definitely sweet cool .

Speaker 1 53:25

Well , um , I I think the last question I have , um , and you shared a little bit on it , um , throughout a little bit , but I want to give you kind of a platform for it , for you , for while magnolia , for everything you're doing there , uh , in Valdosta , uh , what , what now ? Like what , what happens now with the things you're trying to pursue ? What do you desire coming into the rest of 2025 and the 2026 ? Like what ? What is it ? What are the things that you are wanting to , uh , you could say , pursue for while Magnolia ? Or you could say , grow in for Marley , the person and her family . You know , things that maybe you want to take

Future Vision: Workshops and Fashion Photography

Speaker 1 54:10

purposeful potential steps in . What is it what ? What it's , what's , what's what now for Marley ?

Speaker 2 54:17

For the Wild Magnolia side . I think that these workshops are something that I'm really trying to , you know , make happen . It's looking like once a quarter I was going to do once a month no , that's not happening but these workshops are something that I definitely want to start doing at the studio , I would say for my photography side and , like you said before , your photography or your videography things that you've kind of done have changed so many times and so I feel like I'm kind of transitioning out of and which I have for a while , like the typical family stuff , whatever I used to do it , just because now I just kind of , you know , don't do it anymore . Um , really focusing on , um , brand and content photography for brands . I really enjoy working with brands . It's been like my favorite thing in the world but then also just traveling and doing things that I enjoy . Um , I've always had a heart and an excitement for fashion photography , which sounds crazy because I'm not all set , but there have been some opportunities for me to be able to go back to New York to do some things , and I don't really have super crazy details on that yet , but that is something that I am just sitting in excitement for something completely new , new territory and something crazy . But I think I'm , you know , going to take that step forward , because it's always fashion photography has been something that I've been interested in but haven't been able to pursue for a super long time . Even as a kid I can remember like just daydreaming about fashion industry and stuff like that , which is funny , but , um , so I think for me , moving forward , that's a huge thing .

Speaker 2 56:10

Um , I can answer all three for my family .

Speaker 2 56:12

My , you know , kids are starting school . My middle child starts kindergarten next year and I think that once school starts and once they start getting older , there's just so many more opportunities , like you know . And so I think , I don't know , it feels like we're finally entering into this season of like fun with our family and you know we want to buy a house and stuff , but we've kind of just been , you know , just letting that happen , how it's going to happen , because buying a house is not easy , and so just stuff like that . There's like little family stuff , you know that , but it just feels like we've kind of hit over this little hump and like , and I think it's probably because our kids are getting older and stuff , and so we just want them to experience like fun stuff , you know , like we want to take them places and then have them experience like all kinds of amazing things , and then for us to , you know , and so any chance that we get to do something like that , we're going to take it . So um yeah .

Speaker 2 57:16

I mean , there's a lot , there's always something .

Speaker 1 57:18

So but , yeah , very nice , cool , well , cool , well , that's cool . Thank you for answering all those things . Uh , I think that's great man , that's so cool . Well , uh , thank you so much for being on today . I I've really enjoyed getting to know marley the person that much more um the entire story , all the things that you're pursuing , the community that you're building there .

Speaker 1 57:42

It is definitely easily something that is worth doing and I believe it's impacting truly impacting the community there in Valdosta , as well as impacting Marley , the person , and making sure she's growing as well . So thank you so much for all the work that you're doing and this is great . I just loved hearing that man . All the stuff you're doing , I think is great . I just loved hearing that man . All the stuff you're doing , I think is great . Thank you , guys , so much for listening . If you have thoughts or questions or anything for Marley , she'll have all of her stuff in the bottom there . Feel free to reach out to her . She told you about her . Was it an e-book that you made ? Was it Cultivate , captivate ?

Speaker 1 58:24

Captivate Captivate she has that going on ? She's got workshops coming up every month . No , I'm joking , just , of course , workshops coming up and just an all-around resource to connect with in South Georgia , or even maybe not even South Georgia , if you just want to get inspired a piece of person . Workshops coming up for us . Be so excited to have you guys . As always , if you have more questions , feel free to let us know . Other than that , thank you so much for hopping on and we'll see y'all next time . Thank you so much . All right , bye .

Speaker 2 58:59

Bye , what's up , guys . Guys , my name is Marley , I am a portrait photographer and studio owner , and I just wanted to introduce you to Wild Magnolia Studio , open to RIT , for your photo shoots , for your content , whatever you need . We have all kinds of little details that you can use . Everything in the studio that you see you can use . There's a whole closet full of backdrops , props , chairs , seating , all that kind of stuff . So , yeah , we also host multiple workshops throughout the year , so if you want more details , follow us at Wild Mignogna Studio on Instagram .