Meet the founder, Kirsty
“As she moved out of the family home, for the first time, she left her West Yorkshire house for the South. This feisty, Northern, bold red head was known to answer back, ask questions and wiggle her way in to meetings where she couldn’t resist but join in on whatever was being debated. On arriving in her new city, she broke down in tears and had a paddy: the university digs were a dire shade of dirty pink and there was only one shower between six. The curtains were a dark green and the jazzy pattern looked like they’d been ripped off the seats of the student bus. Even the ceiling light seemed to cry a mucky yellowy gloom across the situation she found herself in: not only was it one shower between six, but between six girls. This was a far cry from the back stage theatre life style she had worked in… Becoming one of the lads “crew”, dressed in a black t-shirt, black trousers and steelies, sneaking off for (half) a pint before the shows started.
The girl mentioned above was last seen well over ten years ago. I’ll be honest, some battle scars were already there and I don’t think will ever go. However, they have now been joined by many more experiences. There’s some obvious milestones – graduated, got married, had kids etc. Some scars I wear with a smug, rather humorous, pride; like the extra bone in my left foot from when it split in two but I didn’t realise soon enough for a cast to be put on! (FYI, I can’t ice skate as my foot won’t fit in the boot and, although I’ve never tried, I doubt snowboarding will be an ideal fit for me - literally.) There are other scars, which I’d prefer not to be burdened with including the cellulite, acne, saggy boobs, and don’t get me started on the stretch marks on my thighs and tummy…
My pride can sometimes be buried under a stone and a half of extra weight that I should really lose but five years later, seem to still be hugging my hips. Luckily, though, I am a fan of a hug and I’m a huge believer in self worth.
Let’s be honest we can all be guilty of burying our confidence underneath a list, possibly similar to the above, along with many other anxieties… Be Bold Be You invites you ditch the list and use photography to indulge in the feelings of self confidence, belief and worth.
Yes, you really do look that good; yes that really is you and YES – you do deserve it. So the next wobbly day you have, whether it physically or mentally, invest some time in to enjoying your photographs and the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with it… I bet you smile, too.
This is the story of Be Bold Be You…
Yes, I am now that co-founder of the Be Bold Be You, housed at Studio1825 on Spanker Lane, near Belper in Derbyshire! It’s not a goal you think to have, when asked by the careers advisor at school (all those years ago), however this is where you will find us today and I’m rather proud of what we, my husband James & I, have achieved.
A decade ago I accidentally landed in the photographic industry thanks to my professional photographer husband, James! I was on maternity leave and he phoned me from a photography conference and asked me if I’d help him with a short term business development project and get it off the ground. That “short term” project saw us open a small chain of high street based photography studios - Firefly Photography - across the East Midlands in Derby, Lichfield and Leicester.
Today, you'll find both James and I at our barn conversion of a studio in Derbyshire. Over the years on the highstreet, James & I were amazed to see how much our professional backgrounds complimented each other - his in portrait photography and mine in therapeutic arts. The therapeutic value of the arts was, mostly unintentionally, seeked for by the public. The public knew they wanted a photoshoot, but wouldn’t always know why. James had learnt, over his years working in other studios, that it was normally due to a milestone that a family would want to be acknowledged and celebrated: A grandparents milestone birthday, for example… A new baby being born or a family wanting to capture multiple generations together. However, there was an even bigger “reason” from the modelling side of the business. These were normally much more personal reasons that needed time, rather than a memory of happiness in a photography studio. A “this is me” moment. Reasons including surviving an illness; household break ups; relationship changes including divorce or even domestic abuse. People had a basic human need to want to start “fresh” and a photoshoot seemed to be the start of that journey for so many.
We all have a “this is me” moment - lots choose to celebrate this with a photoshoot. We are so, incredibly, lucky to have been able to shut the highstreet down and create “our moment” through the studio you now see today. Despite the odds (a cowboy builder, a rare long eared bat, two floods and a worldwide health pandemic) we’ve not only been able to open a photography studio that allows us to provide the service we want to provide and think our clients deserve - we’ve also been able to create a truly unique experience, through Be Bold Be You.
Since moving to Belper, Be Bold Be You has received national press coverage about the positive effect it has - from body image to the House of Commons! We’ve secured statements from META (Facebook) where they have agreed to review their image policy guidelines after they classed an image of a single mastectomy cancer survivor as sexually explicit. Be Bold Be You has been invited to contribute to government research, by the Health & Social Care Committee at Westminster, on the impact social media can have on physical & mental wellbeing. But, most of all, Be Bold Be You has been able to work with hundreds of people, to (re)gain their self confidence and self worth through the genre of Boudoir photography.
If you’ve managed to read this far, thanks for listening. Welcome to #beboldbeyou. I’m thrilled you’ve joined us. -Kirsty
Did you know…?
You can book Kirsty as a key note speaker at your event or as a workshop leader to deliver & debate equality, diversity & inclusivity training. Her knowledge in people psychology & therapeutic arts along with sharp wit and genuine love of learning guarantees to keep all audiences - big or small - engaged and entertained. Please drop a message for more information.