Joining the Rising Tide Society

When Bret and I first heard of the Rising Tide Society we were completely in awe that something like this even existed, especially within the creative industry. If you’re new around here (or have never heard us obsessively talk about RTS) let me first start off by explaining a little bit about that term, ‘creative industry.’ Creatives can be described as business owners that work in their field of choice for themselves, they don’t report to a typical 9 to 5 but instead pursue that entrepreneurial dream of owning their own business. Examples of people in this industry can be photographers, wedding planners, artists, calligraphers, florists, jewelry makers, bloggers, movers and shakers. The list goes on and on!

While being your own boss is AMAZING, wonderful and SOOO rewarding, there’s a dark side to this hustle that doesn’t show up in the pretty Instagram feeds or shared repeatedly for the entire world to know…But, here’s a sad truth bomb…typically this industry is very competitive. There are just SO many others wanting to break into the same field, pursuing the same clients, and chasing the same dream.  Oh and another one, it’s pretty lonely, too.  We creatives don’t have an office/job to venture to or co-workers to chat with daily. It’s just you. In your home. With this crazy dream.  Flying solo and terrified is pretty standard for creative entrepreneurs.

Being a creative herself (a wedding photographer) she recognized the desperate need creatives had for a community, a place to lean on others and build each other up! She helped start the Rising Tide Society based on the idea that as humans we are meant to connect with one another. Her goal is ‘to foster a community where you can help one another grow and thrive by sharing education, support, and accessible tools in the creative economy where finding resources can be overwhelming’.  (Did that give you chills, too?!)

All I can say is THANK GOODNESS for this brilliant and fearless leader! What a blessing she is for everyone out there staring at their computer screen late into the night wondering how they will take their passion, that fire burning inside them, and turn it into a thriving business without going absolutely crazy!!

I can’t help but remember how excited/nervous/scared  I felt when my business was a baby!!  Wide eyed and terrified, I reached out to a few different local photographers asking for love, advice & support. In my eyes, they were the DREAM!  They were the professionals I idolized!! You can imagine the heartbreak when I was turned away because I was the ‘competition’. True story, friends…these people I wholeheartedly admired one by one turned me down all stating some variation of the same line. They each said that if they helped me then it would potentially take business away from them. Talk about a punch in the gut.

A few years and some intense Facebook scrolling later, we stumbled upon the Rising Tide Society.   ‘Community over competition’ spoke to our hearts.  We were mesmerized.

We will never forget walking into our first meeting- Bret and I were anxious & super nervous because we still couldn’t believe this type of loving community existed. Morgan Williams (another local photographer who we adore) led the meeting and we were welcomed with OPEN, loving arms. We started attending these meetings faithfully as if our business (and lives) depended on it.  It’s been about a year since we’ve joined this community and what a whirlwind it has been! We have met so many wonderful people & made so many wonderful friends…This has truly impacted our hearts and business forever!!

The biggest way we interact with other members of the Rising Tide Society is through our local meet-up called #TuesdsaysTogether. We started attending #TuesdaysTogether meetings in Evansville which is our closest local chapter. On the second Tuesday of every month thousands of creatives across the world come together for coffee and conversation, for idea sharing and goal building. Small business owners come together to “share knowledge, learn from their peers and grow together.” We cannot tell you how VALUABLE this experience has been for us. The simple fact of just knowing you are not alone carries so much weight when embarking on your small business owner journey.  And now- a year later we are actually co-leaders of our local chapter! #OBSESSED We take this leadership role oh so seriously and feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to love on alllll the local creatives!!

This is something our hearts are so deeply invested in.  We are passionate about lifting creative entrepreneurs up because JKF was SOOO right…A rising tide absolutely lifts all boats.