Millenial Moment | Abby Murphy
Meet Abby Murphy, a creative millennial who works magic behind her camera lens.
Lifestyle, portraits, branding, editorial, events—Abby offers all types of photography. When not shooting, she maintains an awesome blog featuring her branding projects, personal road trips, and insider tips, like for The Perfect Staycation in Charleston. Oh, and Fashion Week!
Want insight into how she manages it all? She told us it has a lot to do with her original love.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Perfectionist, creative, determined.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Go to RISD (Rhode Island School of Design). My high school photography teacher majored in painting there, and once I got in he told me I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I didn’t think I was “artsy” enough. Once I got to school I realized this is where my people were! I thought I’d do graphic design because I’d be more likely to find a job, but my original love was photography. I’m glad I listened to myself that time and declared photography my major instead of graphic design!
I'm glad I listened to myself time and declared photography my major
What has been the toughest obstacle you’ve had to face as an entrepreneur?
My biggest struggle has been balancing starting my business with part-time jobs. I have been so lucky that they’ve been photography related, and I’ve learned so much from all of them! I think the toughest part is that I want to be doing all the things, but it gets tough when you have limited time. I just remind myself that I am gaining experience that I might not otherwise have if I was totally on my own!
How do you balance the entrepreneur lifestyle with having a social life?
Luckily most of my friends are also creatives, so we are on similar wavelengths! My boyfriend is an engineer and works a 9-5 type job, so it gets hard when I have to work in the evenings or on the weekends. We make it a point to schedule dinner and hang outs ahead of time when I know I have a busy schedule coming up!
How have your parents played a role in your journey?
Luckily my parents have always been supportive!
"I’m proud of what I’ve done so far at 25!"
- Abby Murphy
Do you view age as being a disadvantage or advantage, and why?
I haven’t come up against this much. I’m not sure if potential clients look at my age and think it’s cool that I’m young, or that I won’t be as experienced. I think I get into my own head sometimes and think about my age equaling a lack of experience, but that experience truly only comes with time. I’m proud of what I’ve done so far at 25!
How do you tackle self-doubt when it comes up?
As an entrepreneur, self-doubt and fear comes up a lot for me. One thing that helps is to set goals with clear action steps. If I’m feeling inexperienced in a certain area of my business, I’ll set a goal to learn more about it and practice. I also look back at past work I’ve done, and I remind myself why I love running my own photography business.
photo: Abby Murphy
What is your favorite social media platform and how has it impacted your business?
I love Instagram! It drives me a little nuts sometimes, but there is no better platform for photographers. Once I started curating my feed and sharing my story a bit more, I started getting inquiries from people I’d never met through the app.
Insta @abbymurphyphoto
What is your favorite way to destress?
I love making photo albums. I started making them in 2013 and made a spread of photos and memorabilia for each week of the year. Now I am a little less strict about it, but I love looking back and remembering all the awesome things that happened! How freaking cool will it be to look back on these in 20, 30, 50 years!?
If a young entrepreneur with a brilliant idea is reading this and hesitant about making the leap into entrepreneurship. What is your advice for her?
Being an entrepreneur is really hard sometimes, but you can’t beat the freedom it allows you. Just go for it! Do a couple of side jobs if you have to while you build on your big idea. I moved to Charleston with only a few contacts and at one point I literally had 4-5 jobs. Within 2 years though, I’ve built a profitable business that I love. It’s kind of crazy putting that on paper now! If you keep working hard, it will pay off.
Connect with Abby Murphy:
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