✨ Start Where You Are: The Story Behind The Photo

 📍 Written by Stacey Quinn

I remember this day like it was yesterday. I hadn’t even had my boutique for a full year. I grabbed my phone, slipped on this camel statement dress, and found a quiet little spot in my city with a green wall that looked like it belonged on a magazine cover.

I didn’t have a team.

No lighting setup.

No professional camera.

No stylist.

Just me, my phone, and a vision.

That photo? It’s been copied, reposted, Photoshopped, and stolen more times than I can count. I’ve seen it on Amazon, on vendor sites, in every color of the rainbow, but that image was mine. It came from a moment of simply starting.

And I’m proud of that.

🧵 You Don’t Need Perfect—You Just Need To Start

I didn’t wait until I had a big budget or a creative team to start sharing my work. I used what I had. I worked with what I could afford. I shot content with my phone. I learned editing, lighting, angles, branding, and storytelling along the way.

Now, I have professional videos and beautiful campaign shoots, but none of that would exist if I never took the first step.

So this is for you…if you’ve been waiting for everything to be “just right.” Whether you’re building a blog, launching a boutique, learning to sew, or just trying to share your story. Start where you are. You’ll grow. You’ll get better. But you don’t have to wait to begin.

My Advice?

• Stop overthinking it.
• Use what you have right now.
• Be proud of your beginner phase.
• Document everything…you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come later.
• Stay consistent, and the glow-up will come.

You don’t need permission.

You don’t need perfection.

You just need the courage to begin.

 

🫛 

With love,

Stacey

 

Proof that you don’t need perfection to be powerful. They saw the magic…even when I wasn’t sure I did.