We were going over the last details of the boudoir experience I offer when she blurted it out:“I didn’t realize it would be so expensive.”
I remember having this exact same moment when I booked my first boudoir session.
Actually, who am I kidding…I’ve done several, and still get that feeling whenever I book.
There is no way to sugarcoat it, professional boudoir sessions are not cheap.
Even though I know how magical it is every single time, it doesn’t stop my heart from picking up the pace when I think about handing over my hard-earned money for pictures of myself.
Yet, I do it.
Over, and over, and over again.
Because while it is an investment, it’s a worthy one.
In the beginning, I booked my own shoot to ensure that I didn’t just talk the talk…but also walked the walk. I wanted to immerse myself in this process (from the client side), so that I could truly relate to the worries, nerves, fears, excitement–all the feels. I wanted to know what it felt like to step out of my comfort zone at this level.
So while I was wildly nervous and contemplated canceling a few times, I showed up–because that’s what you do when you are on a mission to see your best self.
Somewhere mid-way through that session, I started to feel something shift within me…like the relentlessly nervous butterflies I’d felt before were beginning to metamorphosis. With every minute that passed, I became more sure of myself. I began to mentally let go of my insecurities, partly because the whole process was so much fun that I had little time to criticize myself.
The day that I finally held my boudoir album in my hands, every doubt I’d ever had about the investment melted away. There on those pages, was a woman I haven’t always been kind to. I’ve called her names, I’ve hid her away, I’ve wished she was different, I’ve counted her out…
but there she was,
staring back at me,
still standing.
Not just existing, but living.
Boudoir is a gift I gave to myself–one that has continued to serve me ever since.
It freed me from the prison I put myself in long ago.
It gave me the confidence to explore the deepest parts of myself.
It has paid for itself, ten fold.
