Stacey Rolfe is a Sydney maternity, newborn and family photographer.

She is a Brit turned Sydneysider, and a beautiful Mum of 2 in Surry Hills.
She is also the organiser of Tog Hub and the Business Boost workshop.
Website Instagram
Image Credit: D.G Harper Photography

Stacey Rolfe replied to my note in a Flourish newsletter when I asked for volunteers to work with me on a new idea for creative coaching.

I'd met Stacey numerous times and knew her focus was primarily on the business side of photography.

I knew she would challenge me, and she would let me know if it wasn't working.

It's been the push I wanted to try the Thrive coaching on someone who declared,

"I am not creative".

I remember thinking, “Challenge accepted”

1) At the start of our coaching, you identified your current process as a strength as it’s working for you. You wanted to continue in the same format. However, you also wanted to fuel your creativity during your client sessions. We worked through these concerns by gradually introducing 5 minutes of play to your sessions. How have these 5 minutes changed your flow, and have you seen a difference in the images you're making during your sessions?

Firstly, I have loved your approach to coaching, and your respect for my current business, process, and my need to preserve what works. Your guidance has been aimed at adding to my work; not overhauling it.

The idea of 5 minutes of play was not new to me, but the discipline of observing it has been a real change. I no longer expect creativity to simply strike me (and I am learning not to feel inadequate that it doesn’t!).

I am more conscious and intentional in my consumption of social media and inspiration around me.

In short, the result of all this has been to open my eyes. Initially, just in those 5 minutes; but more recently I’ve found myself more present and observant in my sessions.

I am looking for light, lines and colour now and I have loved the variety that these opportunities have brought to my galleries.

I am a natural rule-follower. But I’ve really enjoyed the 5 minute break from my usual session flow - because there’s no real showstopper when you stick to the rules.

You’ve helped me to enjoy trying new things again, rather than feeling stressed about finding myself outside my comfort zone.

2) The front door sessions you captured during lockdown saw you using a location that reflects where you live. As an observer, I remember thinking you were leaning into something that was unique to you. You shared how you loved doing those sessions, but post covid had seen you return to your usual locations.

During our coaching sessions, the city emerged as an ideal location you’d like to try, as you've felt inspired to do it for a while. You've held three city sessions now, and it's been exciting to watch this idea evolve. How has it felt for you, and what are your plans for this session style?

It’s been brilliant. I am a city girl, through and through. Always have been, always will be. And I have always loved New York street style photography.

But - that’s not what I see around me in our market. I have always prioritised a successful business over following my creativity, and I didn’t trust that clients would respond to this vision. The biggest and most pleasant surprise has been my clients’ response to the city sessions. The most engagement I’ve had in a long time, with direct enquiries flowing in immediately after posting.

It feels validating, and it feels real. I feel proud that I have ideas, and that I am able to create beautiful work that feels more like me than anything I’ve done before. To be honest, I feel more like ‘A Creative’ than I ever have. The great thing about confidence is that it’s not just confined to my photography work - it also feeds into my other business, my interactions with clients and fellow photographers.

I’m not completely sure what my plans are for the city sessions. For now, they are available for booking by existing clients and I’ll continue to explore and experiment in them!

3) Defining your creativity has been one of the obstacles we have untangled in our coaching sessions.

You like to use lines, colours, reflections, and a shallow depth of field to add storytelling elements to your images. We saw this in the photos you printed and how they're present in your work when grouped together as a collection.

How has it strengthened your confidence in storytelling to know these elements already exist, and how are you using them as a point of difference in your art?

It’s so hard sometimes to see these threads in your own work. I never slowed down enough to spot them! Having them pointed out has brought them to the forefront of my consciousness.

I find it easier to look for these things now that I have ‘rules’ around them - and these tools make it easier for me to tell the story and improve my galleries, so I’m finding them appearing more in my work naturally.

Early in our conversations, you raised my doorstep shoots. To me, they had been a necessity (both financially and mentally!) to get me through covid lockdown. I was proud of what I had created from humble locations, but I had never really appreciated them as much as you did.

When I went back to revisit them, I saw them through your eyes. To be honest, I don't think I ever gave myself enough credit for what I created in those times for those families. As usual, I just didn’t stop for long enough to appreciate it. Your dogged determination to make me see that I am, in fact, creative, has been so eye opening.

4) What’s one thing that bubbled up in our conversations or activities which you didn't expect but has had a big impact on you?

You’ve shown me that play is good for the bottom line (as well as the soul).

And that I can be creative in small ways while still running a successful business - in fact, that creativity will help me to expand my business.

It’s surprised me that the more I get creative, the more confident I become in other aspects of my business.

5) I attended one of your model call sessions in the city as part of our creative coaching.

My role was support crew, a gentle guide rather than the teacher.

How did it feel to have another set of eyes, ears, and hands working with you?

Do you think a model call session by me with one of my clients would have had the same impact on you?

I absolutely loved this part of the mentoring.

I was nervous. I felt nervous having someone ‘watching’ me work. But you were there in a totally non-judgmental capacity; I shouldn’t have worried.

I found your presence so helpful. A reminder of why I was there, and what I was trying to achieve.

When I slipped into ‘work’ mode, you gently reminded me of my mood boards and got me to stop and look back at them.

You gently guided me to the shots you knew I wanted. You were the nudge I needed to get That Shot.

I absolutely would not have learnt the same in a mentoring session hosted by you. I would’ve learnt a lot by watching you work; but I learnt very different things by having you watch me.

It’s an opportunity that most mentors and coaches don’t provide and I found it absolutely invaluable.

All of your mentoring, in fact, has been far more personalised and individual than I expected. You’ve worked with me and my (sometimes frustrating) ways. You’ve explained things carefully to make sense to my more corporate brain. You’ve respected my business, and not pushed me to overhaul things that work financially for the sake of pure creativity. I have appreciated this measured and realistic approach to creativity so much.