Cam & I have been wanting to go to the Showit United conference for years now. We solidified our spot in April this year, and have been impatiently counting down ever since. This conference exceeded every expectation I had! Showit, a website builder for photographers, has put on the United conference for the past 9 years. United is geared toward building unity within the photography community. United not only provides teaching on growing your business and support for your website, but they also encourage building relationships with other attendees doing the same. United was unlike any photography conference we have been to. We learned quickly that a handshake isn’t how we meet people at United. At United, we hug. And hug, we did!

The Phoenix Marriott Tempe at The Buttes hosted almost 400 creatives for the week. This was our first trip to the desert, and it didn’t take much convincing to fall in love with Arizona. We arrived in Phoenix early in the morning, welcomed to a balmy 22 degrees Celsius. Cam and I love to visit new places! The desert was a brand new destination for us and I found it so interesting! I am amazed at how tall cactuses grow, and all of the different types! And the mountains surrounding Phoenix- they are so beautiful they don’t even look real! Absolutely gorgeous. I now completely understand why the snowbirds are crazy about Arizona!

United is kind of like ‘summer camp for photographers’. We spend the week meeting new friends and catching up with old friends. Hugs and headshot swaps are found in abundance. Keynote speakers who shared not only business strategies but intimately shared their valleys and victories in the last year. I appreciate the openness and honesty with which each speaker shared. We cried with them, cheered and celebrated their successes- this is the very definition of community. One of our highlights was attending a workshop taught by our friend Devin of Anchor & Veil Photography. We are so thankful for the speakers and educators that would take time from their own lives to build into ours.

Don’t dim your light because someone said you’re too bright. Shine on.

Jasmine Star

For me, United went way beyond business tips and strategies to drive Courtney Liske Photography forward. The keynotes were life-giving and challenged me to evaluate the legacy of what we hope to leave behind. Not only in our photography business, but in who we are as people. There are so many issues that bog us down- social media, family issues, keeping up with the Joneses. As people in the digital age of comparison, there are multiple apps where we can constantly be reminded of who we aren’t and what we don’t have. Validation doesn’t come from the likes or followers that we accumulate. We don’t need to conform to the ‘norm’ because someone suggests it. As business owners, and people in general, it is hard to learn to stay in our own lane sometimes. But there is freedom in standing alone and doing what your gut tells you is right. In not just being another face in the crowd. I’m almost positive Jasmine Star was speaking right to me when she said, “Don’t dim your light because someone said you’re too bright. Shine on.”

After United finished, Cam & I took our last day to explore Phoenix. We regularly take photos of our kids and of course our clients, but sometimes we don’t do the same for each other! Cam decided we needed to change that. Our resort was absolutely beautiful, and we had an incredible new backdrop to capture, so away we went into the desert! Venturing into the Arizona desert- with our eyes WIDE OPEN for snakes, scorpions, and tarantulas- we paused often to take photos of each other. We soaked up the warmth of the sun and felt a huge relief as the weight of the world melted from our shoulders. For the week, we got to be ‘just us’. We got back to our first love- each other. I am always thankful for time away with Cam, and we will never stop putting our time together as a top priority.

xoxo

Courtney & Cam

{ Showit United 2018 }