Sometimes, the hardest thing as a creative isn’t learning the technical skills — it’s unlearning everything you were told about how life should look.

In this episode, I sit down with the incredible Monika Frías (@latxina) to talk about what it really means to be an artist in a world full of rules, expectations, and “programming.”

Monika shares her deeply personal journey of choosing freedom over formulas:

• Leaving behind what didn’t serve her and starting fresh with just a suitcase
• Why she refuses to let photography define who she is
• How doing “too many things”, weddings, videography, DJing, planning, actually makes her more creative
• The thrill of starting something new when you have no idea what you’re doing
• And why skipping the “rules” can lead you closer to the kind of art — and life — you’ve always wanted

This episode is raw, real, and deeply relatable for any photographer or creative who’s ever felt stuck in someone else’s version of success.

If you’ve been questioning your path or craving the courage to create on your own terms — this conversation will light a fire in you.

Becoming parents while running a full-time photography business has been the most life-changing (and honestly, challenging) chapter of our lives. In this episode of Say Cheese, we open up about everything from pregnancy struggles, birth stories, and postpartum recovery to what it really looks like balancing newborn life with destination weddings, editing, and building a business.

This isn’t a highlight reel, it’s the real, unfiltered truth about the transition from photographers to parents.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

- Our honest pregnancy + birth experience (including 60 hours of labor)

- How we prepared our photography business for time off

- Breastfeeding, pumping, and navigating postpartum recovery

- Balancing newborn life with wedding season

- What parenthood is teaching us about creativity, identity, and resilience

Timestamps

00:00 – Becoming parents while running a photography business

04:32 – Pregnancy struggles and birth story (60 hours of labor)

12:48 – Preparing our photography business for time off

19:55 – Postpartum recovery: breastfeeding, pumping, and healing

28:40 – Balancing newborn life with destination weddings

36:12 – Editing, travel, and sleep deprivation

45:30 – How parenthood shifts identity and creativity

52:47 – Lessons we’re taking into photography and life

If you’re a photographer, creative, or parent juggling business and family—you’ll relate to this one.

After nearly two decades as a wedding photographer, Jeff Chan (@theapartmentphoto) is rethinking everything — from how he books clients, to how he uses social media, to what authenticity actually means.

In this episode, hosted by Lilly Red (@elisabettalillyred), Jeff opens up about his decision to only take on “heck yes” weddings in 2025, why he’s obsessed with the idea of becoming a “SKU of one,” and how he’s reframing Instagram as a creative tool instead of a constant stressor.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

How to identify and book only the right clients for you

Why being a “SKU of one” is the ultimate business advantage

The surprising truth about authenticity on social media

How Instagram’s trial reels can reach the right audience

Why creating from abundance changes everything

🎧 Listen now and get inspired to build your photography business with more intention, creativity, and joy.

Links & Resources:

Jeff Chan – Instagram

Elisabetta Lilly Red – Instagram

Lilly Red Academy - https://lillyredacademy.com/

Book Recommendation – Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen