Today we’d like to introduce you to Carley Pearson.
Carley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I received my Bachelors of Fine Art in Studio Art from the University of Texas in 2012 but if I’m being completely honest, I’ve always had my eye on healthcare. I think in another life, I probably was an OB or a midwife but in this life, my passion for the arts called out to me first. Specializing in photography and ceramics during undergrad didn’t leave very much room for the sciences but I somehow always took just enough to leave the door open for grad school (initially, I was thinking art therapy) just in case.
I always thrived when working with others and, while I also loved making art, I followed the empath in me first and took a detour working in patient care at a local children’s hospital my first couple of years after undergrad. Although, if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t quite have the emotional maturity yet for frontline patient care so I eventually wound up in administration and even toyed with the idea of getting my MBA at one point. Patient care always called to me, I just couldn’t quite make the puzzle pieces fit yet.
The turning point for me was the birth of my sister’s first baby in 2015. At that time, I had a thriving photography business on the side of my day job but didn’t quite feel ready to let go of the security my day job provided. Photographing my sister’s growing family and walking alongside her during her first parenting experience was the most uplifting and eye-opening experience. I felt closer to my family than ever and loved seeing our family grow. At the same time, I quickly discovered that having a baby was no walk in the park!
Still not ready to take the plunge into full-time business owner, I found myself planning large scale health conferences for a local nonprofit in collaboration with the University of Texas. Being new to the world of higher education, I was thrilled to suddenly have the opportunity to interact with so many different kinds of healthcare providers. It was at this time that I discovered a whole new way of supporting families during major life transitions as a doula. The moment I discovered what the role of a doula was all about, it was like the fog was lifted from my eyes and I could see everything so clearly. I attended my first birth as a photographer in the spring of 2018 and will never forget the feeling of leaving that birth; I was sobbing tears of joy and called my now husband and told him, “I never want to do anything else in my whole life!” A month later, I applied for a one year Maternal and Child Health graduate certificate program through the School of Public Health UT, signed up for a DONA doula certification training, and put in my two weeks notice at my day job.
I am proud to say that I have been a full-time DONA certified doula and lifestyle photographer now for four years. I specialize in maternity, birth, and newborn photography and have attended over 70 births. There is no greater joy than helping my families through their major life transitions into parenthood and documenting every step along the way. I am constantly learning and forever grateful to the families who entrust me with the honor of stepping into their birth spaces in such capacity.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh gosh, no! My road was full of as many twists and turns as you could ever imagine!
For starters, that first job out of undergrad doing patient care? I’m pretty sure I was making $500 a week! I lived in a back house and babysat to decrease my rent and utilities to make things work. The administration job was a step in the right direction but was still nonprofit work so there were sacrifices there as well, although having my photography business on the side really helped offset things.
The biggest hurdle was when I was in grad school – you know how I mentioned I applied for grad school and put in my two weeks? One thing I didn’t mention was that I did all of this on faith! At the time I put in my two weeks, I hadn’t even been accepted into my grad program yet!! But everything in me told me to take the jump; I can’t explain it. A week before the program started, I almost didn’t start because I found out my application for student loans was declined on account of my program being a full-time certificate program, not a full-time degree (something that didn’t qualify for federal loan support). I somehow made it work and started the program but literally have no idea how I paid my bills during that first year. I was in school full time, trying to take my photography business full time, all while trying to incorporate doula work (not to mention learn how to do it!). To make things work, I worked front desk at a barre studio and even did events for a baby food company at some point (anything to stay in the world of babies!) all to stay afloat but then over Christmas, the one thing that was helping me make money, my computer, unexpectedly died! As a result, I spent the entire spring semester biking to campus to edit on the school computers because I couldn’t afford to purchase a new computer that could handle my editing software. That first year was the craziest mix of one step forward, two steps backward. I remember sitting down with my now husband and having a serious talk about the pros and cons of continuing onward or throwing in the towel.
At the one year mark, everything changed. I was done with school, officially a certified doula, and received two job offers from two different doula agencies within a few days of each other! I kept the barre studio job because I loved the environment (and the free membership!) but was able to stop working for the baby food company and purchase a new computer so I could edit at home. It was the craziest year of my life and I wouldn’t change any of it for the world because I learned so much.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
There is so much about my work that brings me joy. I am one of only a handful of “doulatogs” (doula and birth photographers) in the community and am so proud to say that I do almost zero marketing; almost all of my business comes through word of mouth. I take this job really seriously and still have to pinch myself that I stumbled upon my dream job like I did.
I have a knack for becoming friends with my clients. One of the first questions I ask my families is how they take their coffee so I can show up to their postpartum visits with a hot cup of joe just the way they like it. I believe we were put on this earth to care for one another and I am an empath through and through. When my clients cry, I have a hard time not crying with them. When they grieve, I grieve. When they rejoice, I rejoice. I am invested in every single one of their stories – for the long haul. I am humbled when they entrust me with the responsibility of helping them meet their goals. You want to minimize tearing? Dang right am I going to encourage different pushing positions so we can minimize tearing and get you back to your normal sex life after baby. Feeling insecure about your body while expecting? Let’s schedule a maternity session and put on Beyonce and get that fan blowing your hair until you feel like you’re on America’s Top Model. I am passionate about helping families through the major life transitions into parenthood and want every person to feel empowered at all stages of their parenthood and/or birth journey. Not all birthing persons give birth and not all families grow through pregnancy; approximately 50% of my clients at any given time have conceived via IVF or some means of fertility support and I’ve helped countless others grow their families through surrogacy or adoption. Growing your family can be HARD. I am so, so proud of every single one of my families. The vulnerability and the strength that they embody inspires me every single day. They are why I do this work. They are why every RSVP to a personal event comes with an asterisk that says “if I’m not at a birth” and why both my husband and I referenced birth work in our vows. Being on call affects our family but it’s something that we both remain committed to without hesitation. Everyone deserves a doula and I am forever learning so I can support my families better.
Lastly, I am 100% committed to doing my part for our community. I recognize that Austin has a long way to go in regards to equity and inclusion. In an effort to do my part, I continue to offer a sliding scale for my services, a quarterly give back component in which I offer one organization a quarter of my work probono, and am committed to uplifting BIPOC and other marginalized voices on my platforms.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I’ve been in Austin for over 12 years now so I’ve seen a LOT of changes through the years. I STILL miss the happy hour sushi place on Congress circa 2009 (Iykyk).
I am a big fan of all of the healthy food options we have (I’m looking at you, Juiceland) and am a complete sucker for Barton Springs, Milk and Honey facials (you my girl, Huma, you my girl), and the community over competition vibe we have here among small business owners.
Contact Info:
- Email: carleyephotography@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.carleyephotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carleyephotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carleyephotography/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/carleyephotography/
Image Credits
Credit: Carley E. Photography (hey, that’s me!)
