In December of 2015, I was struggling to build a successful photography business and was following an amazing photographer named Natalie Franke! She was one of my favorites and I followed her every day! I saw that she was one of the co-founders of a group called The Rising Tide Society in an article she posted and after checking it out, I thought it was just what I had been looking for! (Here is the article that I read ) At the time, I had tried reaching out to some local photographers hoping to gain experience and advice, but had mostly been met with the attitude that I was “the competition.” In fact, one particular photographer we reached out to said “I would get to know you if you weren’t in my area.” It was like a breath of fresh air hearing about a group that believed in Community Over Competition! When I looked through their site, I found a section that said “apply to start a local group.” That got me to thinking! What if a group was started in this area? Would it work? It seemed to be much needed at the time and I wanted other creatives and small business owners who may be having a similar experience to mine to be able to come together! So, I sent in an application and was approved! The Tuesdays Together Tri-cities, TN group was formed and 25 members joined in the first week! Ashley Cox from Sprout HR was an enthusiastic voice from the very beginning and reached out to me offering to help in any way as I took on the task of leading the group. Katy Sergent of Katy Sergent Photography was also super interactive from the get-go! Ashley and Katy were everything that I hoped this group would embody…..caring, supportive, and excited about networking! Together, we became a team! I never imagined that 25 members could grow to over 400+ members! It has been a very humbling experience that I am grateful for! Thank you, Ashley and Katy! Without you, this group would not be what it is today! Now, under the leadership of Katy Sergent, Rachael Holmes of Petite Sweets, and Thea Maddox of Thea Maddox Photography, we are positive that this group will continue to grow and flourish!! Our journey alongside all of these amazing people is such a blessing! Also, thank you to Natalie Franke for helping to found The Rising Tide Society and giving us this opportunity to bring like-minded creatives and entrepreneurs together in the spirit of Community Over Competition!!
We want to share some memories with you today! Going back through these images definitely has pulled at our heart strings! We have so many great memories and are thankful to have these photos to look back on!
But, before we start you have to check out this video by Anthony Keys from LionCat Media of one of our styled shoots at The Model City Event Center!! 🙂
Our 1st meeting at The Barn at Boone Falls
2nd meeting
LOVE these people!!
We have had some pretty amazing speakers along the way!! Cindy Thurlow from Edward Jones..
Sync Space is such a cool place! It’s a co-working space and they even have a green room!
At the Allandale Mansion
Thank you Katelyn (one of our amazing members) for hosting one of our meetings at the Eureka Inn
SUCH FUN meetings!! Loved it when we networked and roasted hot dogs and smores at the Barns at Chip Ridge
Speaking of fun..this styled shoot we put together was a blast!! We even had dancing afterwards!
Thank you Jimmy (J&D Productions) for providing the entertainment!
At Storybrook Farm with Speaker John Campbell from AccelNow
Our Christmas Party at the McKinney Center…
The International Storytelling Center with Michelle Lea Photographie speaking
This month’s meeting was at Sync Space with Jessica Stansberry speaking!! We can’t wait for next month’s meeting!
It’s been fun…here’s to creating more memories just like these!!! 🙂
