Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Virden.
Hi Lauren, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey as a business owner started in December of 2020. I put in my two weeks at Medvet Columbus where I worked as a CSR in the Cancer Center for 4.5 years. I have always had a passion and love for animals, and at one point in my life, I saw myself working in the animal industry forever. Until COVID hit. When COVID hit, and the hospital went into mandates and new protocols, something inside me changed. I was medically not able to wear a mask due to PTSD, and I spent the next 6 months in isolation at work, in an office, alone. I had lost all my client/patient contact, as well as my peer-to-peer contact. It was myself and a phone/computer. It was in THAT moment I looked around and realized, “What am I actually doing with my life?” “Am I even happy” The answer was NO. I was burnt out. I was exhausted. And I was alone. The very thing that kept me loving my job (my clients and patients), was stripped from me and it broke me. This was NOT how I was going to spend even one more second of my life. I needed to find an outlet, a passion, and that’s when I reconnected with my love for photography and art. I have always been a creative thinker and had an artistic eye. Combine that with my love for uplifting the people around me and my passion for helping women discover and rediscover their beauty within themselves and LoExposure Photography was born. I remember the very first boudoir session I did, it was with my girlfriend Kait, and there was a moment where I showed her the photo I just took, and she SAW herself through my lens, and her eyes lit up. Like, “Holy sh*t that’s me.’ THAT is the moment I strive to recreate with every single person who steps in front of my lens. The moment when they realize they are BEAUTIFUL, they are WORTHY, they are ENOUGH exactly how they are. My goal is to always create a safe and empowering space for everyone to explore and discover the amazing self-love we all have hidden deep down within our soul. No judgments. No expectations. Just YOU, finding your beautiful, empowered self.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been anything BUT a smooth road! I left my corporate job and took a risk on something that was a passion of mine, that called to me. I opened my business in the middle of COVID. No one tells you about being a business owner, you don’t learn about all the nervous system regulation, mindset shifts, and boundaries that have to happen in order for you to maintain a good work/life balance. There is a meme that says ‘I quit my 9-5 to work 24/7’ and I think any small business owner and entrepreneur can relate. HOWEVER, they also say you never work a day in your life if you’re doing what you love, and that is undoubtedly true!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I own LoExposure Photography! I am a published freelance photographer. I specialize in boudoir photography and styled shoots! I am at my most creative fulfillment when I’m working with women in an intimate setting. Boudoir photography is much more than pretty photos to me. It is about creating a safe and empowering space for women to let their guard down, open up, explore, fall in love with themselves, and heal. Yes, the beautiful photos are a GREAT reminder when you’re having a down day, but the impact that is left when we connect in the studio is priceless. As someone who is a sexual assault survivor, I know how hard it is to find that self-love and self-worth within yourself. You’ve been broken down, your trust has been severed, and you’re guarded and not easily giving or receiving of love. I’ve been there. So, when I have a woman come into a session with me, and they are taking this HUGE step in kick-starting their self-love journey and finding themselves again, I GET IT GIRL. “I’m here for you, and I got you.” I have had multiple women break down right there in the studio; we cry, and we share our feelings, and then we are overwhelmed with love and relief. They are being SEEN for the first time, they are being understood, and they are being supported. I am HONORED that they are vulnerable with me, and they trust me enough to open up and connect with me, and that’s when the REAL healing starts to happen! I’m thankful every single day that I can provide a safe space for people to be themselves and love themselves without apology.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Is it luck? Is it divine timing? Did I manifest it?
I look back to a few years ago, and I am living exactly how I wanted to be living at that moment in time. The things we want and need the most will always find us, but the path to get there may not be anything like how we envisioned it! I focus on the now, I set my goals and intentions, I feel into those feelings, and then I release them. I focus on what I am currently grateful for, and I let whatever come to me that is for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.loexposure.com
- Instagram: @loexposure_photography
- Facebook: @loexposure
Image Credits
LoExposure Photography
