Meet Bayley Warren | Photographer & Digital Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bayley Warren and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bayley, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Growing up I spent all of my free time making art of some kind. When I was younger in school it was hard, I was never the best reader, I’m dyslexic and never gravitated to any other subjects other than Art. Over the years my love of art has evolved, I have added new creative outlets, and found ways to mesh my favorites together. When you are younger and talk about “pursuing art” when you are older, you are typically met with: “you can’t make money doing that.” And when it came time to go to college it stuck with me. I couldn’t see a future where I was able to make money off of doing something that I love. It didn’t last long.

After one semester in school for business, I realized that all of my free time was going to painting and drawing. It was my way of decompressing. And I still did like business, but I couldn’t give up the creativity art gave me. So I figured if I was going to be using all my time to make art, I might as well get a degree in that as well as business.

In the beginning I thought I would use only my business degree once I graduated. But over time I was able to build on all of my interests. I added a few concentrations into my art degree of Graphic Design and Electronic Art. And as time went on I was able to find more opportunities that linked together all of my passions. After I graduated I was hired at a marketing company combining both my love of art and business, and have now worked there for over 5 years.

Once the world shut down a bit in early 2020 I found myself getting a little bored, as I am sure most of us have before. And that kickstarted me wanting to start a “side hustle” to keep me busy in the down time. I had become proficient in marketing, social media, and website design for countless small businesses and figured I could do that for myself as well! I am not the photographer who grew up with a camera in my hand, I’m one who was built out of wanting to learn something new. I didn’t want to start my own graphic design business, I already knew how to do that, I wanted to be able to learn something new and exciting, and something that I can grow into. And thus Bayley Rhiann Photography was born. It has been everything I wanted out of a creative outlet. I am constantly learning new things and have been able to expand my creative abilities.

It has taken some time to figure out how to fit all my passions together, but at this point it is going in a direction I am excited about. I can’t wait to see how it evolves over my lifetime!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Getting to where I am today was not necessarily easy. I had always wanted to do art and I think the hardest thing for me was just trusting that I would be able to make it, and prove to myself that I COULD make art for a living. It was the constant imposter syndrome that I just had to pretend was not there.

Along the way I have learned to take things in my own time. I do not need to hit certain numbers by a certain time, and I had to stop comparing myself to others and remind myself that I am doing this because I love it. If it is getting to a point where I do not love what I am doing I need to reign it back a bit. If I am overworked I need to take time for myself. I don’t ever want to get to a point where I am sick of something that brings me so much joy, and just go at a pace that works for me. It takes time to build a brand, and it is going to change overtime. It is more enjoyable to let things ebb and flow rather than restrain it because you think that is what you should do. My brand is forever changing as am I, I want it to be a reflection of me in a way that a piece of art is.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a sucker for an Itinerary. When anyone is visiting I typically plan out quite the mountain trip. There are so many places within Northern Colorado that show exactly why I choose to live here. Starting the week out we need a day in downtown Fort Collins. It can be drinks on a patio in Old Town Square or a brewery tour by bike. It is the ideal place to hop between a few bars or restaurants all while getting to experience the people of Fort Collins. And then we will need a day up at Horsetooth reservoir, Ideally the Lory State Park side for some paddle boarding. If you stay long enough you get beautiful sunsets, or if you choose to head back to town a little earlier there is nothing better than meeting back up with your friends and barbecuing after a day on the water.

And Of course Estes park and Rocky Mountain National Park could take up a week of fun themselves. Countless hikes year round, beautiful drives, tons of wildlife in a beautiful little mountain town. And if my friends are up for it I will always be ready to go camping. Anything from backpacking, car camping, bringing our pop up camper, or staying in a cabin; Any level of being out in mountain air makes my heart happy.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
That would be my boyfriend Cheyne, he is the one who started peeking my interest in photography. He has been doing landscape and wildlife photography since we met, but it was only in the last 3 years that I have started to have that interest as well. He has been so supportive of all of my crazy ideas, and has been my second shooter for a few weddings. Without him I don’t think I would have had the courage to start my own photography business nor gotten to where I am today.

Website: https://bayleyrhiannphoto.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bayleyrhiannphoto/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayley-warren-4b164913b/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BayleyRhiannPhoto

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bayley-rhiann-photography-wellington

Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bayleyrhiannphoto/_created/

Image Credits
Bayley Rhiann Photography https://bayleyrhiannphoto.com/