Check Out Jamie Nease’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Nease.

Hi Jamie, 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 mission as a transformational portrait photographer is to allow women the space to be truly seen, for exactly who they are, and to witness the beauty of their being beyond all the thoughts and ideas of who they think they’re supposed to be.

I’m deeply passionate about this mission because I myself have lived a lifetime hiding. Hiding my essence, hiding my body, hiding my voice. Feeling unworthy and trying to fit into a box of who I’m supposed to be.

I used to be a software engineer at Google, basically doing the opposite of what I do now. My parents were both software engineers, and I grew up thinking that worthiness would come from financial success and a desirable career where I could be viewed as super smart and “elite”.

Of course, I also thought worthiness came from being skinny, trendy, sexually desirable yet modest, likable, agreeable, putting other’s desires above my own, following the rules, finding a suitable life partner, having children, the list goes on.

My box was so tiny that I became invisible. Yet, I was screaming to be seen for who I truly was.

One day my body gave me a massive wake up call. I returned from a work trip to India, and my jaw locked up. Not just for a couple of days or a month, but for a full YEAR.

After being repeatedly told by doctors to just take anti-depressants or muscle relaxers, without any regard for what was actually happening to my body, I went on a quest to heal myself.

On my healing journey, I discovered that I was living a lie. I didn’t know who I was or what I actually wanted. I only knew what I’d been told.

Through my work with many healers, coaches, bodyworkers, and an incredible therapist, I discovered that what I really wanted was to help women like myself release the shame they carry around and see how beautiful and powerful they really are. So they could live their lives fully expressed and in their purpose.

Because that’s the medicine, I’ve needed. And I can see how much shame plagues our society and every women I’ve photographed.

When I started on my portrait photography journey, I quickly saw how fragile self-image was. Prior to photoshoots, women would obsess over every detail, wanting everything to be perfect. They’d arrive to their photoshoot nervous and tense, telling me everything they didn’t like about themselves and what they wanted me to hide or fix.

As I got better at helping women love themselves in photos, I realized that what I’d become an expert at was helping them look younger and thinner and hiding what they didn’t want to see.

This realization gave me a soul sadness. I could see that I was helping women, but I hated playing into these unattainable standards and reinforcing the idea that they weren’t beautiful in their authentic form.

This is where my idea for RAW was born.

One day during covid lockdown when I was feeling really down on myself, I decided to get in front of my camera, without so much as brushing my hair! I showed up in all my humanity – my shame, anger, despair, and sadness. And the results shocked me – I actually liked the photos!

I knew it was time to bring this to the world.

So I began photographing women in their RAW form. Women who struggled with eating disorders, body dysmorphia, abuse, and trauma. Women who felt trapped in jobs and relationships. And women who simply struggled to love their image.

And something beautiful has happened. As I’ve guided these women through mindfulness exercises to connect with and heal the parts of themselves they don’t like, they are able to show up RAW on camera. And even better yet, they are able to see beyond the beauty ideals and beyond the parts of themselves they don’t like. They are able to look at their photos with love!

This is exactly why I do what I do. To help free women from the societal conditioning that blinds them to their magnificence.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve had many struggles along the way, mostly in the form of my own self-doubt.

I was filled with fear when leaving Google to start my own business. I immediately began running as fast as I could to prove to myself that it was the right choice. I had to push back against family and friends who thought I was absolutely crazy for leaving my cushy Google job to start a business in the arts.

I’ve burnt out multiple times since starting my business because I was pushing so hard to prove myself. I’ve had to consciously slow down and let go of expectations in order to stay healthy.

It’s taken significant courage and healing to be able to put my business out there, despite the little voice in my head telling me that nobody will want to hear what I have to say.

And each time I pivot my business to get closer to what I’m most passionate about and allow myself to get more visible, I come face to face with that voice of shame that tells me it won’t work. That I should stay hidden.

This is why I’m so passionate about what I do because I know the internal battle we each face with shame and self-doubt.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a transformational portrait photographer specializing in helping women let go of self-doubt so that they can live a life of freedom, joy, and purpose.

My RAW portrait sessions are different than anything else out there because they include both healing and a photoshoot. We actually meet several times leading up to the photoshoot to do guided meditations, self-reflections, and healing work which allows women to transform their relationship with themselves before stepping in front of my camera.

The photoshoots are also quite different because there is no makeup and no photoshop involved! So they are truly RAW. This is very special because when my clients see and love their photos, they know that it’s just them, not any fancy tricks. This allows them to transform their relationship with beauty ideals and the expectations they’ve placed upon themselves.

Most people look at these types of photoshoots and think they’d never be able to do something like this, but that’s the beauty of RAW. The whole process is oriented around healing the parts that believe they’re unworthy and creating a space where women can see themselves clearly. My clients have been shocked at the results and how much they love their images! That’s why I’m so passionate about this work.

How do you define success?
My idea of success has changed a lot over the past five years. It started out as financial success, and then it became hitched to how many people I could reach. Now I think my definition of success has more to do with how I feel about my work and the impact I have on my clients. Since I’ve burnt out so many times, I’ve learned that my time and energy are limited, so I only want to do what I’m most passionate about. I don’t have time to fulfill someone else’s idea of success. Success to me is getting to do what I most love, creating art I love, connecting with people, and helping them see who they really are.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@jamienease.com
• Website: www.jamienease.com/raw
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie.nease/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nease.jamie/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jamie-nease-portraits-san-diego

Image Credits
All images are portraits taken by me (including the photo of myself) – Jamie Nease Portraits