Name: Holly Shuter
Location: California
Professional Industry: Photography
Company: Straight Shuter
Job Title: Photographer
WIXII-ISM™ FROM HOLLY SHUTER:
“Since having kids the one thing I know for sure is I have no idea what any day will bring! I know that as a child who grew up as a latch key kid, I wanted my mom to be home in the afternoons to help me with my homework – or take me to a gym class. I am now that person I never had.
I had no idea that a passion and hobby of mine (photography) would become something that I could get paid to do… I have absolutely no idea what the future will bring and I am comfortable with that.”
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION:
Meet our featured Wixii™, Holly Shuter. Holly is 41 years old and mother to two boys ages 5 and 7. She and her husband, Rich, were married one year before they welcomed their first child into the world. Her formal education is a B.A. in History from Cornell University and a M.B.A. in Marketing and International Business from the University of Southern California. She currently runs her own family photography business. Holly’s husband is an entertainment attorney.
Holly works primarily as caretaker of her boys as her professional hours are not set and are seasonal. “I am hands on with the boys daily but during the busy seasons for my photography business, I could spend both days on the weekends doing shoots and then many hours during the week editing. I work when the demand is there and get coverage with my nanny when I need the help.” In addition, I also take on marketing consulting projects for causes that are near and dear to my heart.
To sustain her own well being, Holly works out twice a week with a trainer and tries to take as many hikes as possible. To keep truly sane, the second the kids are asleep, Holly “embraces the quiet” by pulling out a book. She tries to read at least two books per month. She currently serves on (1) the board of the school of Arts and Sciences for Cornell University, and (2) the board of trustees for The City Charter School. Additionally, Holly contributes to a mom blog called Mom Angeles, as well as acts as a photo editor for her child’s school yearbook and the head room parent for her first grader. Regularly, she builds her skills with photography classes.
WORK-LIFE MIX:
Describe any choices you have made in arriving at your current work-life mix. In what ways did your work-life mix change after having children?
Everything in my world changed after having kids. I was an uber-corporate Marketing Executive. My last full time role I was the VP of Corporate Communications for a publicly traded financial services company. I supervised a team of 5 – and reported directly to the president of the company. One night I came home from work (after going back with my second child), I turned my key in the door of the lock, and both kids went from content to wailing… and I realized that I did not want this to be my only time of day with my kids. My desire to be an executive evaporated in that moment– and I realized I wanted to be with my kids as much as possible. I had no idea when I went to business school that I would enjoy being a full time mom.
I spent my whole teen life in a dark room. And I have always taken photographs. Several of my new mom friends said “the photos you take are better than ones I’ve paid for – you should do this for a living.” So, I set up a website, designed a logo – and started doing family photo sessions on the weekends. It is something creative that is mine – and I truly enjoy it.
Describe your career path to this point and any envisioned future changes.
Since having kids the one thing I know for sure is I have no idea what any day will bring! I know that as a child who grew up as a latch key kid, I wanted my parents home in the afternoons to help me with my homework – or take me to a gym class. I am now that person I never had.
I had no idea that a passion and hobby of mine (photography) would become something that I could get paid to do… I have absolutely no idea what the future will bring. My only hope is that my kids will come first, and work second.
My current work-life mix is possible (manageable) because of…
My life in general is manageable because my husband, when not at work, is an incredibly hands on dad. I am also fortunate enough to have a “wife” – our nanny – who basically allows my kids never to be left alone. While I am picking up one child from one school, she is getting the other. When I take one child to one sport practice, she takes the other. If I am working on homework with one, she is entertaining the other while throwing laundry in. I am very lucky to have her in our lives.
Describe a current “day in your life” from waketime to bedtime:
Kids wake up. My husband plays board games or sports games with them in the morning before breakfast while I make lunches and then breakfast. We each grab a kid and take them to two different schools (hooray for the fall when I will have two kids in the same school!). Every afternoon is different. I grab one kid from one school, my nanny grabs another – and each have different activities. Both kids are in a play, take karate and play on a sports team with a practice midweek.
I am lucky that my first grader’s teacher gives us a weekly homework packet that allows us to balance out the homework over 7 days – and allows us to complete homework on our time – rather than creating pressure on a given afternoon. I know next year that will change – so I am grateful for that flexibility.
When activities are over, I cook dinner, give them baths – some eves there’s a bit of tv after bath – some nights not. There are stories and bedtime. My younger one is asleep by 7:30 – and the older one at 8pm. Then I get my quiet time… and husband time
On a daily basis…:
I enjoy: cooking as much as possible. I really enjoy food, eating and cooking. I believe my kids are good eaters because I love food and spend a lot of time and effort trying to expose them to different foods and cuisines. My kids are adventurous eaters as a result. Some days, I cook two meals so that if I know I have a baseball practice that is late one day, I can just heat that meal up – and we always get a home cooked, healthy meal.
I am energized/motivated by: My core group of girlfriends. They are all amazing moms in their own right. They are my rock in good times and bad. I lean on them when I don’t know what to do with my kids on any given day – and equally I share the funny or exciting news. I love knowing their families and kids. My husband is without a doubt my best friend and cheerleader. Without his perspective, warmth and willingness to be my true life partner, I don’t know how I would get through the day.
I am frustrated/drained by: Hearing myself nag…”brush your teeth, put your clothes in the hamper, flush the toilet”. Sometimes I just want to tell myself to “Shut Up!” The repetition of being “the bad guy” is very frustrating. All kids lose it by bedtime… I know this isn’t unique to me. By the time the kids go to bed, my head is spinning with both the good and bad of the day. I’m amazed by how exhausted I am every evening.
On “having it all:
I don’t think I can “have it all” at the same time. And I am ok with that.
WIXII™ WISDOM:
Share your key(s) to maintaining order (“managing it all”) and any tools you highly recommend:
I make the kids make their beds, brush and floss their teeth and take a bath daily. I started to hate hearing my own nagging – and the hysterical responses from both myself and them when the kids didn’t do what I asked. So I found these little check mark sheets at Target – I fill them in each week – and then the kids check off when they are done. I found that I get better results when they see they have not completed a task – and then I don’t sound like a crazy broken record .
What advice would you give an earlier version of yourself?
- Enjoy sleeping in.
- Don’t take seeing a movie in a movie theater (that isn’t animated) for granted
- Relish being a “homebody.” It’s actually cool.
- Know that you will love being a parent.
