Role Model for Girls: Melanie Maurer

Melanie Mauer is a black-and-white photographer in Lexington, Kentucky. She is the owner and operator of Melanie Mauer Photography. She specializes in documenting weddings in an "artful way, by blending old and new traditions". In addition to weddings, she also photographs people and occasionally pets.

Melanie grew up in Kentucky and still lives there, finding inspiration in the rolling hills of Bluegrass Country. She had many artistic women in her family, including grandmothers that encouraged her creativity by supplying her with markers, paper and clay. She still finds inspiration in these women, especially her mother. Now she lives with her very supportive husband, Jason.

Melanie first realized her dream when she began taking pictures of her friends' children for college photography assignments. As she gained more experience and played photographer for more and more friends, those friends told friends and her work spoke for itself. Soon those friends' of friends were requesting their own photo shoots. Amateur photo shoots were not enough though. If she wanted to pursue this dream seriously, she would have to do some research. She began reading about photography as well as reading about business in general. She found that most business resources were geared toward large Fortune 500 size businesses, so she utilized her husband, who has been schooled in marketing and management. In addition to that, she studied the entrepreneurs that she admired and inspired her. She also took the time to reflect on her direction of her dreams so that she could make the appropriate plans. Finally, she made a list of the things that were important to her and future her business. In 1999, her bank of knowledge, creative skills and word-of-mouth advertising grew into Melanie Mauer Photography.

I am impressed with Melanie's optimism and her courage. It can be so easy to give in to fear and doubt, but she did not. Even with questions like, "Will I wake up tomorrow without this gift?" and "Am I good enough?", she still took the leap, letting her intuition and conscience guide her. She had a great support system between her friends and family, but ultimately she was the one taking the big risk-the risk of failure. And it was not just risking business failure, it was risking personal failure. Starting a business based on your creative skills requires far more courage than starting a business based on your knowledge. A dry-cleaning business is a process based on your ability to clean clothes, while photography is based on your ability to create something unique and pleasing to the eye. Melanie acknowledged her fears and the risks, accepted them as part of the artistic endeavor, and then overcame them spectacularly.

Being that I am somewhat of a feminist, I love the fact that Melanie is a very successful female photographer. She began her business by word of mouth in 1999, and is now a national award winning photographer. Women have come a long way since the nineteenth amendment, but without the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment, I believe we still have a long way to go. I also believe what Melanie is doing is another step in the right direction. With every successful businesswoman out there, we prove that women are just as good as men, are just as smart as men, and just as capable as men. Melanie and women like her are the best kind of role models for girls today. They show young women that life is not about what your looks can get you, but about what your brains and talents can provide you. Women are worth more than their appearance and have more to offer the world than beauty. Melanie may live comfortably, but she is not a millionaire by any means. However, she is happy and "in love with life". Is that not what life is about?

Not only do I admire Melanie's courage, but I also admire her occupation. Every day she gets to do a job she loves. She gets to work imaginatively and create beautiful works of art in her "too-cute" home office while listening to music that inspires her. I envy her in that. While I am unsure of what I would like to do, what medium I would like to work with, I think that I am a fairly creative person and I enjoy doing creative things. I would also love to own my own business. I think Melanie has what most people consider a dream job. The freedom she has to make her own decisions while maybe a little frightening must also be very empowering. She answers to no one but herself.

I think highly of Melanie's goals and ideals because they are so pure and simple. Her main goal is to capture people and their loving relationships with one another in every photograph she takes. She is determined that the wedding photographs she takes become that couple's first family heirloom. She is so resolute on making sure her customers pictures are the best they can be, that her firm only takes a limited number of appointments each year so that she can "provide attention to detail" for every single client. Her first concern is about the quality of her work, not the quantity. She also knows how important a good reputation is and proves that by providing excellent customer service. Being customer-oriented is admirable in a day and age when it is seen less and less, especially in large corporations.

Melanie Mauer is an everyday-woman who has done something extraordinary. She did not rely on someone else to make her dreams come true. She took the steps to make them come true, then found new dreams, and became "nauseatingly happy" in the process. She is a living inspiration to any girl or woman looking to succeed on her own terms, in a world still dominated by the "good ol' boys".