N amed as one of Weddingbells Magazine’s top 30 most inspiring photographers of 2011, award-winning international photographers, Jasalyn and Jason Thorne, approach every wedding with a uniqueness that is clearly their own. Striving for excellence in every area, their commitment to each other, their clients and their work is always at the forefront of everything they do. With a background in fashion and fine arts, blended with their candid nature, every experience is filled with laughter and a lot of fun. Their clients are couples and individuals who love and esteem the art of the photograph. People who love photos and understand that images are an important part of our world and that their lives are priceless and worth investing in.

Name: Jasalyn Thorne
Occupation: Principal Photographer at Jasalyn Thorne Photography
Website/Blog: http://www.jasalynthornephotography.com/

Three of your favorite things to get you through the day (apps/drink/workout):

Looking at my past landscape photos and Instagram

Who are you inspired by, and why?

For Photography: The artists of old and new in Vogue magazine: because they know what they’re doing and it’s always new and creative.

For Business: Seth Godin and The Mitchell Brothers: I glean a lot from their expertise of the market and how the customer thinks.

To get where you are today, how did you ‘feel the fear and move through it’ anyway? Where there any moments you thought you’d just simply quit?

In the beginning, gaining confidence in your work can be a tough road, especially when you haven’t found “your” style. Once we did, it wasn’t hard to ask to be paid for what we did. The biggest confidence moment was when had a client try to cut down our price further and further…and then we saw the lavish décor at their wedding and we said, ‘never again’, because we’re providing something that is going to last a lot longer than those flowers.

There are many moments when you feel you want to quit. It’s usually the times when you have a lot of work on your plate and just feel like you haven’t been outside in days…because you’ve been working so much.

We always want to know how others balance it all, and I’m sure you feel like you don’t, but tell us some ways on how you stay on top of your game. What gets left behind, what gets top priority, and what helps you stay grounded?

It’s usually personal works and projects that get left behind, for the moment at least, while the work for the awaiting client is completed. But, once that work is completed and sent out, getting to work a little on my own projects keeps my fire going. We’re artists, we’re not built for the repetitive tasks that running a business demands. We need that creative time to let what is in us out.

What are your must-have tools to keep on top of every day tasks as well as your busy life?

Daycare for my daughter. Just a couple of days a week so I can focus, she can have playtime with other kids (which she loves!) and then when she gets home I can give her my full attention – exactly what she deserves. It’s too painful for me to coup myself up in my office and have her knock at the door for me to come and play with her and have to tell her ‘no’ …I hate having to do that so daycare was the solution. I can get work done and she can play.

Living intentionally takes action and dedication, is there a specific moment in your life where you made the decision to live intentionally? Or has it always been the way you’ve lived life?

I’ve always been a dreamer, seeing the finished work in my mind, so I’ve always had somewhat of a vision of what I want to do and what I want to do next.

How has your life changed since you’ve been living it intentionally?

Realizing that if I don’t ACTUALLY take steps towards the vision for my life, things will just stay the same. You have more control over your life than you think, if you just start DOING something.

Have your family/friends been supportive?

Jason, my husband, has been a guiding force for my creativity. He is really good at seeing the things I excel at, then pointing and encouraging me in the right direction. He always listens to my gazillion-and-one new ideas and is very patient with me. Even when it takes me months to realize the advice he has been telling me for a long time was what I needed to do.

My Mom has always been my open ear and prayer partner; we talk about everything.

Do you have any rituals or friends you call upon when you need extra support or encouragement?

I find I read a lot of books – or at least parts of them. There’s always something that will stick out and be in line with the situations going on.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone who wants to live intentionally but doesn’t know where to start?

Write down what you love. What you love to read, what you love to do for enjoyment and what you love to look at. Chances are those are all a part of the story God has for you. He put those interests and passions in you to experience and enjoy. I find seeing it on paper can be one of the biggest and easiest ways to get going in a direction.

Where do you look to draw from when you want inspiration, visual or narrative, for the life you intend to live?

My prayer time with God when I’m out in nature; I can’t get enough of it. I also look at fashion magazines, art galleries and again, reading books. There’s always something new, some nugget from each chapter that will get me going on a new train of thought or idea.

I’m always inspired to hear what other people’s dreams are, what dream of yours are you currently working towards that you envision happening in the next year?

We’re very excited to say that we have been working on a few things. First, we’ll be releasing something new for the Vancouver Wedding market coming this Fall. We have been working on it for the last 5 years and have wanted to quit many times but each time we talk about it and why we’re doing it, we realize we can’t quit. It focuses on the people behind the art, behind the creative work and looks to educate the market on the depth and detail that goes into every part of their wedding day. It will focus on promoting creativity and innovation in the industry. We’re pretty excited!

Secondly, I think we’re going to pursue something in the art portraits we have been working on this past year. Some dogs, some horses. Any breed that is interesting to look at, I love the detail in nature.

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