Photo: Beth Kirby
Beth Kirby is a photographer, cook, teacher, and the lady-boss-behind-the-curtain at Local Milk, the award-winning food, travel, and lifestyle blog. She’s currently working on her first cookbook, and when she’s not in the kitchen she spends her time teaching other creative entrepreneurs how to tell visual stories, harness the power of social media, and turn their passions into a living through e-courses, workshops, and retreats all over the world from Japan to Paris.
I have always DREAMED of having Beth on Goal Digger. She is an absolute game changer in the social media world- her images, content, and messages are truly so rare and she cranks out beautiful, meaningful content and images daily! I couldn’t resist inviting her on to pick her brilliant brain for ALL things photography, styling, and curating a meaningful visual form of storytelling. This is so important to anyone on Instagram, with a blog, working in styling or branding– basically, this episode for EVERYONE. Without further adieu, Beth Kirby!
Mental Illness in The Creative Industry:
First and foremost, we couldn’t get into Beth’s work without hearing her story first. And what a journey it was. From a young age, Beth struggled with mental illness unknowingly until she was ultimately diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She beautifully shared her story which is raw, multi-faceted and full of intimate details of her battle with this invisible disease.
A story of confusion, heartbreak, lost paths, but more so, a story of an unstoppable woman. In my eyes, she has emerged victorious in so many ways: a successful business owner, happily married, focused, driven, and open. The way Beth shared her story so freely and authentically was beautiful to me, and I hope that it opens many of your eyes, Goal Diggers.
WHY LOCAL MILK?
Beth’s story was undoubtedly a winding road, but she had to “trust in a greater path. Everything is guiding me. Every single inconvenience, pain, leads me to a unique position.” Ultimately, this journey led her towards Local Milk, her amazing brand and business. Through all the inconsistencies of battling bipolar, cooking and her love of quality food were one of the only constants, and she decided to start a food and lifestyle blog, Local Milk.
When talking about the beginning stages, Beth mentioned it was important to her to be able to pivot within her work and have it highly approachable to people of all walks of life.
HOW TO MAKE A BRAND WITH IMAGES:
Beth mentioned that she finds photography to be a lot like cooking– you’re never done learning, and it’s very technical. Beth is a self-taught photographer, but a wildly talented one at that. She mentioned that you absolutely have to build the foundation of photography early on in your journey. For her, it looked like starting with film and eventually transitioning to digital. I couldn’t agree more to truly learn the craft– it will take time and it will be tedious, but that’s what makes all the difference.
HOW TO GET THE PERFECT INSTA SHOT:
Beth said it perfectly, “If I want you to read my caption and find my blog, first, I gotta make you look. That’s why you’re on Instagram- to see something… to see something beautiful.” And I couldn’t agree more! There is a way to be vulnerable and real-life in your captions, live videos, etc., while still sharing gorgeous, eye-grabbing, curated work.
The number one way to get noticed on social media is beautiful photos. Beth’s biggest tip is that consistency is key! In everything: aesthetic, style, editing, color, temperature, color theme, prop style, you name it– have your “thing” and hold onto it tight! That’s how brands are made, guys!
The best part? Beth shared her THREE steps to creating a perfect curated photo. Guys, these tips were so good they even got me thinking! But I can’t put all of Beth’s secrets on this blog post… you’ll have to tune in to hear how you can take your work from blah to beautiful!
“When I am choosing to take the photo or choosing to post the photo. I am looking at color, light, emotion… I am looking for WOW.”
There you have it, Goal Diggers. One incredible woman, with a wild story and a beautiful heart. We all have something to learn from every facet of Beth’s life: her struggle with mental illness, her words, images, business strategies, consistency, mission… This blog post easily could’ve been twice as long with all the wisdom she packed into this episode! I say it all the time, but I extra mean it today: you can’t miss this one, goal diggers.
TO HEAR BETH’S TOP THREE TIPS TO STYLE A BEAUTIFUL IMAGE, TUNE IN HERE.
Loving the podcast with Local Milk. Like Jenna, she’s telling the truth, sharing real life. I think more of us should feel empowered to share our truth.
[…] really enjoyed listening to the Gold Digger Podcast featuring Beth Kirby from Local […]
I had no idea that Beth has bipolar disorder. As someone who too suffers from it, I found her story to be raw, real, and uncomfortably familiar. I have always loved her artwork and I love her for sharing that part of herself so candidly. <3
[…] really enjoyed listening to the Gold Digger Podcast featuring Beth Kirby from Local […]
[…] behind the Local Milk Blog. I have been obsessed with her work for years, and as soon as I heard her interview and life story on The Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher, I instantly felt a deep adoration for this […]
[…] behind the Local Milk Blog. I have been obsessed with her work for years, and as soon as I heard her interview and life story on The Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher, I instantly felt a deep adoration for this […]