Meet Catherine Housseau | Photographer and Holistic Health Practitioner
We had the good fortune of connecting with Catherine Housseau and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Catherine, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Everything about life is a risk and even though we want to believe otherwise, nothing is permanent. Life is in perpetual flux.
When I was growing up in France I knew I wanted to see the world. I also knew from a fairly young age that I wanted to be an artist; Since childhood I started to draw and paint. I also loved taking pictures; I remember taking my grandfather‘s old vintage accordion camera (Yes, he still had films for it!)- so I could take pictures of the family and other random sceneries. I do believe I got my love of photography from him; he was an avid photographer of black and white!
Nevertheless, after college I went into teaching for a couple of years. All along I knew it was not my path and even though I gave it my best I was not happy.
So when some friends asked me if I wanted to travel for two months during the summer break I jumped on the opportunity. And just like that, I was hooked! I loved the freedom I was feeling while traveling, learning about new cultures, new traditions, meeting new people, and new ways of living.
I was always attracted to Southeast Asia for the beauty of the landscape and also the mysticism and religions of those countries. I made a few friends there, people I resonated with and the pull and call to go back was strong. A couple of years later I decided to live there even though I was leaving a secure job and a world that I knew.
That was a big leap of faith, and yet I felt I had no other choice but to follow my heart and trust that, by doing so, everything would be fine.
There I discovered a new passion which was the Healing Arts. I learned it with, and was inspired by, what one would call healers – even though they did not call themselves that way. Those people were very influential in my new career.
That new venture took me to America, where I have been living now for over 20 years and where I opened up my own holistic practice.
Here again I had to take the risk of moving to a new country and start my life over again.
Even though during those times there were ups and downs, I learned so many things ; about myself, the human nature and practices that I would not have seen any other way- I learned to push myself outside my comfort zone, I learned new skills. And I learned to listen to my intuition.
One other big lesson I learned is that people are fundamentally moved by the same beating heart wherever they are in the world; that they all want a decent lifestyle and a certain degree of happiness.
All of those things have made me who I am today and -consciously or unconsciously- the way I do everything and the way I am in the world is a direct result of all the experiences, places and people I met.
I use those in my daily life, knowingly or unknowingly, in the way I see the world and the way I interact with it.
During all those peregrinations, I never stopped taking pictures. And my passion for photography made me want to do it professionally.
Dedicating my life again to it felt like coming back to a first love that I had never let go to begin with. And even though my life took many detours I ended up doing exactly what I wanted to do at an early age: Photography.
My life would have been very different if I had not taken those risks: leaving my country of origin to travel and moving to America.
In my case, I felt like taking risks was not only necessary, but that I did not have any other choice. I needed to take those in order to fulfill my dreams and listen to my inner voice.
There is always an element of risk when you are trying something new.
And yet, if you don’t follow your vision, your heart and your inner guidance you might end up always wondering what would have happened if you did.
What should our readers know about your business?
Several years ago I decided to become a professional photographer. My holistic practice being well established, I thought it is now or never! Because I am located on the coast of Southern California, my pictures will often reflect the beauty of that coastline as well as places I love like Hawaii and France. My work specializes in Metal prints which bring the photos to life with vibrant colors. They are also available in fine art quality paper and come in all sizes. My goal is to bring beauty to people’s homes, offices, or commercial spaces.
The reason why I want to be a photographer is because taking pictures brings me great joy and happiness. I have always loved to be surrounded by prints, images, colors. And I always loved the creative and artistic aspect of life. Photography, for me, is a mean to capture beauty and give it back to people who were not there to witness it. Mostly, I photograph Landscape- although I also have a collection of Flowers and Abstracts and occasionally shoot portraits.
I love beauty and Nature; beauty of scenery, beauty of Nature, beauty of people. Capturing the essence and the light of a place or the essence of a person. Whenever I am in a new environment, it is like my eyes zoom in to the beautiful aspects of the site and my camera lens follows suit.In those moments I get into a “zone” and forget everything else. It’s like a meditation for me.
Once I take the photographs, it takes a great amount of time to edit them. I love both, and here again I will lose myself in the process, often finding myself working in the wee hours of the night. Since I am a perfectionist I will work on a photo until I am completely satisfied with the result.
As far as the business aspect of it, I am following the same model as when I was developing my other business; I learned then that one needs to be patient and not take setbacks as failures but as learning opportunities. It is easy, when starting a new venture, to get discouraged if sometimes things don’t go as planned . But those are just learning curves to see what works, what does not, and which steps to take next.
I also learned that one does not have to have everything figured out when starting a new business; the project- whatever it may be- will gain traction and take on a life of its own once you set things in motion. As things unfold, one will be prompted to take actions with every new challenge and opportunity.
The most important thing is to have a vision of what my dream is and how I would feel in that moment. For me, it would mean feeling free to travel more, be in beautiful Nature, off the beaten path, and bring back amazing pictures for others to see. Images that will hopefully inspire them and bring them joy.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
San Diego has definitely a lot to offer as far as places to see and activities to do. I will go with the top three- or four- which are on my family’s top list.
Being from France, everything in San Diego has an exotic flair for my family. I like to take them to Balboa Park; With its Spanish Baroque architecture, lush gardens, museums and its famous California Tower, Balboa Park is one of their favorite place to hang out. Walking around the Botanical Building with its Lily pond or the Alcazar Garden. Or just sit on a bench, in the shade of one of those giant trees, relax and people watch.
The other spot that my family love is Old Town. It was California’s first settlement with only a mission and a fort and a lot has been preserved. It is a place where you can go back in time and indulge in authentic Mexican food. When there, we can grab a bite at Casa de Reyes or Old Town Mexican Café.
Another fun thing to do while in SD is going Whale Watching, if in season, or just take a harbor tour and enjoy the city skyline.
The last thing on my list would be going boogie boarding on one of Del Mar beach. Fun guarantee!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We all need family, friends and mentors in our lives. People we turn to for advice or solidarity when times are tough, the people we trust and are influenced by.
In my Photography endeavors, there are two very dear and trusted friends who come to mind. Two friends who have been invested in my happiness and success.
One is my mentor and friend who encouraged me to follow my desires: She made me accountable during our regular meetings. She helped me put together a plan of action; As she likes to say: ”A desire stays a desire or a dream, unless it is followed by committed actions”.
She is the one who pushed me to stretch myself, get out of my comfort zone and take actions towards my goal that I might not have been brave enough to take.
My other friend -and not the least- has always been my biggest cheerleader. He is the one who was there to help me, hands on, when I had to do some Art shows and put together the logistic of it. He has always been the person I could count on for the last minute call. A true anchor in my life.
I am very fortunate to have those two amazing people in my life to encourage me, motivate me and be by my side. And I am very grateful for their continued love and support.
I also want to acknowledge and thank my parents for their support and cheerleading!
Website: https://www.catherinehousseauphotography.com
Instagram: @catherinehousseauphotography
Image Credits
Photos of me taking picture was taken by Ken Thiesse. All other landscape pictures were taken by me and can be seen on my website.
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