Imagine you've been hired to photograph a wedding. You've never done this before. Also, it's New Year's Eve. By the way, you're 16 years old. Oh, I forgot to mention that you also forgot to bring extra batteries. Your situation seems to fall a part one thing after the other. You finally decide to call it and head home. You embrace the failure. Fast forward about 5 years and you're booking weddings left and right. I'm sure you're shocked. For Natalie, this story is her actual life. Despite not having the knowledge of a professional wedding photographer, she made it work at the age of 16. Even though she wasn't ready for those terrible circumstances, she persevered. Surprisingly, some of the most memorable people in the world know that that is the secret ingredient to success. The act of you persevering even inspires people to take risks or even help you accomplish more. At the beginning of my photography career, Natalie was one of the first photographers who agreed to meet with me for coffee and share her wisdom. Her story of being drawn to her camera, messing up and being diligent to manifest her dream helped me believe I could be a photographer, as well. Sometimes all it takes to inspire someone is being transparent about your mistakes and the lessons you've learned. "The one thing you never want to do is run out of batteries," Natalie laughed. You'd be surprised how common that is for documenters like Natalie and I. What's so refreshing about Natalie is that she'll admit it with a smile.