Leaving toxic situations and not remaining silent
Max Pittman is a New York photographer and dog mom, familiar with leaving toxic situations and not remaining silent. She attended photo school in Norway and taught English in China. Nanny and personal assistant turned business assistant/studio manager in a toxic environment, feeling shame/failure to be able to thrive in her business.
- Portraits, elopements, and fashion have been sustaining her this past year.
- Pre-pandemic, she was an elopement photographer and “city hall photographer.”
- Working for the Hons was a point in Max’s life that she said she wasn’t functioning on a healthy level.
- The Hons spread horrible rumors about Max and assaulted her character, to the point that Max didn’t think she would ever work again.
- She didn’t want to remain silent; she started talking to people and realized how many others had a story about the same couple.
- Max finally had enough and stood up to elevate her friends’ voices and stop people from being silenced. She finally was able to leave that toxic situation.
- The last year has left Max realizing that she is not interested in staying quiet about anything anymore.
- She doesn’t want to continue to exist in an industry that enables people to continue with predatory behavior.
- She wants to help people who are working for free or not being appropriately compensated or not given the same opportunities.
- Max says that she isn’t afraid to hold people’s feet to the fire a little bit and say, – hey, I could do this, and I’m willing to do this, but you have a lot more influence than I do.
- Make the world, our world as photographers, a more equitable place will only benefit all of us.
- We all have something to offer to people who are different from us.
- Equity is significant because we are all different, but at the same time, we all have something to offer to each other.
What’s it like leaving a toxic situation? Can you recover from that professionally? What’s it like speaking up for those who need you? What a great episode! Don’t miss this one.
Find her on Instagram here and here
Links
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