Rizqah Dollie writes, “My story, is like many other women in society. I chose to become a Mompreneur out of necessity. I wanted to be a present mother and play an active role in my daughter’s life while being able to pursue my passion of photography. My years in production and on photographic assignments always saw me traveling away from home, but having a daughter changed that. My need to be home was more urgent and this resulted in the shift of not only what I photographed, but also my style of work. I went from shooting social documentaries to lifestyle photography which has allowed me to spend more time with my daughter”.
After the birth of her daughter, Rizqah chose to start lecturing photography, which meant she only spent a few hours away from her and had school holidays home. But this too felt restricting, as she wasn’t able to take on as many lifestyle projects and spent her weekends shooting weddings. After a few years of lecturing and struggling with the constraints of being tied down and missing out vital moments in her daughters early childhood development, she chose to be a full-time Mompreneur and moved her family out onto a farm close to the West Coast. Not only was she a mom and photographer, she was now a full-time first generation farmer.
Freelancing full time now meant that she had all the time to do everything her daughter needed, but she also realized that she had entered into an already flooded lifestyle photography market. She found the first few years slow and hard, but is now a few years into it and loving every moment.
Said Rizqah, “Being a Mompreneur is not as graceful as many may think, you have to be disciplined and tough. My intention is to teach my daughter to be self sufficient and resilient. I would like to believe that I am instilling strong values of self worth and constant growth. On the farm, we learn something everyday. School doesn’t end when I collect her from class; the outdoor classroom has many great lessons. Teaching her the importance of food and where it comes from was a core value both my husband and I believed was essential for her survival in a world facing major food security issues”.