RACHAEL LENEHAN | RACHAEL LENEHAN PHOTOGRAPHY & FARMING
This interview was published as a collaboration by the team at Creative Consulting and Graziher is proud to support their month-long series of #ruralregional women.
” I THINK IF ANYTHING I HOPE THAT I CAN INSPIRE PEOPLE TO LIVE THEIR DREAMS TO GO FOR WHAT THEY WANT. IT IS NOT ABOUT MAKING A MARK I THINK FOR ME IT IS JUST ABOUT LIVING A LIFE THAT BRINGS ME JOY AND FULFILLMENT.”
What inspires you?
Everything inspires me. From seeing random acts of kindness to hearing wonderful stories of people defying the odds or chasing their dreams. I love meeting people and I am really open to learning and hearing what others have to say. Life’s little journeys inspire me.
How did your project/business idea come about?
The farm was always a dream I just didn’t think I would get there. It is so hard as a single female who at the time worked as a station hand to be seen as an eligible candidate by the bank. But I did. Farming is long term I purchased a rundown block and it is taking time but I am slowly moving it in the right direction. It has taught me incredible patience. But I am not very good at patience. I run Angus cattle and Merino Ewes producing beef and lamb and a wool clip each year. I still have to work on the farm to build up my business and support myself. 2 years ago I realised whilst I was incredibly happy that I did not have a very good work-life balance and needed to take the time to chill out or enjoy a hobby.
I have always had a passion for photography and often played around with my beautiful Minolta film camera that I had had for many years however I had stopped! So very impulsively I went out and enrolled in a photography course and purchased my first DSLR. My hobby grew into a business. I have always had this longing to have a bit of a creative outlet in my life I just never knew what it could be. I feel like I have created this wonderful balance between the farm and the photography.
What stage is your project/business in? Definitely growth. I am still establishing myself. The last 12 months have been crazy. I am not where I want to be I am not taking the sort of pictures yet I want to but I am a work in progress. The farm is also still growing. The farm is still developing into what it is capable of being. Every day is a step closer in building my dreams.
What were you doing before you launched your business/project?
Farming. I worked for an Angus Stud in Wallendbeen. I had been a station hand for some years prior to buying my farm.
