Daily Inspiration: Meet Ariel Roberts

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Roberts.

Hi Ariel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
From an early age, I had been extremely detail oriented. I either had a Polaroid or a color coded planner in hand at all times. Every moment, big or small was worth being looked back on. If we’re being honest, I still have every notebook I wrote in since I was 7 years old. In college, I thought that I could put my talents to use in other studies. After  years of late nights working in hospitality and the medical field, I found myself burnt out and wanting to focus on my art more. So I studied and interned working events as a florist. I worked two jobs and then would come home and work on my business plan. In 2018, I started my own event company, knowing somehow I would want to incorporate my love of photography. My business Thorn and Pearl, fully blossomed a few years ago in 2020. My husband and I were hoping to grow our family but it didn’t go the way either of us had expected. In June of that year, we had to experience the heartbreaking loss of our daughter Everly. I had already went through multiple miscarriages and losing her made me feel extremely lost. A few days after we picked out our daughters urn, I celebrated a birthday and made a promise to my daughter and myself that I would share my art and capture the true beauty and spirit of the people around me again. I dove head first into my passion of events and photography again shortly after and in 2021, our daughter Salem was born. She and her sister, Everly, are both my inspiration and drive to continue my journey of entrepreneurship. Not only is Salem featured in a lot of my work, but you will also find her assisting at many of my sessions.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Building your own brand and business is not easy; life throws curveballs left and right. My biggest struggle when starting my business was trusting my worth. Comparison is indeed a thief, and I know now not to take the time of life for granted. In honor of my daughters, I want to capture memories that people can hold on to for a lifetime.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What I love most about my job is meeting new people and capturing beautiful moments together. If you ask someone close to me, they’ll tell you I am passionate about making connections. My family jokes that I’ve never met a stranger a day in my life.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memories are on a softball field with my mom, dad, and little sister. My sister and I played on the same team and won the championship game three years in a row. I started playing as soon as I was old enough and my dad was our coach for years. Go Bulldogs!