2:08 – It all started in 2015, when I was laid off from my tech start up job.
3:40 – If I was going to take a giant leap, I needed to be 100% myself. I needed a reset.
4:54 – So, I went WWOOFing in Santa Barbara. These two weeks forced me to be in the present. And propelled me into my second phase of my career.
7:00 – Working on a farm cleared my mind and got me ready to go back to NYC. And to say out loud, “I am going after photography.”
8:38 – My first photography shoot was a 10 day James Beard food shoot. Not Paid. But, it paid off.
11:18 – The trust I built on that first unpaid shoot was unparalleled to any other experience. And gave me the needed confidence.
12:48 – Whatever job it is, show up to the job, and do the best possible job.
14:50 – It’s all small stepping stones when making a long lasting business.
16:10 – Limit your distractions to focus on tasks at hand.
17:22 – What I spent time on in my early days: Portfolio. Creative shoots. Website. LLC. Bank account.
19:00 – What I spend my time on today: This podcast. Emails. Portrait Sessions. Shoot prep.
19:45 – What I want to spend my time on in the future: Any associates out there?
20:20 – Distinguishing what is work and what is not work.
21:30 – Keep things to yourself to make joy. Be choiceful about what you share with the world.
Resources! – WWOOF: https://wwoof.net/
– Book: The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks
– Podcast: The Next Big Idea: How to make yourself indistractible (Wonderly)
– Book: How to Not Always Be Working: A Toolkit for Creativity and Radical Self-Care by Marlee Grace