Montana Diaries Creative Business Blog
creative business resources, Shownotes, extra media, and links from the pod!
Building a brand that has NO competition ft. Eden Strader!
Eden Strader is a six figure photographer turned business coach who inspires creative entrepreneurs, artists, and makers to build a life of artistic growth, wealth, and personal power with carefully curated strategies in marketing, mindset, sales strategy, and self care through excavating her client's unique brand of magic. Everything Eden Strader is based on the concept that we should be building our dream businesses in order to have our dream lives - not stopping at the business as the final destination.
calling all photographers!
join me for my FREE masterclass: HOW TO UPLEVEL YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS USING VIDEO
EVERYTHING you need to know about integrating video into your photography biz without buying new equipment, getting super techy, or wasting your precious time!
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN…
1. Why video is KING online, AKA why YOU should incorporate video into your business strategy
2. The leg up that hybrid shooters have in the photo + video industries and why it IS possible to learn with your existing equipment
3. Action steps you can take RIGHT NOW toward incorporating video content!
HOW TO BUILD A BRAND THAT HAS NO COMPETITION
psssttt…
join us in the Facebook group, your space for talking all things creativity + business!
MEET EDEN STRADER
Eden Strader is a six figure photographer turned business coach who inspires creative entrepreneurs, artists, and makers to build a life of artistic growth, wealth, and personal power with carefully curated strategies in marketing, mindset, sales strategy, and self care through excavating her client's unique brand of magic. Everything Eden Strader is based on the concept that we should be building our dream businesses in order to have our dream lives - not stopping at the business as the final destination.
Build a brand that has NO competition!
Welcomeeee back to the pod — I’m so stoked to present this conversation with the lovely Eden Strader. Eden and I align so much on our values in business, it’s honestly insane. We both believe in building businesses that enable your dream LIFE. In this candid conversation, we chatted all about the evolution Eden’s business + brand andddd how she found her voice in the industry AND her life. This is a MUST listen.
A chat w/ Eden Strader:
We chat about Eden’s progression from good-girl mormon/Utah wifey to openly queer NYC badass creative
Finding your unique voice
Showing up online + being polarizing
Vanity metrics vs. bookings
Soooo much in between.
hey, photog friend!
If you’ve been wanting to learn videography with the gear you already own, I have a free guide just for you!
38: Create the community you need w/ the founder of GirlGetAfterIt Cassidy Wendell!
CASSIDY WENDELL
Helloooo and welcome back to the Montana Diaries Podcast, I’m your host Shayna and I’m so freaking stoked you’re here because today we have Cassidy Wendell, the Bozeman Montana based founder of GirlGetAfterIt. Cass is a powerhouse of an entrepreneur and I couldn’t believe all of the wisdom she brought to this episode of the pod — I got so much out of her story of grief and finding community and figuring out how to run the successful business she has today. She indulged my curiosities and I’m so grateful because I legitimately learned so much from her and I know you will too — there are a tonnnn of tangible tips on top of all of the inspiring stories and encouragement. Cassidy is incredible.
calling all photographers!
join me for my FREE masterclass: HOW TO UPLEVEL YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS USING VIDEO
EVERYTHING you need to know about integrating video into your photography biz without buying new equipment, getting super techy, or wasting your precious time!
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN…
1. Why video is KING online, AKA why YOU should incorporate video into your business strategy
2. The leg up that hybrid shooters have in the photo + video industries and why it IS possible to learn with your existing equipment
3. Action steps you can take RIGHT NOW toward incorporating video content!
CASSIDY WENDELL: Creating community, navigating grief, starting a successful clothing brand, and more!
psssttt…
join us in the Facebook group, your space for talking all things creativity + business!
MEET CASS
“Hey, I’m Cass!
#GIRLGETAFTERIT was born out of a passion for wellness and need for community.
When I was 22 years old, I suddenly lost my dad to a stroke. In those years that followed, I went through a period of isolation, depression and felt disconnected from anything and anyone that my “old life” was made up of.
I knew I needed a support system, but wasn’t resonating with anything that was out there. so, instead of searching for a squad, I created one. What started as a selfish act, soon turned into a women’s wellness community I could only dream of.
Since hosting my first event back in 2017, I’ve seen first-hand how life-changing it can be to feel seen, heard and supported - for both myself and the people I’ve connected with. You start to believe in yourself. You begin to dream bigger. You chase goals, you get after it, and you inspire others to do the same.
now, I know just how important your mental, physical and emotional health is to your overall well-being, how community plays a huge role in professional and personal success, and how the feeling of being supported can ultimately change your life.
With the help of #GGAI, I have made it my life’s mission to empower women all over the world through movement, community and impact.
LFG,
Cass”
CASSIDY WENDELL
Helloooo and welcome back to the Montana Diaries Podcast, I’m your host Shayna and I’m so freaking stoked you’re here because today we have Cassidy Wendell, the Bozeman Montana based founder of GirlGetAfterIt. Cass is a powerhouse of an entrepreneur and I couldn’t believe all of the wisdom she brought to this episode of the pod — I got so much out of her story of grief and finding community and figuring out how to run the successful business she has today. She indulged my curiosities and I’m so grateful because I legitimately learned so much from her and I know you will too — there are a tonnnn of tangible tips on top of all of the inspiring stories and encouragement. Cassidy is incredible.
Before we jump into the interview, I’ve been LOVING reading reviews of our offerings at the top of the show, so here’s a kind review of my signature course Videography for Photographers by a photographer I look up to so much, so this review blew me away…I mean, I definitely have to get this lady on the podcast because she’s incredible in her own right but here’s Angie Rich’s review of my video course:
“I’m blown away because I have been doing hybrid shooting and I have had a hard time navigating the mechanics and settings, so I stopped because I couldn’t figure it out. I started Videography for Photographers and it’s three modules, 17 sessions — it goes over mechanics, storytelling, editing, how to implement, how to tell a story with videography. I’m so blown away because this is what I needed. If you’re someone who is on the fence and you want to implement video into your business, I highly recommend investing in this course because Shay literally lays it all out for you and it’s freaking good. I promise you, 10/10.”
Wow, Angie, thank you so much for your kind words. I know I already said it, but I look up to Angie wayyyy more than she even probably realized so to have her say such kind things about the course I worked so hard on…ahhh. It’s mind blowing. If you would like a shout out of your own, then write a review of the podcast on the Apple Podcasts app! It helps me out SO MUCH and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. It’ll take two minutes!! Nowwww onto the conversation with Cassidy Wendell.
A chat w/ Cassidy Wendell, founder of GirlGetAfterIt
After landing her “dream job” working in sports marketing for the MSU Bobcats straight out of college, Cassidy navigated through extreme grief and isolation that eventually lead her to seeking a community of women that she was severely lacking. Eventually, that community turned into GirlGetAfterIt.
“GirlGetAfterIt is a wellness community that brings women together through sweat-working events and gear that gives back — we host monthly meetups and create a space for women to meet new friends and try new things in safe, welcoming, inviting space.”
The initial events Cass hosted were fairly successful, and she gave out stickers at each one that said “#GIRLGETAFTERIT.” This was a hashtag she used on her social media posts often, and also said to her personal training clients often. Eventually, attendees started requesting more products with the slogans like t-shirts. Cassidy realized that it was catching on — she trademarked #GIRLGETAFTERIT early in her business. She explained it’s just how her mind works — she goes after it before she’s ready. Today, GIRLGETAFTERIT still hosts monthly events and sells “gear that gives back,” and has just expanded to multiple states.
GIRLGETAFTERIT really gained momentum during the pandemic — Cass went full time into the business, the retail side exploded as more and more women worked from home and craved community + bought into the brand, and a partnership with Lululemon went through for the brand, which Cass is extremely proud of.
When the gear/apparel side of GIRLGETAFTERIT initially launched, Cass used a service called Bonfire, which is a drop-shipping platform — meaning Cass just had to design and launch the product to her community, and they took care of the production and distribution. For this service, they needed to sell a minimum order before the company would make the product. The year after, they switched to a true drop-shopping platform called Printful where they create the one-off orders as they’re ordered. They used that service for about a year, with a few pop-up shops sprinkled in that year — Cass just made bulk orders through Printful for those events. Cass explained the fees for drop-shipping were huge compared to having on-hand inventory, and the quality control wasn’t the best it could be because she wasn’t seeing the product before it was sent to the customer. GIRLGETAFTERIT took baby steps to stepping away from drop shipping completely, and they’re making more big changes for 2022.
Today, GIRLGETAFTERIT uses a launch model for the retail side of the business. This is largely for Cassidy’s lifestyle goals — instead of constantly having to fulfill orders and working on a hamster wheel, Cassidy can control the drops of new products. This move also adds more creativity and freshness to the apparel side of the business.
The community side of GIRLGETAFTERIT is split between the virtual space and in-person events. This year, GGAI implemented an ambassador model where these ambassadors can bring the in person events to their own cities upon approval. Cassidy’s three-year plan for the community is to bring GIRLGETAFTERIT to all 50 states.
Cassidy’s main goal for her personal life is to gain complete autonomy over her personal and professional life, including work-life balance and location freedom. For GirlGetAfterIt, she sees its future as being a “BumbleBFF but cooler.” I freaking love her, you guys.
Anndddd that was Cassidy Wendell, the founder of GIRLGETAFTERIT — isn’t she the best!? My favorite part of the episode was how intentional Cassidy was about seeking out the community she was lacking, especially amidst her grief…. But also, on a tangible level, I learned SO FREAKING MUCH about retail!!! I’ve always been interested in drop-shipping and having a business like that, so it was really kind of Cass to shine a light on that part of her business. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topics we discussed here— head over to the Montana Diaries Podcast Facebook group and write a post to continue this discussion, or just introduce yourself over there. Don’t forget to leave your honest review on the Apple Podcasts app — it helps us get more amazing guests like Cassidy and I’ll give you a shout out on a future episode. Please go create something today, friends, and I’ll catch ya in the next episode.
hey, photog friend!
If you’ve been wanting to learn videography with the gear you already own, I have a free guide just for you!
37: Live a life filled with grace, passion & purpose w/ Geomyra Pollard
GEOMYRA POLLARD
Helloooo and welcome back to the Montana Diaries Podcast, I’m Shayna and I’m so freaking stoked you’re here because on today’s episode we have the lovely Geomyra Pollard, an incredible wedding planner turned business coach who is all about serving creatives, professionals & working parents who are ready to live a life filled with grace, passion & purpose! Geomyra is incredible and I know you’ll get so much from her story of juggling marriage, parenthood, building a business, navigating grief, and living with a chronic illness.
calling all photographers!
join me for my FREE masterclass: HOW TO UPLEVEL YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS USING VIDEO
EVERYTHING you need to know about integrating video into your photography biz without buying new equipment, getting super techy, or wasting your precious time!
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN…
1. Why video is KING online, AKA why YOU should incorporate video into your business strategy
2. The leg up that hybrid shooters have in the photo + video industries and why it IS possible to learn with your existing equipment
3. Action steps you can take RIGHT NOW toward incorporating video content!
GEOMYRA POLLARD: Live a life filled with grace, passion & purpose
psssttt…
join us in the Facebook group, your space for talking all things creativity + business!
MEET GEOMYRA POLLARD
“Hi Friend, I’m Geomyra! The coach and support you’ve been looking for!
It is my mission to be the strategic support and encouragement for creatives and professionals seeking a well-rounded life filled with grace, passion, and purpose.
As someone who has excelled in the corporate world and flown high in the entrepreneurial world, I know that anything is possible with hard work, dedication, and a plan! As a (HARD) working mom, I undoubtedly believe we can have a successful business AND a happy family. I assuredly know that we all have a distinct purpose here on earth. I believe that now is YOUR time. You my friend are also one of my big whys and I believe in you! Let's get to work and make big things happen!”
GEOMYRA POLLARD
Helloooo and welcome back to the Montana Diaries Podcast, I’m Shayna and I’m so freaking stoked you’re here because on today’s episode we have the lovely Geomyra Pollard, an incredible wedding planner turned business coach who is all about serving creatives, professionals & working parents who are ready to live a life filled with grace, passion & purpose! Geomyra is incredible and I know you’ll get so much from her story of juggling marriage, parenthood, building a business, navigating grief, and living with a chronic illness.
A chat w/ Geomyra Pollard, life & business coach
Geomyra is a wife, mom, and business coach — she is a former wedding professional, so we obviously had a tonnnnn in common! Being a wedding and event planner for twelve years lended itself well to stepping into the coaching space, and Geomyra uses her past business experience to help her clients today.
Geomyra is a huge proponent of getting things right from the beginning — she encourages her clients to set up their systems in business from the get-go, and to build on a strong foundation.
While building her wedding planning business, Geomyra had to deal with seasons of grief while simultaneously learning the importance of systems — her business bookings exploded amid some of the hardest times she’s had.
Shortly after Geomyra finished her master’s degree, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
“For me — I thought, do I leave while I’m on top? Or do I wait until I screw something up and leave in a puddle of tears? I knew I was going to school to do other things, but I thought I would do planning and coaching. But no. I’m a woman of faith, I knew God had other plans for me. ”
Looking back, Geomyra knows it was the right move to transition into full time coaching because she is able to deliver a boutique experience for her coaching clients. She is big on time freedom, especially with helping fellow parents manage their time with systems.
I highly, highly, highly recommend this podcast episode for EVERY creative business owner struggling with finding purpose. My key takeaway from Geomyra is how important it is to establish systems earlyyy in business so that when life happens, the business continues to run and clients continue to be served well. I’d love to hear your thoughts on everything we discussed here so head over to the Montana Diaries Podcast Facebook group and write a post to continue this discussion, or just introduce yourself over there. Don’t forget to leave your honest review on the Apple Podcasts app — it helps us get more amazing guests like Geomyra and I’ll give you a shout out on a future episode. I’m so freaking honored that you’ve chosen to spend your time and attention on this podcast today — I don’t take it for granted at all, time and attention are so incredibly precious, so here’s your reminder to spend yours on creating something this week. Let me know how it goes. I’ll catch you in the next episode. Bye for now!
hey, photog friend!
If you’ve been wanting to learn videography with the gear you already own, I have a free guide just for you!
36: Becoming a successful traveling elopement photographer w/ Emily Kidd
EMILY KIDD PHOTO
Helloooo and welcome back to the Montana Diaries Podcast, I’m Shayna and I’m so freaking stoked you’re here because on today’s episode we have the lovely Emily Kidd, one of my absolute favorite elopement photographers and the host of a podcast serving elopement photographers, The Road Created — Emily has such a heart for serving other business owners, she’s an amazing business woman, and she truly captures her couples perfectly on their adventures. In this episode of the Montana Diaries Podcast, we discuss building a sustainable business, SEO, Pinterest, and navigating social media marketing.
calling all photographers!
join me for my FREE masterclass: HOW TO UPLEVEL YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS USING VIDEO
EVERYTHING you need to know about integrating video into your photography biz without buying new equipment, getting super techy, or wasting your precious time!
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN…
1. Why video is KING online, AKA why YOU should incorporate video into your business strategy
2. The leg up that hybrid shooters have in the photo + video industries and why it IS possible to learn with your existing equipment
3. Action steps you can take RIGHT NOW toward incorporating video content!
EMILY KIDD: Becoming a full time traveling elopement photographer, marketing strategy for travel photography, and what the dream is!
psssttt…
join us in the Facebook group, your space for talking all things creativity + business!
MEET EMILY KIDD
“I’m a destination wedding photographer and adventure-seeker. I love that my camera connects me to people in such a unique way. Photography started out as a creative outlet but quickly turned into a consuming passion. I get to hang out with incredible humans who are crazy about each other while seeing as much of the world as I possibly can. Getting to know my couples by grabbing a drink, exploring, and running around with them is one of the many reasons I love my job. I live for the funny, awkward, and sweet moments that depict the authenticity of your relationship. I want to catch the emotions and the details in a way that makes you pause every time you look at the photo and feel it all over again.”
EMILY KIDD PHOTO
Helloooo and welcome back to the Montana Diaries Podcast, I’m Shayna and I’m so freaking stoked you’re here because on today’s episode we have the lovely Emily Kidd, one of my absolute favorite elopement photographers and the host of a podcast serving elopement photographers, The Road Created — Emily has such a heart for serving other business owners, she’s an amazing business woman, and she truly captures her couples perfectly on their adventures. In this episode of the Montana Diaries Podcast, we discuss building a sustainable business, SEO, Pinterest, and navigating social media marketing.
A chat w/ Emily Kidd, traveling elopement photographer
Emily has always had an interest in both travel and photojournalism, but she wasn’t sure how to monetize these passions until she found elopement articles on Junebug Weddings. Seeing other destination wedding photographers’ work made her realize that the career she wanted was possible. For Emily, traveling and shooting is a lifestyle — she travels full time, planning her trips based on where she books shoots.
The portfolio building stage for Emily included a combination of paid work and workshops in destination locations — we chatted about the importance of portfolio building to build trust with potential clients/being able to showcase what you can do. Emily also mentions how important it is to make travel a part of her brand.
In order to become profitable and sustain her lifestyle as a full time traveling photographer, Emily continued to do styled shoots but also became serious about marketing and SEO. She took two courses on SEO and Pinterest — a combination of strategic blog posts and regular pinning is still the top inquiry driver for her business. Emily even gave me some great advice as far as creating guides to target specific locations goes; this is a great tip for every type of creative business so listen to the pod!
Emily also has an incredible podcast, The Road Created. She explained that she loves the medium of podcasting for her own learning, and I feel the exact same way. Emily is also passionate about helping other photographers reach their goals — she says if she can do it, so can everyone else.
I highly, highly, highly recommend this podcast episode for EVERY photographer with anyyyy interest in traveling! Emily is so full of amazing information and strategies for marketing for a traveling business, I’m so grateful for her honesty and I know this episode will help a ton of people. Be sure to let us know what you think after listening!
hey, photog friend!
If you’ve been wanting to learn videography with the gear you already own, I have a free guide just for you!
35: DEEP dive with expert social media marketer Katie Love
KATIE LOVE
Helloooo and welcome back to the Montana Diaries Podcast, I’m Shayna and I’m so freaking stoked you’re here because today we have an incredible guest, Katie Love! Katie is an expert social media strategist. She’s helped numerous businesses turn followers into real sales and leads. Katie has a decade of social media experience under her belt! She loves creating engaging content and branding for each of her clients.
Katie worked for TV stations across the country and as a news reporter, she learned to brand herself through social media. Now, she loves telling business owners' stories with engaging content, video and graphics. We had an incredible conversation about her journey from news caster to social media strategist.
calling all photographers!
join me for my FREE masterclass: HOW TO UPLEVEL YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS USING VIDEO
EVERYTHING you need to know about integrating video into your photography biz without buying new equipment, getting super techy, or wasting your precious time!
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN…
1. Why video is KING online, AKA why YOU should incorporate video into your business strategy
2. The leg up that hybrid shooters have in the photo + video industries and why it IS possible to learn with your existing equipment
3. Action steps you can take RIGHT NOW toward incorporating video content!
KATIE LOVE: DEEP dive into pitching, social media marketing, scaling, and creative business
psssttt…
join us in the Facebook group, your space for talking all things creativity + business!
MEET KATIE LOVE
Katie got her start in the news industry, from stations all across the country to the Today Show and The White House. While covering the news wasn’t her true calling, it did develop a strong storytelling talent and a desire to connect people.
Katie understood the power social media was gaining and wanted to use it to help female-led businesses thrive—while also easing the pressure and stress that comes with running a business.
So, with a strong support system and a leap of faith, she started Love Social Media.
These days, Katie enjoys helping her clients take social media off their plates and loves managing her talented, family-like team.
KATIE LOVE
Helloooo and welcome back to the Montana Diaries Podcast, I’m Shayna and I’m so freaking stoked you’re here because today we have an incredible guest, Katie Love! Katie is an expert social media strategist. She’s helped numerous businesses turn followers into real sales and leads. Katie has a decade of social media experience under her belt! She loves creating engaging content and branding for each of her clients.
Katie worked for TV stations across the country and as a news reporter, she learned to brand herself through social media. Now, she loves telling business owners' stories with engaging content, video and graphics. We had an incredible conversation about her journey from news caster to social media strategist, but Before we jump into the interview with Katie, here’s a kind review of my signature course Videography for Photographers by a past guest on the pod and in incredible Pinterest manager Teresa Dietrich:
“Social media analytics have told us over and over again that video is the thing that is doing well. This course not only goes through how to actually film video and hybrid shoot, but it also goes over why it NEEDS to be in every photographer’s marketing strategy and business plan! Adding videography will not only add value to your client’s experience but will also uplevel your marketing strategy! Videography for Photographers is the perfect place to learn and start video!”
Teresa, thank you so much for your kind words. If you would like a shout out of your own, then write a review of the podcast on the Apple Podcasts app — it takes less than two minutes and it helps the pod grow! If you’ve everrrrr enjoyed or learned from the free content on this podcast, please please please review it and leave your IG handle so I can say thank you! Now onto the interview with Katie Love.
A chat w/ Katie Love — the “why” behind social media marketing and whether or not you should outsource it
Katie started off by telling us about her first career as a journalist — her beat was missing children, and figured out the power of social media through sharing about these children on her social media accounts. Her transition out of her career was a winding path, including recovering from a serious injury and learning how to rely on others’ help as she healed.
The early portion of her business included a ton of pitching to small businesses to try to gain social media marketing clients without having experience to offer. Katie chats about the hard transition between offering free + cheap labor, to then trying to charge after proving results. This is an excellent conversation for every business owner struggling with pitching and communicating value!
We chatted all about systemizing the approach to social media, which became especially necessary for Katie once she reached 15 clients on her roster. She gave behind the scenes insight on hiring in her business in order to scale, and how she created a system for onboarding clients, creating content calendars for her clients, and reviewing the analytics as they carried out their strategy.
As Katie’s business grew, she recognized the need to create time and communication boundaries with her clients. It became a huge priority to ensure her team avoided burnout and overworking — and today, that is the biggest pride point of Katie’s career, that the women who work with her feel safe and empowered and taken care of in the workplace.
“When you realize something isn’t being done and needs to be, and that thing isn’t your zone of genius, if you don’t enjoy it...that’s the best time to outsource ANYTHING. You can be more productive doing what you love. ”
Katie recognizes that there are different phases of creative business — her business, Love Social Media, offers different tiers and services depending on the phase of business clients are in.
I highly, highly, highly recommend this podcast episode for EVERY creative entrepreneur no matter what phase of business you’re in. I went in thinking it would be all about social media strategy, and it ended up being one of the most heart-centered and REAL chats about entrepreneurship and marketing I’ve had on the pod. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
hey, photog friend!
If you’ve been wanting to learn videography with the gear you already own, I have a free guide just for you!
32: Experimenting and taking creative risks in 2022
Experimenting and taking creative risks in 2022
calling all photographers!
join me for my FREE masterclass: HOW TO UPLEVEL YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS USING VIDEO
EVERYTHING you need to know about integrating video into your photography biz without buying new equipment, getting super techy, or wasting your precious time!
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN…
1. Why video is KING online, AKA why YOU should incorporate video into your business strategy
2. The leg up that hybrid shooters have in the photo + video industries and why it IS possible to learn with your existing equipment
3. Action steps you can take RIGHT NOW toward incorporating video content!
Experimenting and taking creative risks in 2022
psssttt…
join us in the Facebook group, your space for talking all things creativity + business!
Experimenting and taking creative risks in 2022
Hellloooo and welcome back to the Montana Diaries Podcast, on today’s episode I’m going to be talking about experimenting and taking creative risks — I freaking knowww that creative business can slowly turn into factory work, especially with portfolio consistency and client expectations, so let’s talk about the who, what, when, where, and how of staying creative when you make money from your creativity. This episode is dedicated to Morgannnn, the owner of Elizabeth Samuel Photography, who suggested the topic on Instagram — she asked specifically about double exposures and creative edits. Remember, you can alwayssss let me know what topics you want covered on the pod!
When you make money from your creativity you need a different creative outlet lol
Okeyyy, let’s get into this — I’m obsessed with creativity and business and what it is to make money from creativity, so this topic gets me pretty fired up. Let me start by saying this: When you make money from your creativity, you either need a different creative outlet or you need to figure out how to continue nurturing your creativity that you’ve monetized — honestly, I think you need to do both things because I don’t think the second thing is 100% possible all the time. Let me explain.
I’m an avid reader. My real life, no bullshit, no irony involved dream is to be a novelist — I have stick figure self portraits from early elementary school with speech bubbles saying that when I grow up, I want to be a writer. Except I spelled “writer” wrong, with two t’s.
Soooo I went to college, and I studied english literature and creative writing alongside my more practical communication studies major which yes obviously that’s a joke of a major but don’t tell that to 17 year old me making life decisions, but oh my god did I do anything possible to avoid reading and writing once those things became obligations.
It became obvious to me that it wasn’t good for my brain to make reading and writing a job. Everyone gets so hung up on doing work that you’re passionate about because we’ve made what we do for a living such a huge part of our identity and personality — we’ve made what we do synonymous with who we ARE. Butttt here’s what I realized is true for me: I do like editing video and photos, I love aesthetics and I’m good at planning things while staying flexible because it makes me feel in control, which it’s always good when your occupation is well suited to your pathologies. I like business. It feels good to MAKE SOMETHING for someone that has an impact and makes them feel good and to be able to make money doing that.
But I can’t say my ego or sense of self or concept of myself as a creative or worth in general is tied to, like, wedding films. Thank God.
I have to be honest in saying that I think it’s a mistake to tie your finances to your creativity and, like, artistic ego. And I think that’s what we’re talking about here, when a creative turns their real hobby and their actual creative outlet into something that makes money…and then they lose the joy of play and experimentation and all of that good stuff because now there’s pressure and expectation and, yes, fear attached to doing the thing that they once did for fun. Because it’s a job.
Read big magic
Here’s where I tell you to read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. And, listen, I’m not the type to gatekeep books — if you’re not a reader or you don’t have time, then please consider buying the audiobook and LISTENING to Big Magic — Liz reads it herself and it’s beautiful.
I spoke on this in a recent episode about money, which I’ll link in the shownotes, but Big Magic made me realize that as long as I was supporting myself then I didn’t actually care how I made money. My number one obligation, for my entire life, is to the pursuit of creativity. To being interested and interesting, to creating more than I consume, to keeping my heart open to magic and ideas — to not being beholden to money and obligation and others’ expectations.
But, like, it’s nice to make money with creative business. Welcome to this entire Podcast.
Consume content that makes you want to create
On the back of that book recommendation, let me also encourage you to consume content that makes you feel the urge to create something. Start being critical of the state of mind you get in when you’re consuming — are you watching Netflix to shut your brain off and mindlessly consume? Are you scrolling TikTok to do the same thing? Or do you seek out media that inspires you, that lights a fire under you, that spurs you to action? If you’re feeling a lull in your creativity, if you’re tending toward burnout, all I’m saying is that part of the problem might be the way you’re consuming — not necessarily your creative process in general.
Systemizing your creative business
Speaking of the creative process — you should have one.
I’m sorry, I’m that guy that systemizes creativity. I know, I know — you want freedom and whimsy and inspiration, you’re an arteest.
But actually, I’m sorry, you’re the one who has made your creativity your job. You have a responsibility, for the sake of the health of your business and your own sanity, to come up with systems and frameworks to exist within so that the WORK part of your work can get done and then your creativity can flourish. Structure breeds creativity, I promise.
Here’s another writing example: Have you ever tried writing long form content, like an easy or a blog post, and the blinking cursor on the blank page was just way too overwhelming and you couldn’t write anything at all? Have you tried outlining instead? Have you tried setting a timer and brain dumping? Having something, ANYTHING on the page helps you write faster, spoiler alert. Take this podcast, for example — if I didn’t have a framework… it would never get done. Ever. I have an intro and outro format that provides structure. I usually have a topic, and then I set a timer for five minutes to brain dump points. I then bold those points and consider them mini topics. The one we’re on right now is “systemizing your creative business.” Then, I set ten minute timers to write without judgement under every bolded point. Just throwing up words on the page, everything I think about the bolded point. The timer puts the pressure on for work, but it takes it off for the words sounding good — I’m literally just typing how I talk.
Afterward, I edit and then when I’m recording I’m likely to riff a bit and expand on some things, but the process and structure BREEDS the creativity. The freedom of a blank page just causes paralyzation and overthinking and procrastination. This applies to all creative work, I really believe that.
We like to romanticize creativity, and trust me, I believe there’s plenty of room for the romantic side of creation…but it isn’t all that. It’s work. It’s process.
Experimenting when you make money from your creativity
Now, back to the main point of this episode, experimenting when you make money from your creativity. Is it possible to stay creative, to experiment, to grow, to innovate when you have paying customers and clients that expect a certain thing from you?
Sure. But with caveats.
You do need to deliver work that’s consistent with your portfolio but idk there’s nothing wrong with putting weird experimental artsy shit alongside that other work — this is honestly where being a human comes in and curating your personal branding to make people expect that out of you. During sessions when I’m trying something new I’m literally like “k imma get a lil weird now” and then I lay on the ground usually for some dope ass sick ass angles idk, also the original question that made me think of this topic in the first place was about double exposures and creative edits for video and how I use fractals… you guys, I’m not techy or particularly talented or anything, I try weird shit and have fun and figure out how to stay sane in my job — I don’t ask for permission to try things out or over research or over think, if I want to do something and I don’t know how to do it then I Google it and then just freaking do it, creativity is NOT THAT SERIOUS — if you feel anxious about a client complaining about the experimental stuff you delivered alongside the regular stuff, here’s a fun blanket response, this is for photographers but feel free to shift it to whatever creative service you do: Oh my goodness, I’m so thrilled you loved some of the photos in your gallery more than others! It’s such a huge brand value of mine to deliver content that is consistent with the rest of my portfolio and I’m over the moon you found a few in your gallery that suit you — I also understand you noticed the experimental stuff I included! How fun are those!? Thanks so much for letting me get weird during our session, it keeps me creative! You’ll prolly see the fun ones on my social media, and I’m so pumped to see what you do with the others! Message me when you print them so I can see!
See how I’m coming from a place of positivity, of service, and reminding my client that they don’t have to love every photo in the gallery and I’m fulfilling my contractual obligation by delivering the amount of photos promised in my signature style? There’s no need to be defensive because you didn’t do anything wrong.
If you absolutely do not want to get weird with clients, then you need to style your own shoots and get creative on your own time. The only thing I’ll say to this is I do have a friend who does this often and then shoots and edits super clean with her real clients but thennnnn sometimes feels frustrated that she doesn’t book more creative clients. See the disconnect there?
In conclusion, you guys, creativity isn’t serious idk why we make it life or death, I don’t mean to be blase about your insecurities but maybe that’s something you need — like idk, nobody needs what we do and we aren’t performing surgery or anything and I don’t think you need to overthink this just create create create and put pretty things into the world and weird things and things maybe only you will like because we’re going to die eventually, maybe soon, and your legacy shouldn’t be cookie cutter generic bullshit. Was that helpful?
I’ve been talking about Liz Gilbert too much, I sound like a fangirl and I’m sorry, but there was this great moment in her podcast she used to do where she and her guest, I’m so sorry I don’t remember the exact context — but they were talking about a musician they loved that put out this batshit album that sounded nothing like his previous work, and the guest hated it but then came to admire it because it was experimental and weird and he acknowledged that he wasn’t put on this earth to be a song writer monkey. A modern day example would be Ed Sheeran — I know he’s kinda considered white bread as far as singer song writers go but I do find him brilliant, and he put out that collaboration album where every song was a collab and nothing fit together and it was experimental and odd, and truly I think I skip every song when it comes up on shuffle because it’s just not my thing but — goddamn, good for you Ed Sheeran. You aren’t my song writer monkey.
And to you, my dear listener — you aren’t a factory. You aren’t a photography monkey or a jewelry designer monkey or a painter monkey or a graphic design monkey or any kind of monkey at all besides the bit of genetic makeup we share with monkeys, you’re a creative being. You make money from your creativity so you have contractual obligations and an obligation to your clients to produce work they hired you to do with the expectation that it will look similar to your other work, but other than that? It’s not that serious. You WON capitalism, you’re making money out of nothing, out of things you make. You make a living with creativity. You survive and feed yourself by playingggg — you have to nurture that bit of you that needs to create, to play, to be free so you can avoid burnout and keep winning. Hooray, you’re doing the thing, friend, now don’t ruin it by getting too serious. You’re not a monkeyyyy.
I’m dying, that whole metaphor didn’t really work but ya know? I’m trusting that the spirit behind it might. Leave it to me to mix creativity with competition, you’ve unlocked the exact reason I’m exhausting to everyone who loves me.
hey, photog friend!
If you’ve been wanting to learn videography with the gear you already own, I have a free guide just for you!
31: Online marketing for creative business in 2022
Online marketing for creative business in 2022
calling all photographers!
join me for my FREE masterclass: HOW TO UPLEVEL YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS USING VIDEO
EVERYTHING you need to know about integrating video into your photography biz without buying new equipment, getting super techy, or wasting your precious time!
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN…
1. Why video is KING online, AKA why YOU should incorporate video into your business strategy
2. The leg up that hybrid shooters have in the photo + video industries and why it IS possible to learn with your existing equipment
3. Action steps you can take RIGHT NOW toward incorporating video content!
Online marketing for creative business in 2022
psssttt…
join us in the Facebook group, your space for talking all things creativity + business!
Online marketing for creative business in 2022
Hellloooo and welcome back to the Montana Diaries Podcast, on today’s episode I’m going to be talking allll about online marketing for creative entrepreneurs in 2022. I get asked about this topic allll the freaking time, but this episode is a special shout out to Whitney Jones, who suggested this topic in the Montana Diaries Podcast Facebook Group! Soooo here’s your reminder to join the group — you can post about anything related to business or creativity, and also ask questions that will be turned into episodes.
WHY I THINK SEO AND MARKETING ARE IMPORTANT/A CONSTANT CONVERSATION IN THE CREATIVE BUSINESS SPACE
Ahhhh, marketing for creative business. Listen, I know it’s easily the sexiest and most fun thing about creative business — everyone wants to try allll of the tips and tricks when it comes to marketing because it’s fun and it feels like a needle mover, but let me encourage you right at the top of this episode to dedicate yourself to figuring out what it would take to be SUCCESSFUL with marketing.
Becauseeeee I feel like a lot of creative business owners make marketing their jobs. Like, every day. And let the actual business things fall to the side.
I also know that social media strategy dominates the marketing conversation but here’s one hard truth: likes and followers and comments don’t move the needle forward in your business. Followers are not clients.
PEOPLE LOVE TALKING ABOUT MARKETING BUT NOT ABOUT SELLING LOL
People love talking about marketing, but not so much about selling. I’ve heard it all — that selling feels icky, that you don’t want to bug people, that it’s rude.
Can we please just act like a business and make money a simpleeeee math equation for a second? How much is your main offer? How much money do you need to make in a year? How many sales is it to reach that amount? Perf, that’s how many people you need to convert into clients or buyers. Everyone wants 10,000 followers but you don’t freaking need 10,000 clients — hopefully just being armed with the knowledge of what your real number is can empower you to serve those people. Now let’s get into my marketing suggestions for you to implement in 2022.
Now, to the actual selling bit: We have to get it out of our heads that selling is icky — you have a produce or service with value. Presenting your offer is valuable to the buyers who need or want your product. Good marketing will get your product or service in front of the people who want to buy it.
Here’s an example: When I was looking for a lifestyle photographer to photograph my newborn in our home, I could not freaking find one. I was searching hashtags like #missoulanewbornlifestyle #missoulalifestylephotographer and #missoulanewbornphotographer and nobodyyyyy was blatantly advertising what I was looking for. I feel like in-home lifestyle photographers have to exist, but they weren’t selling to me. It wouldn’t have been icky or salesy for them to figure out how to get in front of me — it would have been HELPFUL to me.
So what the heck are these lifestyle photographers doing? Slapping up random IG or Facebook posts every day without ever taking the time to talk about their offers? Where is the strategy to get in front of me? Maybe they’re marketing every day, but are they strategizing? Are they selling?
HERE ARE MY SUGGESTIONS FOR OTHER CREATIVE BUSINESS OWNERS IN 2022
Define your offers really well so that you know exactly the types of buyers you’re trying to get in front of.
Don’t make your social strategy the be-all-end-all of your business — being active on social media is great, but you don’t own social media platforms and they can go away at any time. Instead, I suggest implementing a content marketing strategy that can be repurposed across platforms. I talk about this a tonnnn in the episode we just did on batching, so be sure to go check it out — the link is in the shownotes
SEO — Search engine optimization, bb. Soooo taking the steps to figure out how to make your offer as searchable as humanly possible — I do this with weekly blog posts packed with key words I’d like to rank for on Google. The most helpful way to this I’ve found involves video, so if you’d like a more in-depth explanation on that then pleaseeee feel free to snag my free resource at montanadiaries.com/learnvideo ! I can also do an episode on this strategy in the future if you want that, so let me know.
Referrals — Past clients + customers can be a huuugggeee asset, so serve the heck out of them and ASK for their reviews and for them to tell their friends about you. Sometimes an email or a text can get you leads right away — people want to support you, especially if you serve them well. On the other side of this, there could be other businesses that work well with your product or service. Do strategic collaborations or ask them how YOU CAN SERVE THEM in exchange for their referral.
Paid ads — I’ve always been a huge believer in Facebook ads, but I’m diving a bit deeper into TikTok and Pinterest in 2022. My thing with ads is that if they’re converting, then there really isn’t any amount of money that I wouldn’t spend on them.
Other — Other ideas I’ve heard of include getting your brochures or magazines into other businesses that make sense, a photographer in the Facebook group said she’s trying out putting her canvases in businesses in hospitals as displayed artwork, it’s always a good idea to show your face in your community so trade shows and pop ups are always a great idea. But I’m including this “other” category because I’d loovveee to hear from YOU about out of the box marketing strategies you’ve tried or you want to try, so go to the Facebook community and let us know what you’re cooking up and how it’s going!
WHAT I’M FOCUSING ON IN MY BUSINESS FOR MARKETING
Soooo, I thought it might be helpful and maybe a lil fun to take my business through the six steps I just covered so you can see what I’m focusing on marketing wise in 2022.
So, if number 1 is defining my offers — my main offer is elopement videography and photography, with my secondary offers being smaller multimedia sessions like couples and engagements and some branding work. I know how many elopements I need to reach my financial goals, so everything I do for content marketing is focused on serving my elopement audience and reaching that amount of sales. Butttt for my smaller offers, I’ll mostly engage on stories or ask friends in the areas I’m targeting to help me spread the word about specials. I’ll talk a bit more about this in a future episode because I have some segmented financial goals this year making me take on more random sessions. On the education side of the business, my main offer is my course Videography for Photographers and the mentorship calls for creative entrepreneurs.
Point two is where I said don’t make social media the entirety of your strategy, and so what I do is I make sure to have one piece of original content per week on my website that I then repurpose for social media — you can hear all about my content batching strategy in the last episode of the pod. I’ll link it in the show notes — buttt, basically, for the elopement side this might be a blog post about how to pick a destination location for your adventure elopement — soooo, then, I would make IG posts and TiKToks/Reels that steal points from the blog post that week. I might have a YouTube video that goes along with it that gets posted to YouTube, maybe I cut up that video for the other socials. I’ll have pinterest graphics that lead back to the blog post. See what I mean? Make one piece of original content that serves the overarching goal, which is serving potential buyers of your main offering. Strategy driven doesn’t have to mean complicated.
SEO — my SEO plan relies pretty heavily on my blog content and putting in words and phrases that I want to rank in search for. Northwest Montana, elopement videography, video education, Glacier National Park, photography course — these are all example. My biggest SEO tip that serves me well is integrating YouTube videos on my website that contain titles that I want to rank in search for, like Glacier National Park Elopement Videographer. Learn more about this strategy in a free class I host at montanadiaries.com/learnvideo!
4 is referrals and I’m lucky to have incredible couples on the service side of my business who do tend to tag me and talk me up to their friends. Honestly, though, it’s really my vendor relationships that do the most as far as referrals go and I take my vendor relationships really really seriously — I always always always come from a place of service with other vendors. I send them content from our shoots, I offer head shots when I see them on location, I try to gas them up on social media. On the education side of the business, I’m diligent about collecting reviews and using the heck out of those reviews in everything educational I do, like this podcast! I also run affiliate launches where affiliates get a commission for referring people to my paid offerings.
Paid ads — I would love to do a follow up on this point in a couple of months when I have some data to share, so let me know if that’s something you want! I’m going to be running TikTok ads and Pinterest ads for the education side of my business, but I can absolutely do the same thing for the photo/video side to test out some methods for you guys.
Number 6 was the “other” category, and while I don’t really do in-person markets as much anymore, I am testing out the “OPP” strategy with other people’s platforms — this basically just means pitching to get on other people’s podcasts as much as possible to expand our reach.
hey, photog friend!
If you’ve been wanting to learn videography with the gear you already own, I have a free guide just for you!
26: 5 steps to systemizing your content strategy!
5 steps to systemizing your content strategy! We’re talking alllll about batching, friend.
“Instagram is no longer a photo sharing app.”
When head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said that via an IGTV video this summer, I watched as photographers freaked the eff out on photography Facebook groups, on their stories, and yepppp my DMs.
Sooo… I wrote a free guide for YOU, photog friend. This guide is a DEEP DIVE into video marketing for photographers — not only do I provide tangible, actionable strategy for batching video content for YouTube, IGTV, Facebook, TikTok, and Reels, but I take the time to discuss the WHY of it all. Aannndddd this isn’t one of those guides where I throw up information on you that you have no hope of implementing during your busy photo season — I’m a working videographer and photographer, so I freaking get the struggle to implement a content creation strategy. As always, I’m here to meet you where you’re at with what you have
5 steps to systemizing your content strategy!
psssttt…
join us in the Facebook group, your space for talking all things creativity + business!
Let’s talk batching.
When I batch content, that means I’m aware of what I’m trying to DO with my content during the time period I’m batching for. I know exactly when I’m posting it and why I’m posting it. It’s brainless and emotionless by the time I actually post — soooo this helps me be process oriented rather than product oriented. When you’re process oriented, you’re carrying out the system without worrying about the result. If I were to create and post in real time every day, I might get discouraged by video views or other vanity metrics and not post the next day because my brain would say, what’s the point? Butttt since everything is done, I’m removed from emotions about the product and I’ll instead just focus on the process of carrying out the system. The content is batched and done — I just need to finish the process by posting.
WHY I BELIEVE IN BATCH CREATING CONTENT
So, to begin this episode on batch creating content I want to start by explaining a bit about WHY I believe so strongly in batching. I’ve tried it both ways, friend — I’ve flown by the seed of my pants with my business and I’ve batched and planned like a crazy person, and the second method is how things freaking get done.
I lack focus, I get really emotionally attached to results, and my mental health goes in wavessss and all of these things are a freaking recipe for disaster if there aren’t systems in place. Sooo what does it mean to have batching a part of your system? Batching is the process of grouping like tasks together and just getting them all done at once — so when it comes to batching content, this means producing a tonnnn of content all at once and having a plan for when it gets put out and what the purpose of the content is.
When I batch content, that means I’m aware of what I’m trying to DO with my content during the time period I’m batching for. I know exactly when I’m posting it and why I’m posting it. It’s brainless and emotionless by the time I actually post — soooo this helps me be process oriented rather than product oriented. When you’re process oriented, you’re carrying out the system without worrying about the result. If I were to create and post in real time every day, I might get discouraged by video views or other vanity metrics and not post the next day because my brain would say, what’s the point? Butttt since everything is done, I’m removed from emotions about the product and I’ll instead just focus on the process of carrying out the system. The content is batched and done — I just need to finish the process by posting.
So, productivity and systems and efficiency wise, batching is great because it’s a better use of my time. Mental health wise, batching is great because it removes emotion from the result and doesn’t require much energy when it comes time to actually post.
Next, we’ll get into the actual steps to batching content, and that’s also where we’ll talk about another benefit of batching — which is being super focused and strategy driven with the actual content you’re batching.
STEPS TO BATCHING CONTENT
I’m adopting a strategy that I’m adapting from one of my mentors in business, Amy Porterfield — she teaches to make 1 piece of original content per week, and I’ve found this serves me really well when it comes to serving my audience.
Define the time period you’re batching for — start monthly, it’ll feel more manageable — you can work up to quarterly later if monthly batching feels easy. So, basically, if you’re sitting down to write a month of content — that’s one per week, so about four pieces of amazing original content. That’s not too bad, right!?
Reverse engineering what we’re trying to sell — so basically defining our money makers and promotions that will be going on during the time period we’re batching for. Like, in July, I don’t think I’ll be trying to push my course much for wedding photographers because they’ll be in the middle of their busy season — it wouldn’t make much sense to target them, they’re too busy for a course. Instead, I might write content aimed at branding photographers.
Brain dumping ways to serve customers and potential customers — this goes hand in hand with the above point, obviously, but goes a little deeper into brainstorming ways you can SERVE the people you ARE talking to. If we go with the first example, I want to create content that serves brand photographers? Well, I could talk about ways brand photographers could be upselling video, how video helps their clients and would be attractive, ways to do it that won’t be much extra work, how they can position themselves as the expert for THEIR clients, etc. I would make a big list like that and you know what? A lot of the ideas won’t be good, but my page won’t be empty anymore and the rest of the process will be much easier.
Big piece of content > aim for 1 per week
Brain dump what goes into that piece of content — I’m working on having frameworks for mine, which I’ll get into later
Set a timer and write poorly!
Set another timer to edit
Have a system for repurposing those big, juicy pieces of content across platforms. That’s right — noooo more content made just for social media. Your piece of original content for that week can easilllyyyy be made into social media posts for the week that will work everywhere, with a little bit of tuning up.
hey, photog friend!
If you’ve been wanting to learn videography with the gear you already own, I have a free guide just for you!
22: Selling a hand made creative product w/ Hannah Lorenzen
On episode 22 of the Montana Diaries Podcast, I’m chatting with Hannah Lorenzen, the Missoula-based owner of Han-MadeWithLove — she makes stunning clay jewelry and it’s so freaking unique, you guys, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I hired Hannah to design pieces to go in my welcome boxes for my wedding and elopement clients and I am absolutely blown away by the care she put into each design. I knew I had to get her on the pod to tell you about her process. If you’ve been wanting to sell a creative product but you’re not sure where to start, this is a great episode with a heart-centered approach from Hannah...but, yeah, I mostly just want to hype this woman up so that you go freaking check her out. Make your dollars mean something this holiday season — shop local, shop small.
“Instagram is no longer a photo sharing app.”
When head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said that via an IGTV video this summer, I watched as photographers freaked the eff out on photography Facebook groups, on their stories, and yepppp my DMs.
Sooo… I wrote a free guide for YOU, photog friend. This guide is a DEEP DIVE into video marketing for photographers — not only do I provide tangible, actionable strategy for batching video content for YouTube, IGTV, Facebook, TikTok, and Reels, but I take the time to discuss the WHY of it all. Aannndddd this isn’t one of those guides where I throw up information on you that you have no hope of implementing during your busy photo season — I’m a working videographer and photographer, so I freaking get the struggle to implement a content creation strategy. As always, I’m here to meet you where you’re at with what you have
HANNAH LORENZEN: Creating a handmade product, finding her style, and learning to sell
psssttt…
join us in the Facebook group, your space for talking all things creativity + business!
meet han
montana girl with big dreams | “Han-madewithlove began in Missoula, MT in June of 2020. I have loved all things crafty since the age of seven where I made soap and sold it outside my house from a little stand. It's only fitting that I now (han)d-make and sell clay items. The selection of handmade clay items and fashion items include; stunning trendy pieces, quality items that are made to last, pieces that fit any budget, and most importantly inclusive pieces for all sizes and shapes. I take the process of finding and creating pieces that inspire and uplift my customers very seriously. My goal is to make everyone feel loved when they wear han-madewithlove. Our customer service team will make sure that your expectations are not just met, but exceeded.”
HANNAH LORENZEN
On episode 22 of the Montana Diaries Podcast, I’m chatting with Hannah Lorenzen, the Missoula-based owner of Han-MadeWithLove — she makes stunning clay jewelry and it’s so freaking unique, you guys, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I hired Hannah to design pieces to go in my welcome boxes for my wedding and elopement clients and I am absolutely blown away by the care she put into each design. I knew I had to get her on the pod to tell you about her process. If you’ve been wanting to sell a creative product but you’re not sure where to start, this is a great episode with a heart-centered approach from Hannah...but, yeah, I mostly just want to hype this woman up so that you go freaking check her out. Make your dollars mean something this holiday season — shop local, shop small.
hand made in missoula
Hannah’s hand-made clay earrings are inspired by a mixture of western and bohemian style — they reflect Missoula itself.
Hannah is multi-passionate and extremely creative — she has a heart-centered approach to business that relies heavily on word of mouth in the Montana communities she serves. We chatted about her design process and what it is to create for clients vs.creating for oneself.
Hannah opened up about finding confidence with both her style and with clients’ feedback. She has a distinct style that attracts wholesale and custom orders, and those projects can cause anxiety because she is so focused on making the products beautiful and in the clients’ vision. She emphasizes the importance of communication and providing a timeline.
hey, photog friend!
If you’ve been wanting to learn videography with the gear you already own, I have a free guide just for you!