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Episode 93: Balancing Business and Creativity
214 Plays5 years ago
Today’s guest is luxury, destination Wedding and Editorial Photographer, KT Merry. It's an interview I've been really excited for, because Krista and I have both admired her work for so long. If you're not familiar with her work, right now you should pull up both KT Merry and Render Loyalty on Instagram to see what I mean.
We discuss all sorts of topics in this episode from her journey as a photographer, defining your why, to the start of Render Loyalty. And as expected, she provides a lot of great insight in this episode. I particularly appreciated her thoughts around being more proactive when it comes to both business and creativity.
As a quick aside, if you're a photographer interested in learning from KT, you want to check out her course The Abundance Plan, which you can learn more about on her website.
For the show notes, go to https://daveyandkrista.com/btb-kt-merry-episode-93/
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Transcript
Introduction & Katie's Background
00:00:05
Speaker
I've always set my sights high. I think that was number one. Like I said, if I was going to go to school, I was going to go to Columbia. If I was going to do this, I kind of approach life that way that if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it to the highest level of excellence that I can. And so when I chose wedding photography, I certainly set my sights high from the beginning.
00:00:27
Speaker
Welcome to the Brands at Book Show, where we help creative service-based businesses build their brands and find more clients. I'm your host, Davy Jones.
00:00:39
Speaker
Today's guest is luxury destination wedding and editorial photographer, Katie Mary. It's an interview I've been really excited for because Chris and I have both admired her work for so long. If you're not familiar with her work right now, you should pull up both Katie Mary and Rendered Loyalty on Instagram to see what I mean.
00:00:57
Speaker
We discuss all sorts of topics in this episode from her journey as a photographer, to finding your why, to the start of render loyalty. And as expected, she provides a lot of great insight in this episode. I particularly appreciated her thoughts around being more proactive when it comes to both business and creativity. As a quick aside, if you're a photographer interested in learning from KT, you'll want to check out her course, The Abundance Plan, which you can learn more about on her website.
00:01:25
Speaker
Be sure to check out the show notes at DavyandChrista.com for the resources we mentioned during the episode, and I want to hear from you. Let me know what kind of content you'd like to see on the Brands that Book Podcast. To leave your feedback, head on over to the DavyandChrista Facebook page and send us a message. You can also DM us on Instagram at DavyandChrista. Now, on to the episode.
00:01:49
Speaker
Katie Mary, welcome to the Brancet book podcast.
High School to Art School
00:01:53
Speaker
I'm really excited to have you on. I've been following along for a long time now, but I don't really feel like I know the backstory and how you got started. In my eyes, you've always just been one of the best in the world, right? So I'm really excited to dig into your story a little bit. Really excited to have you on the podcast. So welcome. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. And thank you for being along for the journey. I appreciate it.
00:02:15
Speaker
We start every episode hearing a little bit about our guest entrepreneurial background. So I'd love to jump in and chat a little bit about how you got started, what drew you to photography, where you got started. You know, I know that you're not just a wedding photographer. You're also an editorial photographer and you've just built this incredible brand. And I'd also love to wrap up the episode by chatting a little bit about render loyalty as well. So if you're listening, stay tuned for that because that's something that I think one of my favorite aspects of your photography to follow along with. But where'd you get started?
00:02:45
Speaker
I like to say that photography really found me. It was a military brat, so I moved around quite a bit as a kid and I ended up where I went to high school in northern Nevada, just down the hill from Lake Tahoe and kind of a rural cow town. And I was lucky enough that we had a photography program at my high school with the real dark room and the whole nine yards way back when.
00:03:07
Speaker
And my photography teacher kind of took an interest in me. And even though I wasn't part of what they call VICA, which back then, I don't know if it still is, it was Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, a really cool program that focused on the trades, everything from auto mechanics to welding to photography, you name it. And it was kind of to build those trades. And then they did these competitions. And so they had a yearly competition and she said, Hey, come to the competition. You're not part of it, but I'll kind of sneak in. So I said, great, I want to go to Las Vegas, of course.
00:03:36
Speaker
So I went to the competition at the state level in Las Vegas and won that competition in photography. And that back then was you did everything from spotting, which for our younger photographers is actually like a paintbrush and ink and you that's old school retouching to going out in the streets and shooting. And there was portfolio review, you know, a lot of different things. And.
Fashion to Wedding Photography
00:03:55
Speaker
So what that meant at state levels. And I went to a national competition, which I was excited about because it meant another trip in Kansas city. And I was the runner up at a national competition. And I think this was my junior year of high school. So I ended up with a full ride to two different art schools. And at the time I wasn't considering art school. I was looking at regular colleges and kind of from one thing at the same time, I kind of found out I also didn't have a college fund. And so.
00:04:23
Speaker
It kind of just worked out that it ended up being where I was able to go to an art school, a photography school in Western Massachusetts. And before you know it, it was like, well, I guess I'm going to become a photographer. So I went to photography school, finished that. And back then, this was when weddings were really, really not cool. They were ballrooms with white covered chairs or this was pre-digital as well. I'm really dating myself now.
00:04:48
Speaker
So I wanted to be a fashion photographer. And so I left there and ended up going and working for fashion photographers in New York, later Miami and LA and spent five years assisting fashion photographers. And through that period is when digital was really born. I was lucky enough to work for a lot of really progressive photographers, one of being a German photographer down here in Miami, who the very first Kodak camera that came out was a 35 millimeter expensive, but clunker.
00:05:16
Speaker
We were using that for fashion like right when it came out. So we just started using that along with shooting film. And so I really learned it as it was being born. And eventually in that industry became a digital tech, which is kind of monitoring the computer. You know, as the fashion photographer shooting, I even did some production and assistant styling. I kind of did the whole gamut.
00:05:38
Speaker
It's really where I think I got some of my education in photography school, but that five years that I spent is really when I learned not only lighting and the industry, but also I got a good lesson in hustle because being a photo assistant, it's a really male dominated industry. It's a lot of heavy lifting, a lot of lugging heavy equipment around. And so I just made it my mission to excel at that and did that for about five years before I got this urge and really realized it was time to go out and shoot on my own.
00:06:06
Speaker
how that kind of happened leaping into weddings was also through those relationships in fashion where I started shooting for some of the different people that I knew through that. And before you know it, I was a full time wedding photographer and actually had to kind of start turning down those fashion jobs. And are you shooting any fashion at the
Blending Fashion with Bridal Work
00:06:24
Speaker
moment? It's funny because I kind of then
00:06:26
Speaker
went full tilt into weddings back then and about, you know, a decade or so later kind of also realized I have so much influence. It's really so much of what I bring to weddings and I love it so much. And so I've made a conscious effort to kind of get back into that. And last year we shot the campaign for Monique Lillier and are doing more of that type of mainly with bridal designers, but I really love doing that type of work as well. So it's kind of now the hybrid of the two worlds together.
00:06:54
Speaker
It's so interesting how all of that comes together into what you're doing now. Do you feel like because there's still vocational tech, at least there was, you know, I was a high school teacher before getting into the creative industry, but I don't remember really photography being part of it. So I think that's pretty unique. I remember, of course, like the whole mechanic side of things, but I don't remember there being a photo specific route. Do you feel like you still would have pursued photography had your teacher not snuck you into that competition?
00:07:20
Speaker
Yeah, it's so funny to think about because I always say it really chose me and I really had my heart set and it's one of the things that I still, you know, really kind of wish I had had the traditional four year college experience. And, you know, I didn't want just any old, I wanted to go to Columbia University and live in New York, or, you know, one of these things that clearly, A, I didn't go to a nice enough high school to be able to get into schools like that or have the money to do it. But that's really, I wanted the full.
00:07:49
Speaker
learning experience. I love knowledge and learning and I really envisioned all that for myself. So I was considering studying like zoology at the time because I have, as you know, a big passion for animals and Jane Goodall is one of my idols. And so I like to think that I would have kind of ended up there, but it certainly would have looked a lot different. And I think that those vocational programs or I don't know what they look like today. They're so important because once you have that trade,
00:08:16
Speaker
you can always fall back on that regardless of economy or anything like that. So I'm very grateful that even my small town had that and also a good teacher that kind of took me under her wing and kind of nudged me in the right direction. Yeah, that's awesome. That's incredible how much of an impact one little decision by your teacher you could have on
Influences & Global Experience
00:08:35
Speaker
the rest of your life. As far as and just out of curiosity, what branch of the military was your dad in?
00:08:39
Speaker
So my dad was Navy assigned a Marine Corps, which means he actually went into the military right out of high school and started in different programs. But ultimately when I was about eight or nine decided he was going to go back in and become a top gun pilot. So he actually went to Top Gun in Pensacola. After that, we moved from California to Japan and he was a Top Gun instructor there. And he's what they call a flight surgeon, which means he's a doctor.
00:09:07
Speaker
but also a pilot, so he kind of flies around with these guys and he's technically Navy, but we lived on Marine Corps bases. My dad actually went to the Naval Academy, so also Navy into the Marine Corps, but was a supply officer, so we moved around quite a bit when I was younger. But anyways, jumping back into the photography side of things, you shoot around the world, you know, it seems like you've been to all sorts of different places, some of the most beautiful places in the world to shoot.
00:09:30
Speaker
You have an incredible client roster. I'm not sure if you can share even all the different people that you've worked with. You've been featured, it seems like, everywhere. Like I said, you're considered one of the top photographers in the world. So, I'd love to hear just a little bit about maybe some of the things you did along the way that you feel were pivotal in getting you there. Maybe even some of the mistakes that you see others make or that you've made yourself along the way that you wish if you could go back. Maybe I'd do it a little bit differently.
00:09:58
Speaker
Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for that nice intro. I've always set my sights high. I think that was number one. Like I said, if I was going to go to school, I was going to go to Columbia or if I was going to do this, I kind of approach life that way that if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it too.
Advice for Aspiring Photographers
00:10:13
Speaker
the highest level of excellence that I can. When I chose wedding photography, I certainly set my sights high from the beginning. For me, what that started out looking like was looking around and looking at the most progressive, the best in the industry. I was also lucky when I was starting that there was a massive shift. This was right when blogs were born, Style Me Pretty came onto the scene, all these things.
00:10:36
Speaker
There was a lot of room to kind of try things where we're a little more saturated today. So I feel like that opportunity to stand out has gotten a little bit more difficult, but I was really in this space where I could take big risks and they could potentially kind of take me leaps and bounds. So I absolutely did that. I harnessed all the resources that I had back then that looked like calling up the locations where I used to, I spent many a days as a photo assistant on their beach, dragging equipment up and down and said, Hey, I want to come do a photo shoot.
00:11:05
Speaker
called up the makeup artist who I'm a buddy with and the stylist who I'm friends with and, you know, put together just the same way we would in fashion, a test as you will, which meant stuff for my portfolio. So that way I could actually show what I could do and what I wanted to do with my wedding work. And that's what everyone does in the fashion world. And I just applied it to weddings. And for me, that was showing a Bali inspired shoot in Isla Marotta, Florida, which was not Bali, but clearly my aspiration was to get to Bali and I eventually did. So,
00:11:33
Speaker
So that was the one thing is not being short sighted and to really being able to take those risks and start building that foundation. And I think I also really felt early on that I had to make my work top notch in order to be top notch. And I think one of the mistakes most photographers make and I certainly did was
00:11:52
Speaker
I was so focused on the great work, which you absolutely, you have to be so good at your trade. You know, you can't be the best sculptor if you're sculpting shoddy, you know? So you've got to get the trade down and keep improving it. And I don't think that ever stops. I know I'm certainly always going like, how am I going to light this better and trying to learn that and those types of things. But you also have to build that strong foundation. And it took me seven, eight years before I really started going, huh?
00:12:17
Speaker
I should probably look at my profit and loss sheet more and I should build a healthier business. And I was lucky that I partnered up with an accountant right when I started. So I was an S corp and things like that. I had a lot of those things right, but certainly it took me a while to actually really take an interest in those for myself and my business. And that's something that I think so many people make that mistake. Also, one of the things that I know that I didn't do so well as I had kind of aspirations, I'd like to be on the cover of this magazine or
00:12:47
Speaker
I'd like to shoot in this location and things like that, but it wasn't really a deep goal centered around like, well, what does that mean when I'm on the cover of that magazine? Where am I taking the business and what do I want to do with this? So it took me a while because I got to that point where I did those things and then I kind of looked up and was like, okay, now what? So versus already having that longer runway. And I think it, I could have probably gotten places faster if I had already kind of thought beyond that.
00:13:12
Speaker
One of the pieces that I want to talk about, just unpacking a little bit of that, especially your technical background, being a photo assistant, learning the hustle side of the industry for that five years. At least a lot of photographers I know, this is certainly true for us. The way that we got into it was we had a camera and we started taking pictures, but there wasn't ever that formal technical training.
00:13:31
Speaker
And even though a lot of it, you might consider it informal, but it was actually being on set and you probably learned just as much as you did in school through that experience. Do you have any advice for people even in terms of just how to get some of that experience without maybe necessarily having to intern in New York or be a photo assistant in New York? It's so interesting that you ask that because
00:13:51
Speaker
I'm so passionate about assisting and working for other people and doing that, I can't press upon it enough. Even when I was a photo assistant for fashion photographers, I was also then side hustling and I started out second shooting weddings and then associate shooting weddings, which means, you know, they would essentially book that photographer and send me, I'd shoot it, I'd hand over my card and, you know, get paid a thousand bucks or whatever it was.
00:14:16
Speaker
And that's how I got to learn. That's where I, I really got to cut my teeth and just shoot away and get feedback. Cause then the photographer would say, Hey, well next time, you know, I really need you to do more of this and more of that. So that was number one. And then even still to this day, it was a couple of years ago, I went up to New York and I was the intern for the day onset as the fourth assistant for, uh, Alexi Lumeriski. I've worked recently in the last four years with Patrick de Marcellier again as an assistant and
00:14:46
Speaker
That's just because I'm never going to give up an opportunity to be on the set with icons who are so amazing. So just being in their radius, I think that's the thing. If you can get out there and second shoot or associate shoot, we know that repetition, the more you can practice, the more you can do what you need to do, you're going to get better at it. So a lot of photographers, especially.
00:15:09
Speaker
Right now, we're seeing a period due to this virus where there's a lot of people aren't able to work. I would absolutely be using this time to put out feelers to photographers that you admire or you'd like to work for and say, hey, I'm available. I'd love to second shoot for you, you know, whenever your schedule allows and just pack your weekends and get out there with your camera as often as you can.
00:15:28
Speaker
That's incredible too coming from somebody like you that you're still not passing up opportunities to go work with other people who you admire in the field. So I think that's really powerful to hear for all of us who are looking to get better at whatever it is we do. A few other things that I want to talk about as well is just setting up some of these tests that you're talking about. Is there a strategy in doing that? And I guess that kind of segues into even talking about getting on the cover of some of these magazines. You said you wish that maybe you had maybe a larger goal or mission for getting published.
00:15:57
Speaker
So could you speak to that a little bit? I think that comes back to intention and that's something I've really learned to focus in on with everything that I do and it's taken me a long time to get that but anything that you do if you don't know the intention or the why behind it and I mean that even as going out to shoot a portrait session or going out to a second shoot a wedding with someone or as simple as you know something
00:16:23
Speaker
It could be even more simple, but everything that you do, knowing, well, what is the intention behind this? Does this relate to the bigger picture that I have, the bigger plan that I have? Is this part of that cog in that puzzle or cog in that wheel? I guess it is. And so one of the things as I'm kind of looking at that cover, so to speak, if I know that that's part of this bigger plan of being a top photographer, that means that I'll then be able to do this with my business and do this with my personal life. And someday.
00:16:52
Speaker
you know, end up on some farm rescuing animals or whatever that may be, then you can kind of tie it all together. And I think it also gives you the motivation when you're kind of at the 10th, 12th hour, the exhaustion is setting in, you can also go back to that intention and remember why you're doing it in the first place. And it kind of gives you a little boost that you need.
Finding Personal Purpose
00:17:11
Speaker
Yeah, would you mind sharing a little bit more about your why and how you came up with that for yourself? I imagine that for people listening, you know, especially when you look at something like render loyalty, right?
00:17:20
Speaker
It's pretty easy, I think, to connect or to say, okay, well, why am I doing this, right? And to look at that purpose. But for people who are starting wedding photography businesses, how do they go about discovering this why to what they're doing beyond just, oh, I can make some pretty good money doing this? I believe everyone has a purpose. There's nothing big or small about anybody's purpose. They just look different for everybody. And for me, I've known forever, first and foremost, conservation animals,
00:17:49
Speaker
Animals were my best friends that I had for the first time. I've loved animals my entire life and kind of grew up with those movies of the rainforest destruction and things like that. And it was always the first thing that, like I said, Jane Goodall is an idol of mine and I've always wanted to do something in that realm.
00:18:06
Speaker
So one of the things that I've kind of discovered through the years that I have this tool now of photography that is a means of telling stories. It's a means of inspiring people. It's a means of connecting people. And so I've really had that light bulb where you go, oh, well, I have this and I have these desires over here. I'm going to kind of bring the two together and have a bigger impact that way. So that's really my purpose has always been to not only
00:18:32
Speaker
of create connection. I believe that we're all connected whether it's me and you and everyone in our country to the bumblebees and you know if the land doesn't thrive that we don't thrive you know we're dependent on all those resources every day just the same way animals are and things like that. So it's this interconnectedness as well as being able to relay a story and also now through teaching other photographers to also
00:18:56
Speaker
help them to thrive more so that they're able to then kind of sustain their business and then get to the point where they're kind of being able to contribute back to. So it's kind of that full circle. As people go about discovering their why, if you have any tips to really starting to define your why, I'd love to hear those for sure. But what are some practical steps that people can start taking to sort of attract more of their ideal client, more people who, you know, maybe this purpose resonates with them?
00:19:22
Speaker
For practical things, one of the things that I've realized when helping to try to find people, so there's some people like me, I've just kind of always known in the back of my head, this is important to me, and it's just gotten clear over time exactly what that's gonna look like, but that's also because I've spent the time of also sitting and thinking about it and literally just sitting and ruminating on, what do I want this to look like? And that's taking pictures of endangered species and becoming a voice for conservation and eventually having a farm with rescue animals and all those things.
00:19:50
Speaker
And so first thing first is if you're totally drawing a blank when it comes to this, often it can be the things that when you were a kid, you really, really loved. And people either told you it wasn't practical or just like, oh yeah, go, you know, play with your idea over there. So sometimes going back to those things that you first loved when you were younger. And then I think just kind of also getting back to what really brings you joy in your life.
00:20:13
Speaker
Is there any connection between defining that and going out and booking clients and getting people to work with you? I don't know specifically about your business because I think even if you took the render loyalty side of things out of it, you still produce beautiful work, right? So people are still going to book you, of course. Do you find that the render loyalty aspect of things is something that really resonates with the clients that you work with?
00:20:36
Speaker
Yeah. And that's a good point in terms of one of the things that I used to really try to do was compartmentalize everything. And I think it's a common thing when you're starting out in business that you want to make it professional and you want to be, have shiny business cards and don't want too much personal. But, and then now it's confusing because with social media, they're like, well, no, put the personal in. And you know, everyone's like, how much is enough? Where is it too much? And so for me, I used to always kind of go, Oh, over here, I'm kind of this tree hugging.
00:21:05
Speaker
conservationists that loves animals, but I'll keep that separate from my photography and high-end weddings and they're separate worlds. And then eventually I think you get far enough along and you just go like, that's just silly. I don't care. This is really what I'm passionate about. And so I've made an effort to bring all those things closer together and infuse them. And they're still totally different missions and customers and who we serve is different, but ultimately they stem from me. And so.
00:21:28
Speaker
One of the things that I've learned is just to kind of embrace those things a little bit more about yourself the things that you might really be passionate about and when you do give back or you do have something that you're passionate about share about it because sometimes even if it touches one person or inspires one person to go out and do some good in the world that's a really great ripple effect and then in terms of kind of clients and finding those right clients.
00:21:51
Speaker
I certainly think it doesn't hurt. And often I have people that mention it or a lot of people that will come back and sometimes with planners, even there's so many different relationships aside from just the client. So many of the people that book me now are coming through planners. And so it's important for those planners. I think that on some level, they like me as a person.
00:22:12
Speaker
And so not only just being nice and being professional and taking good photos, but it's great when we can connect over. Oh, how's your dog doing? You rescued your dog too, and whatever that might be. So I think letting enough of that out there and really deepening those relationships so they're, they're deeper than just a professional relationship where they're just, you know, throwing you out in a list of photographers for their clients to hire.
00:22:34
Speaker
You mentioned that a lot of your weddings are coming through planners. Would you say that sort of at the level you're at right now that most of your weddings come through planners or do people still book you directly?
Building Professional Relationships
00:22:43
Speaker
What does that kind of look like for your business? Yeah, now I would say it's about 80% through planners and that's kind of progressively gone up each year. I would say about the 10-year mark, I could have been maybe 50-50 or something like that. I'm about going into my 14th year of shooting weddings and it's mostly now planners. I think also the industry has grown in that regard that
00:23:04
Speaker
We have kind of blossomed this luxury market that maybe didn't exist 10 years ago. Maybe it was there, but it obviously looked dramatically different. So most of them are going to come through these high-end planners. And that's where not only appealing to the client, because certainly your website needs to speak to them, but you also need to appeal to the planners. And I think a lot of that comes down to reputation, to kind of being that professional, nice person, and also just being a human being that people want to be around.
00:23:33
Speaker
For these planners, do you find that you're working with the same ones pretty frequently? Are you working with a pretty wide variety of planners? Did you do anything, I guess, to build relationships with them? Of course, you know, again, just reputation and being good at what you do is probably first and foremost, what's important. But is there anything beyond that? Yeah, it's kind of a mix. There's certainly planners that I work with a lot.
00:23:56
Speaker
It's great because obviously when you find team members or vendors that you work great with, you want to replicate that experience. And so certainly there are some that we found while we assemble these great teams and we're just like powerhouses when we're all together, we just kind of lift each other up. And then there's certainly a lot of kind of one offer or new planners. And one of the things that I've noticed that photographers should also take note of is there's a lot of planners who are looking to elevate and become top planners. So they quickly realize, well, I need.
00:24:22
Speaker
to have a really good photographer taking these photos. And I need to have really good flowers there. And so they kind of start guiding their clients to have this dream team as well in a response or in a desire to elevate their business. So that's one way to do it. And photographers can do the same thing that you quickly realize. Well, in order to be able to have this kind of portfolio, I need this type of person planning it. So one of the things that I always recommend is making a relationship wish list.
00:24:49
Speaker
kind of based on where you want your brand to go and really deciding who you would love to be able to have the opportunity to work with and then get kind of laser focused on reaching out building those relationships and that is something that I certainly did I had people that I said I need to work with that person and I made it my mission.
00:25:08
Speaker
And so as you make it your mission to work with some of these people, one of the things that I typically advise people against is doing something like reaching out to get coffee, let's say, right? Because it's just the limited time that people have to do that. It feels like you're taking a lot. If you're speaking to sort of an up and coming photographer, how would you recommend them go about maybe catching the eye of a planner and I think maybe even along the same lines?
00:25:31
Speaker
you know somebody who want to learn from you let's say and be like okay my mission life right now is to assist katy mary on a shoot you know to learn a little bit more about what she does what advice do you have to reach out and catch somebody's attention in a way that doesn't feel like i just wanna pick your brain that always comes back down to value.
00:25:48
Speaker
There's always some unique way. And usually it comes down to doing your research that you really need to find out about this person. You need to find out where they're taking their business. And one of the things that I did was even for the existing planners that I work with taking the time to maybe even once a year, pick up the phone and say, Hey, do you have 20 minutes just to talk to me about your business and where you're headed this year and what you're up against? And then all of a sudden you find out that, well, they're redoing their website and they all need new headshots or they need a.
00:26:18
Speaker
feature in a magazine and you happen to know this PR person that knows someone that knows someone that has a contact there and you know all these types of things of just getting creative and it could be as simple as wow you know they're really into baking pies and like your grandmother has this amazing recipe and you send them like a cute note with the recipe just whatever it is just trying to find a means of connection and I think that usually comes back to we're all humans behind these facades of
00:26:44
Speaker
websites and things and Instagram handles that there's an actual person in there that likes certain foods and you know, their favorite dog is this and find out about that and then kind of come at them from that human perspective versus professional to professional and I'm looking to elevate and so are you you know, sometimes it can get too professional.
00:27:01
Speaker
sort of transitioning back to the art side of things, right? And I mean, just the work that you create, right? Even within render loyalty, which you're not necessarily, I mean, I know you sell the prints then result in as donations to different conservation funds, you know, and I don't even know what I'm really trying to ask here outside of like, how you go about creating the art that you create and how you balance that against maybe building a business, right?
Balancing Creativity and Business
00:27:26
Speaker
Because you might have a vision for
00:27:28
Speaker
the work that you want to create but at the same time, you need to book clients. And so, I find that sometimes people get in sort of a rut or this cycle of they take on work that they're not really passionate about or they don't necessarily want to take on. It might not lead to kind of that next thing but at the same time, you have to pay bills and there's costs that are associated with business. So, I mean, I guess just even going kind of back in time in your business, how do you balance those two things?
00:27:55
Speaker
Yeah. And I think we've all been there where you've been burned out or you find yourself shooting something and going, what the heck am I doing here? I mean, I think you're in this long enough and you're going to experience that. And I think in those moments is a lesson. And usually it means that a somewhere along along the lines, you know, you weren't really driving your business in the direction it should go. I like to think a lot of people kind of run a reactionary business where they kind of set up shop, they open the doors.
00:28:21
Speaker
They post the three times a week on social media and they go, okay, now I'm in a way versus really getting after in a proactive approach. And so I think it's one in that mindset changing from reactionary to being proactive. And then also feeding that creativity. There's a great book. It's about to hit its 25th anniversary. It's been around for a long time, obviously called the artist way.
00:28:42
Speaker
And it talks a lot about how, and Elizabeth Gilbert is another one that talks about how your creativity and you can't just kind of ignore it and then go, okay, I'm ready for you to show up and shine. Now go do your thing. And then you put it in the closet again for the next two weeks and then say, okay, now come out and work. And I think that's an important thing to really treat it like a muscle. You're not gonna go out and lift 200 pounds every two weeks and then just call it a day. You're gonna give it attention every single day and eat the right foods and do all those things.
00:29:11
Speaker
And I think our creativity, inspiration, all that is the same way. So one of the things is controlling, being conscious of what you consume. You know, I don't watch scary movies and bad shows and things like that for a certain reason, because I don't want my mind to be filled with that. I'd rather put something more positive or inspirational in there. And so controlling what you consume, being an advocate for your creativity, finding ways even right now, there's always something you can shoot and give yourself an assignment or a project.
00:29:40
Speaker
And those types of things I find really do help you to stay inspired. And then also getting outside of your comfort zone. Anytime that I get a request for something or an idea that comes up and I go, huh, I really don't know how to do that. That kind of scares the shit out of me. You know, what am I going to do? Then I know, well, now I have to do it.
00:29:58
Speaker
And I try to prepare as best as possible. And then I just kick myself in the rear and get out the door and go do it. And I think that's really important to growth. And I know exercise is a big part of your daily routine as well. Do you feel like some combination of those things that even though they're not maybe specifically business related, but you were talking about being careful about what you consume, there's probably all sorts of levels to that in terms of what takes your attention from
00:30:21
Speaker
TV shows and movies and books that you read, but then also probably around what you eat, you know, so what you physically consume, but then also exercise. I feel like all of those things when you make an intentional effort there and you show up in a proactive way, they carry over in other positive aspects of your life. Do you feel like exercise is a big part of that as well for you?
00:30:41
Speaker
Absolutely. It's a little bit like the idea of trying to separate, you know, a professional athlete and saying like, Oh, well, the fact that, you know, he's got this like slight drug addiction over here and his divorce is going on over here, that's not going to affect the performance. It's kind of like that of, I think we would love to be able to say, Oh, you could be a great photographer and then have everything else in shambles, but we know that's not the case. Or if you are great, well, if you picked up all these things and made them excellent, then you would be fantastic. You would take it to the next level.
00:31:09
Speaker
And I know for me, keeping my mind in a positive, abundant mindset, staying healthy and let's get real. What we do is very physical. You know, I have some weddings where we've had two 18 hour days in a row and that is downright physical, especially when you're like me and you have camera ADD. So I've always got like five of them on my shoulders. So really just making that part of it. And I think it's that discipline as well, that.
00:31:34
Speaker
is what has enabled me to sustain and to keep kind of working towards a larger goal. Well, I would love to talk a little bit about Render Loyalty and just kind of where that
Render Loyalty & Conservation Efforts
00:31:43
Speaker
started. Because again, as long as I followed you, that's always been an aspect of your brand. So when did Render Loyalty start? Why did it start? What made you take these steps to actually formally do something that's connected to conservation efforts? Like I said, I've always been passionate about conservation, always been passionate about animals. And it really kind of came as like a strike of lightning. I
00:32:03
Speaker
Typically when I sit down on my computer and start my morning routine, it's emails. I usually click on CNN just to make sure the world's still spinning and there's nothing I should be aware of. And that morning, this was April, 2015. So nearly five years ago, there was a photo and it was the last Northern white rhino in the world named Sudan. And he was being protected by armed Rangers 24 hours a day because he's the last one. And obviously people want to kill him.
00:32:31
Speaker
And I kind of had this mindset and approach like everyone else that I'm working on my business. I'm working really hard so that someday I can be successful, air quotes insert, and I can go out and I can finally impact the things that I'm really passionate about, which is, you know, saving animals, endangered species, you know, all these things. And I really realized when I saw that, that like, this is happening right here, right now, my opportunity to actually do something about this, it can't wait for me to be successful or what I think is successful.
00:33:01
Speaker
or had deemed where I could finally start doing more. So, boom, just like that. That day I was like, have this idea, kind of it all just kind of came together and I've approached it the same way I do a lot of the problems that I see, which is, well, I have this tool, photography, it's what I use. I'm going to bring together these worlds. And because there's only so much one person can do in terms of if I could give up everything and let's say go to Africa and put on a pair of boots and start trying to do my part.
00:33:27
Speaker
it wouldn't really have that much impact as I'm only one person. And there's already people who are so much better at that. And that's what they specialize in. And so I really went after the best in the world in terms of conservation programs and organizations who have been doing this for 40 years. And so one of the things that I did first was reached out to, at the time it was the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Now it's the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and they're an elephant orphanage in Kenya.
00:33:54
Speaker
And they've been rehabbing and saving elephants for over 40 years and reintroducing them to the wild after they raised them. And so I just kind of went after the best and said, listen, I want to partner with you and photograph the animals that you protect and create series of work that I hope can also kind of create connection and inspire change on this side, but then also send back funds that actually fund the work that you're doing that I want to support. As you got started with that, has there anything unexpected? What's been sort of surprising along that journey?
00:34:23
Speaker
I learned a lot about cause marketing, which I never even knew that was a thing. But if I want to say, donate a certain amount of my business to an organization, you think you could just say, Hey, I'm donating and give the money. But actually there's a lot of rules around that, which are important because a lot of people will say proceeds or things like that. And proceeds actually don't mean anything because nobody has a view into your profit and loss. So we learned quickly, you say things like we donate currently this month, we're donating 40% of all our vendor loyalty sales.
00:34:53
Speaker
to that organization. So then it's very clear anyone with a calculator can quickly do that math and see exactly what that donation is. So things like that have been really interesting. And then of course, you know, self funding several trips to Africa were certainly enlightening, but it's been some of the best adventures that myself and my husband, Chad, who's my business partner and second shooter have had in Africa is pretty much our favorite place in the world. For people who share cause on their heart, are there ways that they can support you and support render loyalty?
00:35:22
Speaker
I always say if you're going to have artwork in your home, why not have it be artwork that has a greater purpose and a deeper meaning? So that's number one. I think there are also great conversation pieces from there. But more importantly, I think everyone has some cause that is close to their heart. And you know, whether that's children in foster care, rescue animals, beach cleanups, whatever it is, poverty or
00:35:45
Speaker
anything like that, finding some way to incorporate that in your business by design. And I mean, building this into your business plan that, you know, even if it's as simple as you on the backend internally, tack on $100 to every wedding contract and donate it to that cause. Well, if you shoot 40 weddings a year, which a lot of people just starting out are really hustling and out there, you know, you do that math that all of a sudden you're having a real impact that you otherwise wouldn't have. So I think most importantly, kind of finding the things that you're passionate about and committing to one small act
00:36:13
Speaker
that's built into the business plan so you actually follow through with it. I think that's great advice and hopefully somebody out there listening does that and who knows what kind of impact they can make.
The Abundance Plan & Business Growth
00:36:24
Speaker
I do want to before we end, you just launched a course. I don't know if that course is still available or not, but as we talk about learning from people that we admire, is that course going to be open again? Can people still sign up? What does that look like?
00:36:38
Speaker
Yeah. So this January we launched the abundance plan, which is my digital course for photographers or really creative entrepreneurs, but it's focused on wedding photographers and it's a seven module course with over 11 hours of video content straight from me. And really it was born out of kind of all of these passions of really realizing how much mindset business and all the things that we've really been talking about, what I wish I could go back in time and give to myself.
00:37:07
Speaker
about five years into business. You know, I really took the squiggly line detour route. And I think if I had focused in on these things earlier in my business, I can only imagine how much further along I would be. And so we launched that in January at the end of March. We just kind of wrapped up with our first set of students, which was amazing. And we are planning to launch again in the fall. Obviously we're kind of our timelines a little bit variable right now as this year has thrown us a few surprises.
00:37:32
Speaker
We do have a wait list though on my webpage. I have a section for photographers with a lot of free resources too that if people are just looking for some learning in the meantime, but they can also sign up for that wait list there too. Awesome. And where can people just follow along with you? I'm at ktmarry on Instagram and all social and same thing, my website ktmarry.com. And then of course you mentioned render loyalty, which is just like it sounds render loyalty.com.
00:37:57
Speaker
Well, thank you so much for taking the time today and giving us a little glimpse into your story and how you got started and just advice for building a business. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me. I love what you're doing and grateful to be here. Thanks for tuning into the Brands That Book Show. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and leaving a review in iTunes. For show notes and other resources, head on over to dvandchrista.com.
00:38:30
Speaker
you