If you missed the first two posts in What Happens to Photos After the Wedding?, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Thoughts on Balancing Art and Professionalism in Business
A while back, I read an article on this same topic (workflow) here, written by photographer Anne Ruthman. A slightly lengthy (but worth the read) quote we loved that sums up her article:
“It’s a delicate balance- trying to be an artist and a business person at the same time. The artist mentally is quite obsessive and perfectionistic. The artist hates being bothered in the middle of being intensely focused because it can ruin a creative streak. The artist wants to simply shut out the world around her so that she can enjoy every little creation as it’s being made. The artist works on something until its done, not until the timer has run out. The artist has a lot of pride in her work and would be horrified if it were to be out there unfinished.
“Yet, we also have to be business people. We have to meet our clients needs and keep them happy, even if it doesn’t always give us the freedom to do what makes us happy. We have to set deadlines and meet them no matter what happens or else we lose our client’s trust. We have to answer emails and return phone calls in a timely manner so that our clients feel valued and respected. As a business person, we WANT to do all of these things because we care about our clients, and because without our clients support, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do!! We love our clients and we want to give them the best of everything. It’s just a delicate line we must walk every day, always trying to stay in balance….”
We loved the paradox in the middle of this quote, “The artist has a lot of pride in her work and would be horrified if it were to be out there unfinished. Yet, we also have to be business people.” Essentially, Kelly and I work well together in this business, because I embody the first half of that thought/quote, while Kelly manages the second half of it so well. While we would both consider ourselves artists as well as businesspeople, our personal strengths are unique. Over the years, we’ve become more adept at this balancing act, but are still (always!) learning.
