Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrew Wiedemann. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Andrew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?
Having worked professionally as a freelance visual creative for nearly 30 years, there are definitely times that make me wonder what and how I would manage in a “regular job”. These thoughts come up 100% of the time when business is slow, cash flow dips, and I question where am I going to go from here. There are times when friends talk about PTO, sick days, paid vacations, and benefit packages and I certainly think, “Wow, that would be so nice.”. Then I have to remind myself of the challenges of corporate life; the grind, not having autonomy, and having to be motivated to work for someone else you may or may not admire or like. For me, while I usually attract nice clients and collaborators, there are a few times that we just don’t jibe and the worst I have to do is grin and bear it for a week or two. Then I can move on and choose to work with them again or not. That’s not something a steady job affords most people. Most recently, I had an article come out on me and the editor referred to me as being at the “pinnacle of my career”. At the same time that article was published, I was nearly broke, stressed, and not shooting. 2023 was a wild year as most of my commercial clients had forecasted for a dismal year and most projects were put on hold, or the budgets were spent by July. The last two quarters were devastating financially and emotionally. It made me question everything, and all my choices. I had moved from NYC to a suburb of Philadelphia during the pandemic and I kept wondering how big of a mistake that was. In NYC, I had a slew of smaller, more creative projects that would always fill in gaps between bigger clients. I missed that both creatively and financially. I realized I had not marketed myself well enough locally by working so hard to maintain my national market clients.
I’ve always been a strong proponent of networking, nearly all my work comes from referrals. It was obviously difficult to do that during the pandemic, and even with remote work, it’s harder than before. Creatively, I was also spinning my wheels but I went back to what really mattered most to me, my fine artwork. That spark creatively, lead me to hosting my own show at my studio and I ended up selling quite a bit, meeting new people and creatives locally, and finally introducing myself to my local market both as an artist and commercial creator. The last few months of 2023 were lean but once January hit, the phones started ringing and now I am also deep into new personal projects that had been on the back burner for too long. At the moment, I am coming off a month of working with new clients almost every day and my previous clients are coming back to life as well.
Ultimately, I am the most effective selling tool for my work, whether commercial or fine art. I was out of my rhythm, as we all were during the pandemic. I don’t enjoy “sales” per say, but I do love meeting people and having creative exchanges. When I get myself out there regularly, it almost always leads to opportunities. The life I’ve chosen is not easy but for me, wildly rewarding.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve always been creative and originally planned on being a painter. I always loved design, so I figured graphic design was right up my alley when I went to Parsons School of Design. However, I was mesmerized by photography my entire life. I had a friend whose father had a darkroom and I would take in all the chemistry, equipment, and film. I’d pester his dad nonstop. To me, it was like alchemy.I took everyone by surprise when I declared photography as my major at Parsons School of Design. I had no real experience with the medium but I knew if I didn’t do it then, I never would.
Before my first photography class, I had the good fortune of having a neighbor hear me playing guitar (badly) stop by and offer to show me some technique. He had a studio in NYC and was a still-life photographer so I started sweeping the studio and within a year I was getting my own small clients and assisting. I was working so much I took limited classes at Parsons and had my first exhibition the following year. I then went to study with master photographer, John Pack, at the Aegen Center for the Fine Arts in Paros Greece, and traveled Europe for 8 months.
Over the years I’ve built both a commercial and fine art career. I’m primarily known as a celebrity and music photographer but most of my work is commercial. I work in pharma, tech, finance, and advertising with clients like SalesForce, ServiceNow, and Johnson & Johnson. My editorial work has been published worldwide in Vogue, The New Yorker, and The Guardian. About 10 years ago I began expanding into video and that has really added to the services for my clients.
While most of my money is generated commercially, and I love the work, I am always passionate about personal projects. The financial return isn’t always as large or as immediate, but the ROI on creativity is off the charts. My personal work has always informed my commercial work and I think my clients recognize that. There are thousands of competent photographers and videographers across the globe who can fulfill a brief. But when you’re passionate enough to take on a personal project, where it starts and ends with you, it really comes through in all areas of your work. You approach things differently, not taking anything for granted, not repeating yourself, and finding creative ways to tell a story. Aside from my commercial clients, I have a few long-term projects I am working on. The first is a series loosely based on the five Chinese elements; wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. I started this project in Greece over 25 years ago and I am finally at the point technically to realize the project. It is planned to make each their own book and limited print editions.
On the filmmaking front, I am working on a documentary about the Philly Roller Derby Juniors. They are an extraordinary group of kids in an amazing program. They are currently the 2x national champions and an open-gender team. It is amazing to document these skaters and coaches developing into world-class athletes and people. What started as documenting a season has now expanded into a multi-year project. Having been an athlete, I’ve never seen a program or community quite like it and I’m so excited to tell this story.
I am also working on a documentary of artist, Robert C. Jackson. I met him during the pandemic and his work is wonderfully inspiring. He’s wonderful to interview and his insights into art and life are deeply thoughtful and more often than not, humorous. Robert is wildly creative, insanely disciplined, and most of all, human.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
This needs a disclaimer. While this may seem dark, I would not change anything about it. When I returned from Greece in the mid-90s, I was so changed that I just couldn’t find my place again in NYC. I had spent months only working on myself and my art with no distraction of family or work. I came back to a long-time girlfriend, work, and the stresses of living in NYC. I just did not deal well with the transition back to reality. Nothing seemed fulfilling. Not commercial work, not my girlfriend, not my life. I tried to find my way back by playing in bands and working as much as I could, which just left me exhausted and vulnerable. Enter heroin.
I was never much of a drug user, especially anything that affected my creativity. Heroin absolutely drained me of any creativity, nearly immediately. By the time I realized I might have a problem, I had a massive one. I’ll spare the gory details but suffice it to say it was not a good few years. I truly lost everything, everyone, and who I was.
The upside is that I was able to get through it. While it was a terrible time, 28 years later I am better for it. I have a perspective now that I never had. I know what it means to be homeless and destitute. I know what it means to feel like you truly are out of options. I never take that for granted. I know a gravity to life that I never knew before. I also know that challenges come and go and life is pretty awesome if you let it be. I love what I do, I get to be creative, I have an amazing family, and I have wonderful friends. I know most problems can be solved and are never quite as bad as you think, in the moment. As I said, I wouldn’t change what I’ve been through for anything.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think there is no better advice than to be authentic in whatever you do. Deliver what you say you will. Stand up for yourself in a manner that is both effective and polite. Understand that we all have jobs to do, and the best way to do it is to be yourself, be on point, listen to your clients, and deliver. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pro bono opportunity or a million-dollar campaign. If you sign on, deliver and deliver with a smile. We’re all fortunate to be in our careers on some level. If you are not working with a client that matches your authenticity, it’s time to find different clients. When I work on a commercial project, I know I’m there to deliver for the client. It’s not up to me to redesign their wheel or make it something else entirely. When my clients know they can count on me executing their vision, happily and with the least amount of stress, it’s a great feeling. That’s what I promise them, and that’s what I deliver them. Sometimes my work is just not the right fit for a client and that’s ok. I know who I am, I know my capabilities, and I know if a project is a good fit.
That said, my biggest challenge is working for clients with an entire team and no one has a direction or a purpose. Everyone has an opinion but no one wants to defend that opinion. It becomes very unfocused. It’s ok to be told yes to this or no that. It’s much more effective than not getting an answer. Anything can be done with the right amount of budget but when you have a client that doesn’t have a clear vision, hold on.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DrewWiedemann.com
- Instagram: @dwphoto11211
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewwiedemann/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6JYR1nbiReBYlwvPbmSQ7Q
Image Credits
Drew Wiedemann