We recently connected with Steve Schwartz and have shared our conversation below.

Steve, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

I think corporate America forgets that HOW you make something matters just as much as WHAT you make. As we enter the era of AI, it surprises me to hear from so many creative directors about how excited they are about its capabilities and how much more efficient production will be. I’d be curious to know what they’re going to do with all of that free time—just to produce more? We need a better reason to bring AI into our creative processes.

As a writer and photographer, I focus on the process. It’s why I love to shoot film. It forces me to slow down, value every click of the shutter, and take a moment to ask myself, “What am I actually taking a photo of?” On the writing side, I spend time learning about a topic or a skill so I can use my real-world experience to inform the final product.

I would encourage corporations to embrace the process. Don’t let AI rob it from us. If the process is arduous and time-consuming, that’s probably for a reason—it means it’s worth doing. If you took a helicopter to the top of Everest, did you really climb the peak? The climb matters. I want the human element infused into the work. I want to see how the process informed the outcome, with all of the scratches, bruises, and beautiful mess baked in.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I do a little bit of a lot. I got my degree in print journalism with a dream to be a writer/photographer for National Geographic one day (still working on it). Initially, I started writing and shooting for small newspapers, which I did for about five years, before I got a call from the CEO of Musicbed, who asked if I was interested in pivoting to a role as a copywriter.

That was my entry into marketing and branded content. I led the Musicbed blog for about five years, which was an incredible opportunity to get to know filmmakers from around the world—Oscar winners who’ve made some of the most legendary films of all time. After my run at Musicbed, I decided to strike out on my own as a freelance writer and photographer, which I’ve been doing ever since. I shoot lifestyle and product photography, write content, advertising copy, and a whole lot more. Some of my clients include Columbia, Stetson, Tecovas, Poncho Outdoors, Popular Science, MeatEater, and a few more that I’m sure I’m forgetting.

I also work as a senior brand writer for an incredible branding agency called Principle, based out of Houston, Texas, which takes up the majority of my time. It’s our job to work with new or existing brands to build both a visual and verbal identity that will give them a solid foundation. I love it.

My career has been an evolution of sorts. My brain is always thirsty for something new and challenging, which is why I’ve chosen to have such a diverse skill set. I consider myself a writer first, and a photographer second, but I’m ultimately driven by storytelling, whether that’s for an editorial outlet, brand, or simply a personal project. I love to make things, regardless of the medium.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

If I could assign one quality to my “success” in my industry, it’s openness. I’m lucky enough that my personality is to always be open to something new—a conversation, a project, an opportunity—even if I don’t know exactly how it’ll play out. I believe that “luck” comes when you create a many interactions as possible. Simple as that. So, if you’ve been meaning to reach out to that company, just do it. If there’s another creative you look up to, why not shoot them a message and see if they want to grab a coffee?

Frankly, it doesn’t always play out. But, sometimes it does, and some of my most meaningful opportunities and best business relationships came from a simple email or message or phone call. Just put yourself out into the world and see what happens. It’s not going to just come to you.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

It was a scary moment to go into business on my own. I still remember walking into my boss’s office and having that conversation like it was yesterday. Initially, I was surprised to see that the business just showed up. I had a decent amount of clients within just a few weeks and life was great until 2020, when COVID threw a wrench in everything.

My wife and I had two kids, with another on the way, and their daycare closed down. I was working early mornings, being a stay-at-home dad during the day until my wife got home from work, and then going back to work. It was rough. We didn’t know if my clients were going to stick around—some did and some didn’t. But, eventually things started to go back to normal and business picked back up.

That period of time showed me how lucky we are as creatives. There are so many people in specialized jobs that require an office or a certain structure, but once you gain confidence in your abilities and the inherent value that they have, it’s incredibly empowering. After going through that, I know I can survive in the wild. I can shoot photos for brands. I can write an editorial piece for a magazine. I can write digital ads. I can cold email potential clients until my fingers fall off.

The point is, if you spend the time to build skills that are adaptable (photography, writing, design, etc.), you have freedom at your fingertips. You may just have to go through the fire to see it for yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mockingbird.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steveschwartz_/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenaschwartz/

Image Credits

All photos taken by Steve Schwartz