We recently connected with Kira Westlund and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kira, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Photography is the first passion of mine that I can remember wanting to make a real career out of. I bought my first camera, a Canon PowerShot, in middle school and immediately started using it to take portraits of my friends and family. I was able to upgrade to a DSLR partway through high school, and while I did take a semester long photography class, I would say my skills and technical understanding at the time were self taught. My camera’s manual was like a novel to me, and I read it any time I was confused or trying to learn a new technique. It’s definitely important to know your gear, but getting out and actually taking photos will always be the best way to develop your style and hone your skills.
I shot a lot when I was learning. My photos were generally not good. As I got better, I also got more critical of myself. I stood in my own way thinking that I didn’t know enough to be a “real” photographer, and that my photos weren’t good enough to make a career for myself. It was so silly of me to think this way. When I started college, my passion for taking photos had tapered off and I stopped practicing still photography for a little over three years. I picked up my camera on a whim one summer evening in 2019 (in the middle of wildfire season) and went out with my best friend to take some hazy, grungy portraits of each other (which I still love). This shoot reignited my spark for photography. I’ve often wondered what my work would be like today if I hadn’t taken that break through college, and sometimes I still worry that I’m not talented enough to make my living this way. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had focused more on the love I had for taking photos, and not worried so much about whether anyone thought I was “good”.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m Kira, a creative living and working in Washington state. My path to where I am now has been anything but linear. I always wanted to be a photographer, but in my senior year of high school, I decided I would pursue graphic design in university instead. And yet, two years into my program, I switched to a Film Studies major. Film productions had been paused due to quarantine when I graduated in 2020, so I consider myself pretty lucky to have found a remote job as a design consultant right out of school. I still work with the same company today. This is a great source of income, but I am hoping to soon make the jump to full time self-employment as a photographer and illustrator.
Some of my favorite projects in the past have been photographing behind the scenes on film sets, and this is something I’d love to do more of – along with shooting recording sessions, artists in-studio, and musicians on stage. I find a lot of joy in taking photos of creatives at work. We all have our own way of doing things and it’s important to highlight that in every artistic industry. I’m also always open to a funky portrait session, branding and event photos, and celebrating with couples as their wedding photographer! Much of my inspiration as an artist comes from cinema, Technicolor, vintage magazines, and the 90s grunge scene. If this sounds like your vibe, I’d love to work with you. Look for my photos on Instagram @kiralynnart and illustrations @kiralynnillustration.
If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?
Right now, I would say my income mainly comes from being a design consultant for educational print material. I also work at a cafe part time, which I absolutely love. Photography and illustration are what I’d consider my business, but that’s not really how I’m paying my bills. I’m not sure I’ll ever be a person or business with a sole income. From a financial point of view, I simply think it’s smarter to have multiple revenue streams in case one isn’t consistently profitable. This is super common with freelancing. I’d love to make the leap to drawing and taking photos full time, but I can’t see myself ever only doing one or the other. Having a fully sedentary job isn’t appealing to me either, so being able to jump around to different projects and mediums can be helpful for my mental health, and being versatile in this way just means I have more opportunities for work. I was only granted a business license earlier this spring, and I’m excited to see how I can grow and expand my clientele in the next few years.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Being an artist is rewarding in many ways. Over the years of working one-on-one with clients, my communication and professionalism have improved, and I’ve been able to build a community of friends and artists whom I can look to for inspiration and constructive criticism. There is always a sense of accomplishment when I finish a photo gallery or an illustration, but it can still be scary to share my work. The real fulfillment comes when another person sees what I’ve made and relates to the emotion and passion behind it. I struggle to express myself with words, and have found comfort in expressing myself visually. This industry is about connection, and certainly one of the biggest rewards of being an artist for me is the feeling of being understood.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kiralynnphoto.mypixieset.com
- Instagram: @kiralynnphoto
- Linkedin: Kira Westlund
Image Credits
Feature portrait by Brett Kane