We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cory Grimes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Cory, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
I think the first thing we need to do is stop forcing kids to feel like they have to go to college and if they don’t then they are failures. I think in High School they need to have more classes or outside programs that are more hands on in career fields that kids might be interested in. There is so much unnecessary things they teach that i feel waste a lot of time, meanwhile they could be teaching them skills they will actually use in many careers and the real world. I believe this because i went to college for Business, graduated and haven’t used my degree once so far to get any type of job. I ended up getting into photography/film while i was there because of my roommate opening my eyes up into a creative world i never knew about and the real life experiences i was doing outside of class. I just feel like college is so expensive and puts most kids into debt and a lot of time they end up having a career that isn’t even related to what they went to school for.
Cory, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a 26 year old photographer/videographer/model who is originally from Pittsburgh, PA that moved to Los Angeles to purse my dreams in August of 2020. I have always been a creative person most of my life. I asked for a camera for Christmas in 2016 and haven’t put the camera down since. Most of my work is photography, it’s my main passion and is what i want to continue to get better at everyday. Videography is another part of my work that i normally do whenever something comes my way that i feel like i can deliver my best work for the client. Lastly, modeling is something i always have done for fun until i got signed last year to an agency and it became more serious. I am currently not signed, but definitely want to continue to model, because it’s something that is more challenging than expected and i love to do it. I am most proud of myself and that i have been able to succeed as a freelance photographer in such a competitive place in Los Angeles. It feels so good to be able to do something i love and make a living from it. It’s very rewarding every time i am done with a shoot knowing i had fun doing it and get paid to do so.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
There’s been plenty of times i had to pivot in business and personal life. I feel like i have lived 10 different lives in the past 4 years of being in LA. I was in certain situations doing business and at the same time mixing in my personal life with people that i eventually learned i had to pivot away from. At first i thought i was doing the right thing and the people that were around me were going to put me in the right direction. I learned after some time that the best thing for myself and my career was to pivot away from those people and go on my own. It’s hard to do those things because you second guess yourself in the moment, but now i look back and i am happy with the decisions i made.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part to me is after i complete a shoot and get paid. I say this because, after hours and days of work i might put in to get a client to trust me to book me for a shoot. Then having to plan a shoot, actually shoot for a whole day, and then edit photos for hours. Doing all of that on your own and knowing i am making a living, sometimes doing this on my own, is an amazing feeling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.corygrimesmedia.com
- Instagram: coryg412
Image Credits
Cory Grimes