We recently connected with Dmytro Baumann and have shared our conversation below.
Dmytro, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Success is not something that can be flatline applied to everyone and everything. Each individual, whether it is in their own business or working for a larger scale company, will define success in different terms. To me, personally, success always revolved around purpose… do I wake up each day excited to do what I do? If I can answer that with a yes, then I know I’m on the right track to success. The big thing to remember, is success is earned and not found. It takes time, a lot of it, and I have not put in enough effort or time to see the real fruits of my labour just yet. To see success, your vision of it has to be clear, your standards high, and your efforts unwavering. But, I think the biggest key to consider here… is that the only way to lose is if you give up. When the going gets tough, and trust me, it will get tough, the easiest thing to do is throw in the towel… but that is the one route that you cannot take. The funny thing about having a plan is that the only sure thing about it is it will not go as intended. The beauty of that is that it forces you to adhere awareness, to always adapt, and testing your persistence is ultimately your way to get to where you want to go. I do not know what success means to you, but all I know is that, if whatever you’re pursuing truly makes life worth living… then never give up on it. Failure is ok, its a part of the journey… quitting, on the other hand, is not, and it’s a sure way to never see your potential through to the end.
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 am a branding and portrait photographer based out of St. Louis, MO. I help clients establish their presence across various platforms (Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn) in a clean and professional manner. I also do headshot photography, fashion editorial works, and high-end post production / retouching. This years focus will be centered around building a portfolio for product photography and advertising material.
The biggest thing that I would want clients to know about me is that I treat each job as if it is going onto my own page. Clients expectations are the priority and delivering above that is the mission. I take great care in thoughtfully composing my material because, not only will it be a reflection of the customer, it is also a direct reflection of myself… meaning, each job is deeply personal to me. No job is too big or too small, I value each client equally and, as long as I have a camera in my hands, I will put nothing but thorough thought and effort into my work.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
My biggest leap of faith came in July of 2021. At this point, my photography had just started picking up a bit of traction and people were actually willing to pay me for my work! During this time, I had a full career going with a life insurance company working in B2C sales. This career path was great and extraordinarily lucrative… however, despite the number in the bank account, the wealth of my heart and soul were stuck at zero. So, late July I decided to call my manager and tell him that I will not be going back into the office. I took half the money I had and invested it into my studio space and equipment and the other half into an emergency fund that would buy me time to try and figure out how to make photography a financially viable career path. This was a massive gamble and I ended up trading my 9-5 for a 24/7… knowing this, I was fully prepared to either make photography work or go broke but gain wealth in life experience so… I took the gamble. A year later, the challenges remain as I strive to find my identity in the field but my love for this never lessened and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding part of being a creative is 2-fold;
1) there are no boundaries to what you can do, how you can do it, and your imagination is not boxed in… this is the perfect playing field for letting loose with making whatever it is that you want to make. Sure, there are fundamentals involved but ultimately, you are the painter and the world is your canvas. There is just something so freeing in this regard.
2) there is no better feeling out there than creating something that brings a smile to your clients face. Sometimes it’s difficult to see a vision in real time, but when you deliver the project and the client loves the looks, or more importantly, loves the way they look, it’s just the most gratifying feeling. Making people feel beautiful and unique through your medium has to be the most rewarding part of this path.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dbphotoworks.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: @_dbaumann_
Image Credits
Dmytro Baumann