We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Mcglinn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Michelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

I don’t regret anything about my path and the experiences I’ve had; even the worst moments have taught me so much about resilience, learning, communication, and passion. I worked in corporate before freelancing and though it wasn’t the right path for me, working in the corporate environment for so long taught me a lot about myself and others. If I could take what I know now and start over from 18, I’d likely take college a lot less seriously and use it as a chance to learn as much and as widely as possible. In college I was laser-focused on GPA, good grades, impressing teachers, and getting homework done. I didn’t choose classes that would give me skills outside of my major, I didn’t do particularly inspiring work, and I didn’t try many intimidating things until my senior year. I wish I had taken writing, marketing, business, and photography classes so I could have had a more broad foundation. I really, strongly believe in trusting the timing of your journey. I don’t need to be anywhere but where I am, and I got here in the universe’s perfect timing. I do, however, look back and wish I had taken more chances on myself. I am very calculated and in my early 20’s felt I needed to have the next decade planned out. Now, I look as everything and anything as an opportunity and nothing as a setback, and because of that I feel much more free in my work. Have a dream but enjoy the journey, and seek out opportunities in unexpected places.

Michelle, 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?

My name is Michelle and I am a recipe developer, food photographer, and stylist. I went to school for fashion design and there I learned all the fundamentals of art and design, which took me far into corporate menswear design. I realized fairly early on that designing clothing wasn’t the perfect fit, despite having a decent understanding of color, pattern, and style. I struggled to find what my skills were for a long time; my manager was actually the one to tell me I should look into food styling. Until then I had never heard of styling food, and it was still hard for me to imagine turning my nightly hobby into a career! I was fortunate to have another coworker gift me a camera, which I nervously used to shoot my dinner every night as I tried to learn photography. During the pandemic, I had more time to learn and take classes for using my camera and started to post my work online. It snowballed from there: I was asked to write recipes for websites and shoot menus for restaurants. I felt totally unqualified, but decided to try. I’m glad I did — it turned out to be what I love to do! Now, I write and style food articles, photograph for restaurants, and develop recipes full time. I love telling a story and guiding readers through a recipe. And I especially love making those recipes look beautiful! I also love working with chefs and showcasing their work — it is so fun for me to shoot prepared dishes and help them look spectacular online and on menus, too. I know the value, these days, of a photograph and my goal is to give chefs the value they deserve.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I have to be honest, while I did turn my hobby into a career, I am so not rich from it! The key, though, is that I am so much happier than I was in a corporate job. Besides recipe development and photography, I also walk dogs and work in a bakery, which I never could have done while working in an office. I really love working directly with customers or clients! I mentioned how I started before, but again in brief — I was given a DSLR camera by a very good friend and coworker, who gave it to me with the intention that I create great things. I was intimidated by his message, but slowly learned to use the gifted camera by shooting food. I already liked styling my food to be appetizing and beautiful, so with a camera, I was able to turn my hobby into a skill. I didn’t know what that meant until I started getting asked to write recipes and photograph for restaurants. I was timid to try, but decided I had nothing to lose and started pursuing these opportunities. I loved the work and the flexibility, and after a half a year of casually working with food, I decided to dive in and make it my career. I am still growing and learning but have a very full schedule of work that I love to do, which is what my goal was when I started!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

This is an interesting question. I think even for creatives, it is natural to want stability in a full-time job. What I learned working a 9-5 is that my version of stability looks very different than what is considered normal in corporate America. While it was nice to have a team in the office, I thrive while working independently in my own home or studio. I also work best at night! Working alone at times that I feel the most productive has made me more creative, enthusiastic, and focused, and that is important for anyone to recognize whether they consider themselves a creative or not. Not all jobs require you to be artsy or poetic, but even recognizing what makes you a great team player or individual contributor can make you happier and more productive in what you do.

Contact Info:

• Website: michellemcglinn.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/michellemcglinn

Image Credits
michelle mcglinn