We recently connected with Ronnie Frey and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ronnie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I think it takes an unshakable believe in yourself, even when no one can see your vision but you.
Ronnie, 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 got into my industry purely by accident. I had no idea I could take good photographs! I am an interior designer by trade so having studied architecture in my college training, I developed a love for it, especially vintage or historical architecture. I’ve always loved doorways which have so many different philosophical meanings, aside from their aesthetic beauty. So as a fun pastime I started going around capturing photographs of amazing doorways in Chicago and posting them on my Instagram account called @doorwaysofchicacgo.
At the beginning of the pandemic I got laid off from my retail job. I already had my Instagram account going and I had gained around 5,000 followers. The very next day I decided to work at growing the account like it was my job. I knew I had something that I could eventually monetize but it was going to take some work to get to that point. Today with 30,000 followers I offer content creation, influencer promotions, photography prints, greeting card collections and architectural walking tours in Chicago and beyond.
I would say I am known for my keen eye, often showing an angle of a building or a detail of a structure that most people have never seen or have glossed over. I’m known as a storyteller and my audience loves to read the history behind each post. I’m also a nut for symmetry so that is reflected in a lot of my work, but I also experiment with asymmetry as well. I think out of the box and that is evident in my photographs.
The search for doors and other content to capture is like therapy for me, transporting me into a state of peacefulness and meditation and getting me out of my own head. Photography allows me to paint a picture, tell a story, strike a chord, and deliver a message. It can conjure up emotions, stir memories, and even act as inspiration.
Brand-wise, besides the photography, I am most proud of the architectural walking tours I have designed and am really excited about expanding that portion of my business. The biggest compliment about my current tours is that people are calling them time travel experiences. I have received raving reviews with people saying they could never get this kind of experience with other major “best of Chicago” tours. My tours show visitors as well as residents parts of the city they have never heard about, have often not seen and also don’t know much of the fascinating history behind these notable properties.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I just love the interaction with people, both those I have come to know as a result of my Instagram account and other people who I communicate with there but have never met. It is so satisfying to get messages from people saying I have made their day or brought back memories of their time in the city of Chicago, etc. It is an amazing thing to be able to touch people’s lives through photography and to really embrace the “social” part of social media! I’ve made so many great friends and clients purely as a result of being on social media in this capacity.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I never stopped. I showed up every day for 2 + years before any monetization opportunities ever presented themselves. Consistency is the key. I kept working at it even when it seemed like nothing was happening. The saying, “by the time you start seeing results nearly 90% of the work has been done” is pretty damn close to the truth. I also made sure to respond to every message and comment during the growing years. Now I can’t respond to every single comment but I always make sure to at least “like” all comments and I still respond to as many as I can.
Additionally I made sure to stay true to myself and to show what I wanted to show, even if sometimes it seemed like the engagement was maybe not what I had thought it would be. I wanted people to see the real me and to know me for my specific passions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://doorwaysofchicago.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doorwaysofchicago/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doorwaysofchicago
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronniefrey/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt7x373DCnm5G46kpKqx7Sw
- Other: https://linktr.ee/doorwaysofchicago
Image Credits
All images photographed by me.