We recently connected with Allie Sepanek and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Allie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
In my opinion, it takes healthy collaboration to be successful. I always feel the most accomplished when I’m able to work together with people to complete a task or goal. I work in a couple creative industries as a photographer and a vinyl DJ, and though there are certainly avenues and opportunities to flex individuality; it’s often a group effort that makes the work truly shine. In the photography world; I love collaborating on an idea, letting the inspiration flow, and taking creative input from others on set. Often times the people you’re working with will bring something to the table you wouldn’t have thought of, or are just outside of your thought processes enough to help solve problems more efficiently. In the DJ sphere, there’s nothing more fun than bringing the vibes with friends, getting excited to hear what music they’re going to play, and popping the crowd together with our individual strengths! In both worlds, I tend to walk away with so much satisfaction over a shared experience, and stronger sense of community. The patrons of our dance nights get to feel the same way when they party with us, and my photography clients get to feel that team collaboration on set, and walk away with beautiful imagery. That level of collaboration and creativity has led to much personal, networking, and financial growth. It can feel tough to measure what “success” is, but that feels like success to me!
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?
My name is Allie, I’m a Boston-based photographer that specializes in still life, interiors, and editorial work. I’m also a vinyl DJ that spins pop, disco, italo, global, edm, etc in various places around the city.
For my photography, I got into the industry young; in middle school when my dad gifted me his family’s Minolta 35mm film camera. I spent hours on walks honing my craft for nature photography, and eventually graduated to taking my fellow classmates senior portraits. When the time came to decide career and college moves, all I knew was that I loved to take photos. I really had no awareness of working professionals, let alone the marketing/advertising world. I enrolled in photography school (Hallmark Institute of Photography) and learned so much about the industry from the inside out. I learned how to use strobes, how to shoot in studio and on location, and how to start my business. It was there that I also developed my love for still life and studio photography; and taking the time necessary to work through the finer details and really sculpt with light. I left there with a whole new perspective on what is possible, and felt confident in my life choices to pursue art professionally. Fast-forward to now – I’ve worked with many clients all over, from various studios, restaurants, farms, beaches, and even traveled to LA and Miami. I’ve worked with clients such as Boston Magazine, Wayfair, Life is Good, AirBnb, Harvard, and more. It’s been such a rewarding career, and I’ve been so grateful to work amongst so many talented creatives and continue to achieve my goals as a professional photographer. My most proud moments are when clients come to me asking for my style specifically, and when I get to blend my personal work with professional.
As a DJ, my humble beginnings were like most; collecting vinyl of my favorite artists to listen to around the house. During quarantine, there wasn’t much else to do besides buy more records, so as my collection grew so did my confidence and desire to play for a crowd, once those glorious crowds returned. From there I cut my teeth opening and helping DJ with The Glitter Boys. Since then I’ve spent the past three years growing my network and DJ skills and started my own women’s DJ collective called Spin the Bottle. We’ve had a non-stop year of growth and are just getting started! I’ve spun records at places such as The Sinclair, State Park, Bow Market, The ICA, and more. DJing has been another very fulfilling creative outlet and space for me to build community as well!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn is that as a professional, I should know everything about photography. Even writing that feels silly, but I think it’s a real thought that many professionals can struggle to overcome. I think when you’re newer in the industry and still trying to find your way and gain clients, it can be hard to admit where your limits may be as it could potentially keep you from booking a job, or make it seem like you don’t know what you’re doing. Though that can be hard to swallow, clients and the people you’re working with; be it teammates, mentees, managers, crew, whoever – will almost always appreciate the honesty. I’ve found myself in a situation with a client before where I wanted the job, so I said I could do something I wasn’t super confident in, and guess what? It cost me the client. Perhaps if I were completely honest, we could have worked towards a better solution and kept the relationship. On the other side of that, I’ve worked on set where I was training a team member, and they asked me a question about equipment that I didn’t have the answer to. Instead of feeling that because I was training them; I should know, I was honest – I didn’t know! We then worked together to learn about it and both walked away with new knowledge instead of me potentially telling them the wrong thing and putting my ego before what we both actually needed, which was to learn how to use the equipment. This can still feel like a challenge at times, but I’ve found that the honesty and openness has gotten me much further than what I think I’m supposed to know.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
The book Art for Money, by Michael Ardelean. It’s a quick read that was recommended to me by a good friend and colleague that forever changed my perspective on my business and how I make money. The book is written for creatives, and teaches you that much of successfully billing your clients what you deserve is actually educating them on what they’re paying for, and doing so in a succinct way. Since reading, I’ve completely changed my billing, quote, and invoice structure, overhauled my expenses and savings structure, and raised my rates. Many of my clients either happily agree to my rates, or understand exactly why I might be out of their budget. I’ve even had a recurring client congratulate me on raising my rate! Feeling confident in your work and what you’re presenting to the client goes a long way, and Art for Money was a huge resource in getting me there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://allisonsepanek.com
- Instagram: @alliesepanek and @dj.al_b
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/allison-sepanek/
