We recently connected with Arianna Skoog and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Arianna, thanks for joining us today. How do you think about spending on the little things / small joys when finances are tight?

Being a freelancer right out of college, I’ve always been a bit of a frugal human. I’ve had to be creative with how I’ve spent my money because I never knew how much work I was going to bring in on any given month. Things like coffee, and self-care became things that were a treat saved for the weekends or “special occasions” At times, it was overwhelming to make decisions on what to buy at the grocery store for the week to get me by or should I just go out with friends to dinner and not buy anything? Should I skip going out with friends altogether? But having a social life is important too and meeting new people is great for business. It’s a tricky balance for sure! You get creative, and you sacrifice some things in the hopes that it won’t always be like this. When I lived in Minneapolis working in the commercial photography industry as a photo assistan, I also took up hot yoga. The studio I went to at the time had a work for trade program. I had a cleaning shift once a week for an hour and a half and in return I got a free membership to the yoga studio worth the value of $135.00 a month! I was then able to go to a hot yoga class once and sometimes twice a day during slow months and that really got me through alot of difficult times. I remember one year I decided to try out a desk 9 to 5 job just to see what it was like to have benefits and what it was like to know exactly how much money I was going to bring in. I didn’t even last an entire year before I knew that climbing the corporate ladder was not for me. I’ll take the struggles of having to hustle and own a small business to do what I love over the comfort of a paycheck any day. Being able to work for myself and set my own schedule and not have to be glued to a desk putting in hours for someone else is a far better option for me. I had to find out though;)

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hello! I grew up in Billings Montana. I had a humble childhood with a few challenges here and there as does anybody. I was a competitive gymnast and traveled all around the states, so my grade school into high school experience wasn’t the typical. I often took lots of days off of school for traveling doing homework on the road and playing catch up. Often missing big games or school events which I was honestly okay with as gymnastics was my entire life at the time. Ever since I was a kid I had an interest in photography. I loved the idea of being able to capture the way you personally view things and document important moments in your life. I was a very shy kid, and didn’t talk a whole lot until much later in on in life, so having a camera was nice. I didn’t have to use words to communicate something. I ended up getting a degree in Commercial Photography at Northwest College in 2011. Right after, I moved to Minneapolis and worked as a photo assistant, production assistant, and sometimes stylist assistant on freelance gigs. During my time in Minnesota, I also took on hot yoga and received my 200 hour teacher training certificate. I continue to teach yoga to this day and have been practicing for over 10 years. Around 2018 I tried out a 9-5 desk job just to see what it was like. You know, having benefits and a reliable pay check. I quickly learned that the 9-5, climb the corporate ladder was clearly not for me. I decided to move back to Montana shortly before the pandemic hit and start over. I started my photography business Skoog Photography and slowly grew my clientele here in Montana where I currently reside. I offer portraits, family, engagement, and branding. I offer weddings and events. I do food photography, and one of my all time favorites that I offer is concert photography. I am a huge music lover and having the opportunity to photograph music is a huge dream of mine. I would say thats one of the things I’m proud of. Imagining that I would be attending an Atmosphere concert in Minneapolis to then fast forward a few years later and be photographing his show was a surreal milestone that I didn’t know was so reachable. I am a human that feels deeply, loves big, and expresses loudly. The work I have done personally through some very tough times in my life to get the point where I am now is what I’m proud of the most.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I’m not much for sales and tooting my own horn.
Community building and word of mouth has been the most effective strategy for me for growing clientele.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being able to do what I love most for my job. It also feeds the one in me that loves new experiences and getting to do things and see things that not just anybody gets to. It’s an incredible honor to be chosen to capture big life moments in peoples lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ariannaskoog.com
• Instagram: @skoogphotography

Image Credits

Skoog Photography