We were lucky to catch up with Austin Jackson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Austin, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Earning a living off of creative work might not be as glamorous as it first seems. When I first started with photography, I looked at it as a side hobby. After doing it for a while, and finding a few ways to turn my hobby into a side hustle, I decided that I wanted to do photography full time. However, in order to make this happen, I quickly realized that you needed multiple sources of income. Unfortunately, just taking nice pictures didn’t pay the bills. I first started by selling prints, which helped me make a small amount of money but it definitely wasn’t enough to do photography full time. Over time, I’ve since added workshops, online teaching and tutorials, as well as writing blog posts for large companies as ways to make money. Making ends meet as a creative requires you to be creative to find multiple different sources of income.

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?

I am a landscape and nature photographer based in Southern Utah. I first got into photography because my already budding interest in the outdoors, which translated perfectly when I picked up a camera. I started taking photos of local landscapes, but ultimately transitioned into shooting some of the most remote areas in the lower 48 on my extensive backpacking trips.

Over time, as my passion and skill grew, I started gaining the desire to teach others. Leading workshops has provided me the perfect outlet to capture amazing photos, and better yet, help my clients to capture amazing photos and become better photographers. One of the things I am most proud of in my business in the images I have helped my clients create, and how excited they are when they see the photo pop up on the back of the camera screen.

One point of emphasis that everyone should know about my business is that no matter what your skill level is, I will help you become a better photographer. My workshops constantly get all skill levels of photographers, including beginners who just unboxed their first camera, to semi-professionals who want to refine their work. My workshops are incredibly fun, informative, and useful for all skill levels and we have so much fun every workshop!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

In my journey, the most rewarding thing is helping other creatives become successful. I remember what it was like the first time I found success in my photography, or the feeling I had when my camera screen first lit up with the Milky Way. I think that helping people feel the same way I remember feeling is one of the most rewarding parts. Giving someone an experience or feeling they’ve never had before is such an amazing feeling.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building an audience is so difficult but is by far the most important aspect of becoming a successful creative. When I first started growing my audience, Instagram was a quickly growing space that I was able to gain quite a few followers on in a short amount of time. A few of my photos became popular quickly and gained tens of thousands of views overnight, which instantly lead to a lot of new followers.

Now, growing a following is much more difficult. The most consistent way to get a following is to follow industry trends, which right now is short videos, such as Instagram Reels or TikTok. The way to grow a following is ever-changing, and if you wish to get a large audience, you have to be always adapting.

Contact Info:

• Website: austinjamesjackson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austin.james.jackson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austinjamesjackson
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/austinjamesjackson
• Other: Join a Photo Workshop: austinjamesjackson.com/workshops