We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brandon Lucas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brandon, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
In August of 2020, I had one of the most traumatic events in my life happened. It was an event that I never saw in my destiny. My sister was murdered, leaving my family and I with a care of her children. This was during the middle of the pandemic, and I was forced to reevaluate my life, and what matters most.
In honor of my sister, I began to understand how she was always my number one supporter and my best friend. She never judged me for being part of the LGBT community, and she was always giving me confidence through the way she treated me and talked to me. She was everything a big sister should be.
So in the middle of the pandemic began to lean on the wisdom, she taught me, and one of them was to do what makes me happy. She always encouraged me to follow my passions, even when it was out of the ordinary. So in April 2021 I launched my small business, the Lucas and Company, Photography and Print. I did so to honor my family and our name, as well as always use what my sister taught me, which was to be passionate, and persistent with whatever I’m good at, and lean into it no matter what.
So my mission with my business is to always accommodate the customer, work with the customer to bring forth a vision that they would like with my scale in my eye and remembrance of my sister’s biggest lesson to me.
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.
My grandfather was in our professor at Kent State University, as well, as a an accomplished abstract painter and his own Rite. So it’s easy to say that the arts run in my jeans and I was around art on my life. Some of my favorite Christmas gifts and birthday gifts were notepads, crayons and markers, coloring books, and any sort of artistic activity.
And middle school I chose an elective and videography. In high school in my freshman year, I began to study photography. In college, my major of choice was phot journalism. So, although my life led me in different directions, I always had my passion with me in my right pocket, knowing deep down that this is what matters most to me.
I studied photography with manual cameras, point and shoot cameras, retro, vintage cameras, all of the film cameras, you could ever imagine, as well as digital cameras. Learning to develop film and waiting photography awards at my high school in Kent, Ohio, reiterated to me that I had a skill, and that I needed to be perfected and harness. So I began to always take pictures in my free time. I would always take pictures at graduation parties, family, events, and all of the social gatherings. During the pandemic, I chose to make it a business.
What I want my customers to know about my business is that I do not want to give them what I think they need. I think it’s very important to work with a customer so that they can get what they want out of a photo shoot. My main model is if the customer loves it. I love it as well.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I was raising a very closeness family. I was always taught that family will always support you and that you can always lean on family. I had to unlearn that sometimes the people who support you most are strangers. I had to learn through trial and tribulations that even sometimes when I’m passionate about it, other people might not feel the same way. I had to begun to be my own counselor, and to become steadfast and my vision and beliefs, even in the head of obstacles. I had to unlearn the idea that family will always support you first, although I am blessed with having many support systems in my family, I understand that this is not always the case for myself and others.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
The old adage of it takes money to make money is true for me, and my small business. I had to invest in my business, myself buying products and utensils, and supplies that I need. I had to invest in all the travel expenses and everything that it cost to incur a photo shoot. I drew from my 9 to 5 job as well as my savings account to get a Headstart understanding that one day it would all pay off and I will be profitable in a service that people love
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Image Credits
All images taken and owned by Brandon Lucas of The Lucas & Co. Photography and Print