Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Casey Droege. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Casey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you take vacations? Why or why not?
I love vacations. Who doesn’t really? Don’t get me wrong, it’s always a struggle to figure out when and to actually not check my email. But when I make it happen, it makes me a whole new person. My brain relaxes, my shoulders drop, those bags under my eyes get slightly smaller. We all need time to just be human and get back to our core selves (the part of us that isn’t about what we do).
Even though my own business is small and all of my employees are part time, I’ve started offering paid vacation to them as well. It’s really necessary for us as a team to get a little reprieve and come back to our work life with a little more inspiration and energy.
Casey, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was raised by self-employed artists. Two visual artists and a mime, to be precise. So our lives depended on someone commissioning a portrait from my mom or hiring my dad to photograph a project or paying my stepdad to perform. In a smaller city like Pittsburgh, where we lived, that wasn’t always easy. Opportunities could be limited and they had to get creative.
I’ve since grown up to run a business that builds arts economy through art consulting services. That means we pay artists and arts workers to create unforgettable experiences in every space with really great art. It means our clients get what they want and we’re helping the creative class build a sustainable life.
We’ve worked on hotels, offices, private collections, restaurants, and more. For all of these we try to incorporate living, local talent so that we can support the local arts economy and build authentic community relationships for the client.
Any advice for managing a team?
My team is usually between 5-8 people at a time, with half of them being project based and everyone being part-time. While everyone has different roles, we ask everyone to pitch in on most things. There’s paid skill-sharing across jobs, so that folks can fill in for each other when needed. And we take time to promote the outside work that everyone is doing- there’s always something amazing. Outside of doing the actual work, we try to have some informal staff events, to help build relationships. We send thank you’s to our staff and try to not only acknowledge the work they do, but also stay loyal to them by continuing to build opportunities for them.
We’re flexible and I make sure that as the boss, I never ask anyone to do something that I wouldn’t do myself. All of these things help maintain a great atmosphere. It also helps that everyone we bring on shares in this team mentality.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Collaborators on past projects tend to be our biggest driver of new business. They weren’t necessarily the clients, but the interior designers or project managers that we worked closely with. As soon as they have another project that might include room and a budget for art, they try to bring us in. These are the folks who we get to work side by side with, and we help to build up the vision together. We never view them as an obstacle or competition for the budget. They’re truly collaborators in the building process and we enjoy working together.
Contact Info:
- Website: caseydroege.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseydroegeculturalproductions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caseydroegeculturalproductions/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/casey-droege-cultural-productions/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-QvnvZNx8xhIZ_8RL8fig
Image Credits
Ivette Spradlin, Lexi Ribar
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