Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cassidy Croot. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cassidy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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?

I have been able to earn a full-time living from my photography business. It was definitely not that way to start, but once I learned the difference between working as a hobbyist or a “side-hustle” to making this my career it was much easier. I started photography as a hobby and took a few low paying sessions a month – for fun, creativity, and to make a little extra pocket cash. I was nervous to take the leap as I was 21 at the time and was not fully aware of what it would take to run a real business.

In 2017 I had my daughter and left my full-time job. It was clear that paying for childcare and working full-time for someone else at barely above minimum wage was not going to work out. So I set my sights on turning what had been a hobby into a real business. I found other successful photographers to mentor with and ask questions, and did a lot of research on my own about licensing, insurance, taxes, and profitability. Had I trusted myself and leapt it may have been quicker, but we all know we are our own worst critics and there was a lot of self-doubt in the beginning, which kept me from making that leap for almost a year.

In January 2018 I was visiting my family in the Midwest and decided to take that time to build a real website, charge real prices, and go from there. I got my first inquiry from my website later that week, and things have taken off from there.

I’d say a main major step was calculating my cost of doing business and charging what I’m worth. It can be scary to raise pricing and charge more, but it’s absolutely crucial to being able to make a full-time living. I wish I’d known from the beginning that I needed to increase my value with every price raise. Not just the quality of my photographs, but my experience as well. Increase your client experience, tailor it to the client, really connect with them, and price no longer becomes a huge objection. When you’re providing them with a service and getting to know them and feel passionate about telling their story, it is no longer transactional. This improves their experience, yours, and truly fuels my passion. I don’t dream of clicking buttons on my camera and having the client hand me over a stack of cash. I dream of meeting people and telling their stories authentically, really connecting with them, and making a living wage while doing so.

I also think investing in a business coach and mentor was something I was always afraid of, but has helped me immensely. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be afraid to learn something new from someone. I always say you don’t have to copy someone successful to be successful, but learning from successful people can give you little nuggets of wisdom that you can use in your own way to become successful.

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?

I’m a professional photographer specializing in maternity, newborn, and family sessions. I also photograph couples, kids, and military homecomings. I photograph these things because they are all things I want or would have wanted photographed in a timeless way. I have a daughter and after she was born I began to realize just how important these photo sessions are, and how important it is to have a photographer on the other side of the camera who truly cares about telling my story authentically, just as I’ll want to show my daughter someday or show my future grandchildren.

My main goal for my clients is to make photographing their memories fun and easy. Life as a parent is busy. Especially if you’re pregnant or have a newborn. My goal is to take the hard part out of the planning & session itself and just provide as carefree of a session as possible. I could create an insane prep list to help the sessions go perfectly, instead I help them plan what to wear, pick a location that gives the vibes they want and is easy to access, tell them where to park, when to meet, how to pose, and guide them to really have an experience with their family while they’re at a session with me. Then in a few weeks they receive gorgeous images, and have not only the images but the memories of the smooth experience to go with it.

What sets me apart from other photographers is that I don’t always do things the same way other people do, and I celebrate that. When a client hires me, I want them to hire me for what I do, not something anyone else can provide. My clients hire me for my organic style, my expertise in natural lighting, and my easy experience. I also have a large group of clients who return to me year after year, some multiple times a year, and I think that says a lot about the service I provide for them.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Building a business with a disabled child has been one of the hardest and most important things I’ve ever done. I’ve learned so much from my daughter in terms of resilience, and I’ve had to learn how to build and run a business in difficult times.

In early 2018 right around the time when I started as a real business full-time, my daughter started showing signs of developmental delays and feeding issues. Over that first year in business we dealt with several hospital stays, lots of testing and procedures, a surgery, feeding tubes, and more therapy and doctor’s appointments than I can count. I started this business from hospital waiting rooms, edited at her bedside, and had to schedule my clients around so many appointments.

My daughter was diagnosed in January 2019 with a rare genetic disorder, which gave me even more drive to photograph these absolutely fleeting moments. It’s so important to me that I photograph my daughter, but other people’s children as well. These moments with them fly by so fast and it’s something I want to capture for every single child.

We’ve dropped down to annual or bi-annual appointments for my daughter, less therapies and procedures, but regardless I know that I built a thriving business during a difficult time and I can continue to take on any hurdle that life may throw at my business and keep moving forward.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best thing you can do to help support artists and creatives is support them. Cheer them on. Like and share their work on social media. Recommend them to your friends. Hire them yourselves. And don’t pit them against one another in competition.

I’ve learned that a creative ecosystem is symbiotic, not a head to head food chain situation. If you have a scarcity mindset as a creative it can be incredibly difficult to keep your passion alive. Instead create art that sets your soul on fire, be yourself authentically and show that through your art and creative services, and you’ll attract those who desire what you provide. We all as a creative community must support and cheer on one another in order to thrive in our own creative space.

Contact Info:

• Website: cassidycrootphoto.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/cassidycrootphoto
• Facebook: Facebook.com/cassidycrootphoto