We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cassie Hedrick a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Cassie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was in high school, I was always asked, “what do you wanna do with your life?” and I never really knew what to say. I always was told to pick a career path that was going to make me the most money, but the only jobs that really promised that were jobs that I had no interest in. I’ve always been a creative person, and I knew I wanted to continue this into my adulthood. For a while, I thought my career path would involve music cause I was an active member in my middle school and high school band and I knew I was good at it. But for some reason, it still didn’t spark my interest as much trying to make that a full time priority. Next it was fashion, and even to this day, I still have an interest in the world of fashion. The one outlet I always enjoyed and decided was what I wanted to pursue was photography. I originally got into wanting to be a wildlife photographer and my dream at the time was to work for national geographic. As I went to college I fell back into my passion for wanting to be a part of the fashion scene, so I began developing a love for fashion photography and that was when my true passion for the art of photography began.

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! My name is Cassie and I am the owner of Cassie Jo Photography and I’m based out of Marietta, OH. I first developed a love for photography my senior year of high school and ever since then it’s always been a part of my life. I am a Lifestyle, Wedding, and Interior photographer, so I dabble in a little bit of everything.

I like to describe my style as soft, moody, and cinematic.

The main thing I think that sets me a part from others is my editing style. It’s taken such a long time to truly develop my style, and I think it truly reflects me as a person and really sets me apart from other photographers.

Something that I am the most proud of from a business stand point is learning to not lose my passion for the art and focusing on the money or any numbers in general. As someone who is in an industry that is flooded with others doing exactly what you do, it can sometimes feel discouraging when you see others obtaining more clients, or making more money than you, and having more followers. It’s easy to tear yourself down, and I’ve had my fair share of those moments. I’ve had times where I became so down on myself that I started to question if photography was even something I wanted to do anymore, if I should just give up. When I finally realized that it isn’t always about the money, or the followers and, remembering why I started doing this in the first place, which was because I love the art and making people feel happy, that was when I truly started to succeed and ever since then, I’ve fallen even more in love with the craft.

I love to create art and make people happy. Through photography, I get to achieve both of those things and for that, I will forever be grateful.

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

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of being a creative/artist is seeing how happy the art makes other people. Especially photography, having clients tell me that they have never felt more confident in themselves than when they do after receiving their galleries back is truly what I live for. I’ve always been a people pleaser, so when people tell me that they enjoyed their session and are in love with the photos they received, I truly can’t think of a better feeling.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

So not that I wish I knew about this earlier in my journey, but more so wish these existed when I started are photography podcasts. Back when I first started, YouTube was my best friend, and honestly, I still recommend it to those who are just starting out. But the only downside to YouTube sometimes is when you’re seeing others work on the screen, it is often times very easy to start comparing your work to what you’re seeing on the screen. Podcasts on the other hand, are not as heavily focused on the work itself, but how to achieve the look you’re wanting or how to run your business by actually talking specifics and being able to hear about others life/business experiences makes it feel more personable. I will forever and ever recommend that photographers give a listen to some photography podcasts. I have learned so much from them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://CassieJo.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjhedrickphoto

Image Credits
For personal photo: Credit is to go to Dakota Burns Photography All other photos were taken by me, but for the interior photo, photography credit goes to me, but can you credit the interior design team as well, NorthSouth Studio in Parkersburg, WV