We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Catie Menke a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Catie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I am very happy as a business owner! I am grateful that I had the resources and opportunities to start my own business. It was scary to let go of a corporate job with a dependable paycheck. However, I feel so fulfilled in my current creative work, and I’m proud that I took the risk. I also think I had perfect timing in starting my business because I spent time preparing to leave my corporate role. I gradually added clients and proved I could make money on my own as an artist. I think there’s always a “what if,” but honestly I wouldn’t change it at all.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Before photography, I expressed my creativity through dance and graphic design, and now, what I love most is telling stories through artistic images. I do fashion and beauty photography for models and brands. My images have an edgy, raw feel guided by my aesthetic eye for movement, lighting and shadow, and distortion. I also do behind the scenes videography at fashion shows and am traveling more and more for shoots.
My pride and creative fuel is my mixed media art, where I layer, paint, and otherwise alter my original images to make new artwork. My original designs are available for purchase and offered as a unique element for brands. I believe in filling my creative cup every single day through my daily art practice, which I recently completed 365 days of.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’ve pivoted many times in my artistic career. Throughout it all, a huge asset has been my commitment to paying attention to the cues the universe gives me and being brave enough to flow with those changes. It started out with brunch events to chat about women’s empowerment. Then, I pivoted to a contributor blog that featured my creative photography. Eventually, I realized that artwork itself can be the way I serve my community. So, I pivoted to primarily photography, mixed media, and graphic design. Even since then I’d been able to slowly shift from focusing only on my clientele’s vision to allowing my own artistic interpretation to lift up their brand.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think the biggest keys to building my reputation in the industry are my collaborations within the artistic community. The creative field can sometimes feel siloed, and so building community by working with friends and collaborators is beneficial to everyone in mutually spreading the word. I also build my reputation in the industry by treating my clients like I would want to be treated, meaning I show up on time, get photos back to clients quickly, and present my best work. Having a growing presence on social media and my website also helps express my unique style. Authenticity is huge for me, so the more I build genuine connections and follow my intuition, the better everything has become.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.catiemenke.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catiemenke/
- Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/catiemenke/
