We recently connected with Dana Martin and have shared our conversation below.
Dana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later?
I had originally picked up a camera and started to learn photography as a stay at home mom. It was something I had always been interested in, but I needed something that was mine while knee deep in motherhood. I quickly fell in love with the craft, and it slowly evolved into something I believed might actually be “something.” One year after picking up a camera, I opened my own LLC, despite pushback from people at the time I thought had my back.
Shortly after that, my marriage ended and life changed. I was faced with an immediate need to provide for myself and my children. My business quite literally was my lifeline- I had a skill and means to an income during a very challenging season of life. I was able to use what I had learned about photography, content creation, social media marketing, and business to quickly lay the building blocks for a career.
I often wonder if I should’ve started my business sooner- maybe I wouldn’t have struggled so much or been able to more quickly provide for my family. Most of the time, however, I think that when I started was no accident. Everything works together how and when it should. I think every business owner has had a gut feeling to start something and then lean into it, and that gut feeling should always be listened to. It might just be your saving grace.
Dana, 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?
My name is Dana Martin and I am primarily a photographer, but my scope of work ranges from event and portrait photography, to marketing, content creation, social media management, creative direction, small scale production, and (the beginning stages of) videography. I believe that in today’s economic climate, hybrid professionalism is a huge asset that all of us creatives should be able to abide by in some regard.
As long as I can remember, I have loved human stories. I love the way we tell those stories through words, photos, videos, and imagination. I love the clarity that story can bring to business life and personal life- it all weaves together to create something meaningful and special to each person.
Ultimately it is my goal to tell those stories through media. The wisdom we gain from each different season of life has the power to also change others lives, and I think that is so beautiful and powerful.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The tagline of my company is “Speak life, create beauty.” That is the mission of my business and the mission of my life. I hope to leave the world a little better in any way I can.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social media has been the key driver of my business! It’s the best free marketing tool and has the potential for enormous impact. I had a lot of success with short form video and enjoy the creativity and humor that can come with that!
I would tell anyone just starting out to pay attention to trends, be real, don’t take yourself too seriously, but also remember that your views/engagement/follower count has absolutely nothing to do with your worth as a person or creative. It’s a tool, use it as such!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.danamartincreative.com
- Instagram: @danamartincreative
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/danamartincreative
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-martin-27a244b8/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@danamartincreative