We were lucky to catch up with David Beeler recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, David thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

The other day, one of my mentors, Mavis Karn, asked me, “How are you?“ It’s a fairly common and straightforward question. I began to tell her what I’ve been doing.
She stopped me and said, “That’s not what I asked. I asked, ‘How are you?’”
I smiled as I realized she was right, I was totally missing the question. I find I tend to get caught up with what I’m doing, more than how I’m being.

Now, why is that significant?

Because it ties into success.

I know that when I’m coming from a good place in my being, it totally changes not only how I look at what I’m doing, but the quality of my doing— I see more opportunities, I have fresh ideas, I interact with clients and collaborators differently. And they experience or “feel” me differently.

Most of us chase success m, hoping to arrive, someday, when we’ve finally “made it,” at a good feeling. But, even then, we often kick the can of feeling good further down the road with our thinking. But if I flip the script and rather than chase feeling good, just take a moment to capture it by quieting down, tuning in; then I can go about doing what I do from a place of connection. And by all external metrics, I’m likely to have better results.

My best friend happens to be a successful author and life coach, Michael Neill. He was asked in a magazine interview, “What is your five year vision for your life?” He was surprised by his response but I really really like it.

“I’m really happy and I love my life. So in five year’s time, I’d like to be really happy and love my life. And I’m not that bothered about what that looks like.”

That to me that is what success looks like. If I can tune in to the good feeling of being alive that is all of our baselines, I’ll be more successful by internal and external metrics alike.

David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Around the age of eight, I would sneak my Mom’s 126 camera out of the house and shoot pictures around the Texas country side. When a birthday or other holiday rolled around, my Mom would be baffled that she was out of film (Yes, it was that long ago…) She’d be even more baffled when the pictures came back from the lab… I fessed up and was rewarded with my own little camera when Christmas came.
When I was 15, I spent the summer working to buy my first 35mm and when my Mom was picking up enlargements from my first two rolls of film, the lady at the local camera store (who happened to be the owner) said, “These are really good. Did you take them?” My Mom said, “No, my son did. He’s crazy about photography.” “Do you think he’d want to work here?”
Kismet.
So, I began a vertical learning curve. By the time I was 17, I was running their professional lab, assisting several photographers, shooting stills on film sets, shooting for the school paper and yearbook and having success in several gallery showings. Everything I know, I learned on the job, from someone I worked with or from reading and experimenting. When my personal work led me to a point where I was being asked to shoot, I started shooting…. and the fact that people were offering money for this seemed, well… incredible.

Along the way I’ve done all kinds of photography, but most of what I‘ve done is to create marketing assets that involve people— amongst various shoots, I’ve recently photographed world class guitar player, Thom Rotella for his jazz album which is doing great in the jazz charts, I photographed Cameron Mathison, a host for Sony/The Game Show Network, and some amazing dancers. But, I also do portraiture, music videos, have produced feature and short films, webseries and I enjoy writing. The overriding, connective tissue is storytelling. I approach all my work from the basic question, “What is the story we’re trying to tell?” Whether it’s a single frame, like a photograph, or a narrative story in written or visual form.

Once you’re clear on what the story is, all kinds of other things come into focus like, wardrobe, art direction, color palettes, make up, composition and timing. Decisions flow so much more easily when we’re clear on the story.

I really enjoy working with a client figuring out what exactly the story is we’re trying to tell. I happen to be pretty good at eliciting a brief, if one doesn’t already exist. And aside from having a good eye for composition, one of my best attributes is that people feel relaxed and easy with me. When photographing people, one of the best things you can do is to create an environment where the subject is relaxed, because they’ll just take better shots. One time a client told me that a Photographer had made her cry. I thought that was unbelievable. I only ever want my clients to feel at their very best. And granted, sometimes it can be challenging, because being human, everyone has some self image issues. By focussing on the story that we’re trying to tell, we usually look past those concerns, and towards the goal we’re chasing— focusing on what we’re trying to communicate, not reflexively judging ourselves. I was lucky that my Mom had a heart the size of Texas, and really accepted everyone. A friend of mine, once pointed out that she was the least judgmental person he’s ever known. I grew up in that forest, not seeing the trees— as a consequence, I tend to find people really fascinating and enjoy engaging with anyone. The landscape of human psychology is always morphing, always different. Even if I photograph someone on Monday, on Tuesday, they’re a different person. So that always keeps it really interesting for me.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Some great things about being a creative are that I get to play. I get to connect. I get to chase down interesting ideas. I get to make cool stuff. And I get paid at least 3 times: the enjoyment of engaging with others in the creative sandbox, the delight of our results, and the ability to support my family and self while doing it.
It’s a three-fer!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

My wife and I took a trip up to California coast to the beautiful artist town of Cambria. On a late Sunday morning, we wandered into a shop/gallery that sold amazing glass bowls, platters and sinks. We got to chatting with an artist whose work was on display. After commending the beauty of his work, I asked how long it took to make one of the large bowls. He said, “That one took about 3 hours and 20 years.”
I laughed. “Yep. That sounds about right.”

Anyone making a living from the arts is on a courageous journey. When I am in the zone, creating. I am truly alive and that space is wonderful to share, whether it’s the process or the result. But in terms of the process of creating. I know my best course is to focus on how I am being — my come from — more than my doing. That will take care of itself.

So, if I may ask… “How are you doing?”

Contact Info:

• Website: http://beelerphotography.com
• Instagram: @Beelerphoto

Image Credits

Image of Cameron Mathison (purple shot) “Photo by David Beeler, courtesy of The Game Show Network.”