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

David, appreciate you joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I have been an avid photographer/videographer for over 15+ years, however, it wasn’t until 5 years ago that I truly grasped the idea of what ‘freelancing’ was. In those 5 years I have learned an incredible amount from a lot of very incredibly talented people. I have also had the opportunity to work on a lot of fun productions and with cool clients. With that said, I wish I would have taken the leap into the freelance world at an earlier time in my career because I believe I would have a lot more experience under my belt in the professional world. My goal from the beginning has been to work with as many creatives as I can, and perfect my craft by learning from others. At the beginning, I was trying so hard to emulate other creatives styles, which gave me severe imposter syndrome. But as I met more creatives within the area who gave me constructive criticism on my own work, I realized my style was unique and worth marketing.

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?

I am a Central Florida based Creative who specializes in photography and videography. While I was an avid photographer/videographer for over 15 years, the last 5 years I have taken the initiative to pursue a full time career as a creative as it is truly what I love and want to spend the rest of my life doing. This is why I choose to specialize in a lot of mediums within the video/photo world. I have worked on feature films, documentaries, marketing campaigns, and short films. I’ve had the opportunity to work in a wide variety of roles within Video Production that has helped me gain a lot of experience and sharpen my skills as a creative. This has also helped me to become a more skilled photographer as well. For me, marrying both my love for video/film as well as photo has been my biggest goal. Which is why I love freelancing on video productions as much as I love working as a photographer.

My goal as a creative is to help elevate a persons or brands story in an engaging way, both visually and emotionally. My love for film has helped me to create a unique style as a creative as I love to emulate the styles of my favorite cinematographers and utilize natural lighting to create high quality imagery, but prioritizing the story over anything else.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Starting out in freelance is tough. I knew that I wanted to work in film production, but did not know what to do. Luckily my friend offered me a role on a video he was directing. From there I quickly realized I wanted to work more within film production. Same thing happened with working as a photographer. I was offered a freelance job as a photographer, and loved every second of it. But had no idea how to continue to find clients.

This led to a lot time spent just waiting, and having to work corporate jobs that sucked the life out of me. Consistently sending cold emails, or reaching out to professionals with no replies, no contact. Months with no leads or work. Then, I would get offered a fun project for a day or two, here and there. Still having to work a full time corporate job that forced me to say no to interesting projects due to scheduling.

As the opportunities became more spread out, I had to say no to a lot of great opportunities because of my corporate job that paid my bills and ensured my family was taken care of….

Then, I was affected by a mass layoff, and just like that. I was jobless.

So instead of searching for a role in a corporate position again, I decided to tackle freelance full time and go full force. Because this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, to work in the creative world and show my daughter we should never settle for anything that makes us unhappy just because it’s comfortable.

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

The most rewarding thing for me is hearing that clients like my work and showcase them and then tell other people how much they liked working with me.

That said, a similar feeling is when you have an extremely talented friend who refers you to work with them or their clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.burns.work
• Instagram: @daveyxburns
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveyxburns/