We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Devin Phaly. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Devin below.

Hi Devin, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am happy as an artist with many outlets of creative expression. There’s a privilege to be able to bring your ideas to life, to have a community around it and provide value to those who need it by sharing your art with others. That being said, that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle maintaining balance in all the areas of my life. Physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, socially and spiritually. It’s an honor to be able to perceive the world in a different way and I know that without balance you can really overindulge. Being a creative is different than being productive and I’ve learned that inspiration lives in your environment, the people, the stories and purpose.

There’s a misconception of happiness especially with having certain status, reaching certain milestones at specific ages, making a certain salary, etc. – the list goes on. Especially with social media nowadays, it’s easy to compare what you don’t have and wishing you have more. I praise creative entrepreneurs because they can solve problems, be a business owner and also be passionate about their business. But for some of us, like me – I am not the best at sales, account management, writing emails, and bookkeeping. I’d rather focus soley on the creative areas. If you are doing what you are passionate about creatively and you are financially stable or have created financial freedom from it, you have the golden ticket. The reality is, it’s hard mixing both business and creative – and it’s difficult to make money as an artist if you don’t have the resources, connections, opportunities and haven’t reached the target audience who will appreciate your work.

There’s a saying that consistency and luck is what makes success. Continue to create your art, to share it, to make meaningful connections, work hard, maintain the balance – it really is an everyday thing. The journey. And when the opportunity comes, the universe will put you in a position to succeed and grow. I am a freelance filmmaker, director of photography and video editor. I have found resources and tools that help me in the areas I lack in being self-employed and have made connections possible for me to sustain myself financially. I think it’s important to explore if having a regular job, freelancing or creating a business is right for you. Some people seek stability, some people like taking risks and some people prefer creating a lifestyle for themself. Everyone deserves to be able to be financially stable and still be able to pursue their creative endeavors. Just because you might not create everyday, doesn’t mean you aren’t an artist. You can still be an artist and still have a regular job!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve always was creative ever since I was a little kid. I used to draw and write stories all the time. While there was some challenges with my family growing up, I didn’t know at the time I was be driven away from the things I was passionate about and seeking that child-like curiousity. It wasn’t until college I started to reconnect with my creative side more. I was studying Advertising and Graphic Design at Morningside College in Sioux City, IA. Without any real world experiences – I decided to attend an internship fair my sophomore year. I had gotten an internship with a social media agency, Chatterkick – I shadowed copywriters, project managers, operations, etc. but what really drew me in was the content creation team. My mentor and old friend, Taylor Grote, had been there for me to shadow. I bought my first camera and he offered lots of advice and opportunities for me to grow. I started off taking portraits and filming music videos. Through starting a full-service video production company, working with agencies, and freelancing – I can say that each experience has shaped the creative and individual I am today.

Currently I am a full-time freelance creative director, filmmaker and video editor. I partner with agencies and clients to produce impactful videos, tell meaningful stories and to create community. I can’t really say what sets me apart because I haven’t received much feedback from clients and collaborators. I can say I am a jack of all trades – I am passionate and resourceful when it comes to bringing a project to life. I am the team player in each of the production process and I’m with the client every step of the way. One of my greatest skillsets is being a fast video editor and turnaround times are usually quick! Most clients are amazed by the quality and speediness once they receive their content. I’ve learned it can definitely be a double edged sword if you aren’t good with time management and boundaries with yourself. Even though speed is praised in this industry – I’ve learned to communicate and take a little bit more time on the edits to ensure I have a balance and don’t burn myself out. Creating space for work and other aspects of your life will increase your productivity and ensure a more quality video!

I am most proud of learning the kind of creative I want to be. Trusting in my abilities, my ideas, my intuition, and process to take initiative as an individual who struggled with insecurity and comparison. I’ve found empowerment through community and taking risks on my ideas. There’s been so many challenges and failures but like waves – it always ebbs and flows. I’m grateful to know who I am and how I show up when working on projects and learning to be more myself around others. If there’s one thing I want people to know, it’s that everyone has a story and outlets of expressing themself in this world. You have to invest more of your energy into your truth and have faith in your journey. You have the capability to create the life you desire.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Ever since I moved to Minneapolis, I’ve struggled finding support, a community and other creatives to collaborate with. How do we make connections, create opportunities and find resources to thrive in a new city? It took me a few years to get out of my own comfort zone but I’ve found it challenging to stay connected with others I’ve met through social media or events. Overall during the past few years, I’ve noticed Minneapolis has a great community that supports all kinds of artist by allowing them the opportunites to share their work, ways to connect and empowerment by other artists.

It’s really simple how society can help build an ecosystem where artists and creatives are thriving. It all starts with what truly matters which is community. Without community, we can’t lean on others for support. It takes one or more person to have the courage to create opportunities where individuals can meet in person or come together to co-create. I know there are grants that provide funding for art projects – there should be ways that artists can hear about opportunities to help with funding because some artists struggle financially and aren’t able to have the resources to create or execute on their idea.

Social media is a great tool for artist to show their work digitally and there are many platforms to showcase your art and support one another. It’s wild with the algorithms on the platforms – we should be able to see the content of who we follow and also show our posts to people to who follow us. It’s tough to support one another when the algorithm isn’t helping with organic reach. Even though social media a positive tool, it has it’s negative sides too. With kids growing up with social media, we need to help navigate a healthy relationship with it. Building a foundation of healthy social media use is important for our mental health and it starts in the homes and schools.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I feel like a lot of us went through some major life changes in the past few years. Especially with COVID and having to respond to change and probably caused a lot of fear and anxiety. Each year I had to make pivots in life and my career. In 2020, I had still been part owner of a start-up company and once COVID came to the US, we had lost some of our clients. I was struggling mentally and when things fell through, I had to make a decision to stay in Sioux City, IA and try to make it work or take care of myself and make space for what I needed. There comes a time where you have to ask yourself what are the important things in your life, what are you compromising to be comfortable and what kind of risks/sacrifices do you need to make to live a more happier/ well-balanced life?

I decided to move to Minneapolis during COVID with no plan, no job, and no friends. It was a really hard decision but I knew being near family was important at the time. I knew I would figure it out and I knew it was going to be really difficult to adjust to a new lifestyle. I decided to do freelance videography and photography full-time and I was hustling to make connections and provide values to others. With COVID still fresh, I was getting turned down by companies and even individuals who I tried to meet with. After scraping by for a year and living with my family, I decided to move out to learn more about myself and face my fears alone. It turned out I was depressed for a long time and didn’t know it. It was time for me to quit being a creative for a while and build a healthy relationship with myself. With the support from my family and friends, I was able to go to bartending school and get a job at a restaurant that helped me socially and mentally. Plus, going to therapy :) Not having to worry about trying to sustain myself financially with my creative outlets – I was able to create for fun and not to survive. I started making vlogs and fashion content and I even picked up a guitar and started learning to sew.

It wasn’t until a year ago August of 2022, where I had the opportunity to meet and work with some cool friends and fellow creatives that showed me that I was more than capable of what I told myself. Throughout this past year, I’ve learned to be more confident in myself and to take initiative and follow my intuition to live the life that I desire. It wasn’t until these major pivots that I learned the most about myself and who I am as an individual – as a creative. Now, I’m in a better position. Having balance in my life, establishing meaningful relationships and creating what my heart desires.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @phalyislovely
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phalyvisuals
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-phaly/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBi2NV_y3CRuAOg15YB6qoA