We were lucky to catch up with Fawn Nicole recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Fawn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

Ever since I was little, my mom toted around a camcorder; one of those older models that took cassette tapes. She documented everything, from my first cuss word at 4 years old to times spent at the lake where I’d theatrically pretend like I was in a movie starring… me! As I got older, I found myself taking pictures and video of every little thing that brought me joy. Looking back on it now, I think I held on so tightly to these little joy filled moments because there weren’t a lot of them growing up.

Fast forward to my first time going to a wedding. I was hired by a company at 17 to do makeup services for a wedding, and while I absolutely hated doing the makeup services, walking into that wedding for the first time… SEEING a wedding for the first time, I felt something in me click. I bought my first camera (a crappy Go Pro) and I began filming the very next day.

Honestly, I didn’t know if I would succeed. I had no experience with videography, no family or friends at this point to support me, and no funds to really invest in my business. I just knew that I had an unexplainable draw towards love stories and the innate desire to capture them.

It’s like for the first time in my life, I had a purpose. I had a dream! Videography truly saved my life. I didn’t do it because I thought I’d be successful at it, I did it because it mattered.

Fawn, 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?

After I began sharing my art, people were as drawn to it as I was to creating it.

Soon, weddings turned to couple’s films, and then boudoir films, and then to family films. Before I knew it, everyone wanted me to film EVERYTHING! To this day, I cannot recall a single thing I didn’t enjoy filming. It was deeper than just turning on a camera and taking a “video”. I was making art! I was telling stories! I was chasing that joy!

To my surprise, it didn’t take long for people to notice my different approach to videography. It’s as if they just understood me. It wasn’t just a job to me, it was my purpose! The thing that set me apart the most was that I didn’t do it for the money, I found passion and strength in telling my clients stories. It was so much more than a job for me, it was all about that care and emotion I spent so much without in my childhood. I cling to every moment for my clients. I understood the importance of their moments, and I was able to pursue a career truly from the ground up where I was the person they relied on to document all of that joy and love I chased so much.

I am proud of the work I do. I am proud of the diversity and inclusiveness of my work. I never made my clients feel like they had to look or be a certain way to see themselves in my films. I didn’t want them to fit into a little box of what the world wanted them to be, I tell their stories in a way that is so true to them. The human experience can truly be so beautiful and getting to take part in preserving those beautiful moments gave me a sense of warmth that I will never be able to articulate.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Honestly, I built my platforms by just being myself. By being outspoken about the need for inclusive story telling. The more I showed my work and the meaning behind it, the more my following grew. My followers understood me, they encouraged me to be myself. Before I knew it, I had tens of thousands of followers that told me how much my work meant to them. How they could see themselves in my work after years of feeling like they had to fit in that little box I referenced earlier. I show them that they could also be themselves!

It was an incredibly validating experience.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I built my reputation within videography by being a no bullshit, openly myself creative that stood up for and boosted the voices of so many.

It wasn’t easy being an openly queer videographer in Texas of all places. There were a lot of moments and mountains that I had to overcome. There were so many nights where I wondered if it would be easier if I myself just kept inside this little box.

The thing that kept me going were all of the messages I received from clients and creatives alike that finally felt like they were heard. So many people speak, but very few people listen.

I once heard a quote, and it went, “speak the truth, even if your voice shakes”. And it resonated with me so deeply. I had to overcome that fear of being perceived or outcasted and soon that fear became a mission to make sure that not a single person I ever had the honor of capturing felt like they weren’t seen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fawnandbee.com
• Instagram: https://Www.Instagram.com/fawnandbee
• Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/fawnandbee
• Other: Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@beingfawn

Image Credits

Rebecca Hieb Photography
Love Her Wilder
Hippie Girl Photography
Anthropology Photo Co