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

Haven, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

I spent my early twenties working in different offices, agonizing over spreadsheets and stressing over work that meant very little to me. I wanted a life that brought me joy, one I was excited to wake up for, and the career path I was on wasn’t doing that. So I went searching for that joy and found that at my happiest, I typically had a camera in my hand. Whether I was taking fun, creative photos of myself, or snapshots of my friends on different adventures, I loved capturing memories. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of finding the perfect light and showcasing their natural beauty. The idea of being a photographer is certainly not a new one, but the idea of being one myself was daunting! There were so many things I needed to learn, not just for photography, but for running a business as well, and naturally I jumped in head first. I spent time talking to trusted individuals in the industry to figure out what equipment and software I would need and get their advice or any tips they might be willing to share. After I was approved for a loan, I opened up a business account and purchased my first high-quality camera and the basic software needed to edit photos. Several of my friends acted as models so that I could practice directing a session and editing the photos. My biggest hurdle, however, was learning to believe in myself. I spent most of my time struggling with imposter syndrome and feeling like I was in over my head. While overwhelming at times, I knew starting my own business would not be an easy task. Learning more about myself was the number one thing I needed to do in order to move from the idea phase to launching the business. Knowing how I operate best, managing stress, and working on my mindset was crucial to starting my business.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

What started off as a simple idea has grown and changed several times over the course of a couple of years. When I began, my only goal was to capture portraits of individuals, and now I not only photograph occasions, but I also create videos and curate social media platforms for local businesses. As a business owner, you have to know how to adapt and be willing to change. As I was learning photography, I started to become heavily interested in videography as well. By complete luck, a dear friend and talented photographer was shooting a wedding for an old classmate that summer. So, I reached out to see if I could experiment with creating a video of their day, and they said yes! I not only got to see behind the scenes of photographing a wedding, but I also experienced the joy of filming a wedding. In order to further develop my videography skills, I started creating short clips for social media purposes at the gym where I was working. I have always enjoyed social media, but being part of the creative process for a business was another eye-opening moment for what my business could include. While each aspect of my business is different, the purpose is the same: Capturing significant moments, people, and places. Through photography, I create lasting memories of families and help individuals celebrate themselves. With videography, I put memories in a time capsule that can be opened and replayed for years to come. As a social media manager, I assist others in building their own business and brand with high-quality content for social media.

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

The behind the scenes process may be a fun outlet for creativity, but it comes with its own set of stressors as well! There are times when my brain is simply tapped out of creative juice and I can’t just power through. Creativity is not something you can force. The process is also not a quick one, it can take nearly three times as long as the wedding or event to create the video! To create a video, you have to comb through all the footage collected to find the very best moments that showcase the day. You have to play around with the sequence of the clips, creating a film that brings back the emotions of the event. It’s not just filming, cutting, and sequencing clips either. A videographer has to be able to add music that matches the event and compliments the video. There are several steps to the editing process that take time and are often changed over and over to get the final result.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Making a mistake is one of the best things you can do! In the beginning, I spent a lot of time overthinking if something was the right decision and what other people might think about it. I spent more time being stuck in fear than I did actually attempting things out of the fear of making a mistake. Once I changed my mindset about what making a mistake meant, it became a lot easier to continue to grow my business. Not everything will work out how I want, and things will often go awry despite my best intentions. Mistakes are part of life and certainly part of business, but making a mistake or being wrong does not make you a failure. I had to learn that making a mistake is making progress because I found a way that doesn’t work. Errors are just as useful for growth as successes. In my opinion, the only mistake you can make is giving up on yourself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: piecesbyhaven

Image Credits
Pieces by Haven