Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kim Carr. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kim , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?
Back in 2014 I was still a newbie in the world of professional photography. I had started out selling my photography on notecards out of the back of my pickup truck at the local Farmers Market and other small venue’s. I was given the opportunity to participate in the Saint Louis Art Fairs Emerging Artists as Entrepreneurs program. The two-year program allowed me to see the inside workings of a major art show and what all it entails to put your art out into the world in a very public event. This program was like an intensive college course for me in the business of art marketing. By the second year I was allowed to show and sell my art alongside top tier artists from around the country and some artists traveled from other countries. The Saint Louis Art Fair is consistently ranked as one of the top ten art shows in the nation, racking up awards year after year.
Going through the Emerging Artists program it became abundantly clear that I had to become more cohesive with my story as an artist. I needed to become more focused with my photography, I needed to present myself without a doubt in the work I presented.
As a child I was given my first camera, a little 110 Kodak, at the age of ten. With my mom being a single parent, she made me buy my own film and pay for development of my photos. I whole heartly credit my mom with helping me to develop my eye as a photographer. I had other expenses at the time…. hamster food, cat litter, CANDY. I became very selective of what I photographed and how I photographed it. While I have no formal training in photography, I did my learning through the school of hard knocks. My photography has always leaned towards animals, nature, rustic and rural items. When I first started out selling my photography from the back of my pickup, my photos covered the gamete from farm animals, to veggies, flowers, rusty vehicles and more. I had minor success with selling my images, enough so, I was determined to make my way as an artist. I was hungry to learn as much as I could, however I could. The Saint Louis Emerging Artists as Entrepreneurs program came into my life at the perfect time.
If you have ever attended the Saint Louis Art Fair or any top art show for that matter, you will begin to notice as you walk booth to booth, each artist is telling their story through their artwork. They put their heart and soul into the work they create and offer it to the world as a form of communication. It was through this program that I decided to focus on photographing heritage breed farm animals. As a small farmer myself…I’ve had my small farm for thirty-four years now. I myself have an assortment of critters including heritage breed cattle, chickens, and in the past, sheep.
What are heritage breeds? Basically, they are old fashioned breeds of livestock and poultry, many of which are now in danger of extinction. You can liken heritage breeds to heirloom veggies. They are old styles which have lost favor over time due to commercial agriculture and big AG. Many of your heritage breeds do not grow as big or as fast as modern agriculture demands. Farming techniques have also changed over time. We no longer use a horse or mule to plow the fields. A hundred years ago everyone had a garden and livestock that they raised to feed the family, neighbors and perhaps the community. In time, the small farm has been pushed out by big AG. Folks have moved to the cities and suburbs. For food security we still need the wide variety of livestock and poultry that where once the mainstay of our country, but big AG has all but squeezed these rare breeds out because they do not conform to today’s standards.
Through my photography it is my goal to raise awareness of these rare breeds of livestock and poultry. Since 2016 I have been visiting small Missouri farmers that have heritage breeds, many of which are in danger of extinction. This black and white photography has been my main focus. Talking with patrons at art shows, starting that conversation has not only fueled my fire as a photographer but it has given me a path to travel that is near and dear to my heart. Currently I offer my images at art shows, a few Missouri galleries, and online. My intention from the beginning is to publish a book with the images, history, and farmers stories that I have collected. I have had several invitations from out of state farmers to visit their farm, get to know them and their critters, photograph them as a documentation of their historic significance as we slowly watch some of these animals become more and more endangered. The good news is, since I began my photo project, several breeds have gained enough in population that they have been successfully removed from the endangered list, such as Katahdin sheep and Scottish Highland cattle.
The Livestock Conservancy is an organization that is dedicated to saving these rare breeds of livestock and poultry through education, research, grants, promotion, and unending work to make sure these animals are not lost forever. Many folks are aware of the World Wildlife Federation and their work to prevent extinction of exotic animals such as pandas, tigers, and rhinos, but few people realize that we also have domesticated farm animals in danger of extinction. This is why I do what I do. I want to make a difference through my photography by creating art for any home while raising awareness for heritage breeds of livestock and poultry. I am a proud supporter of the Livestock Conservancy, and it is my pleasure to donate a portion of my proceeds yearly to the organization as they continue their fight, I will also continue mine.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
As stated earlier, I got my start into photography at about the age of ten. It is something that always stuck with me through the years. I’ve always had a fondness for capturing the moment in pictures. A friend of mine accuses me of not remembering anything unless I have captured it in a photo. I guess this is why I take pictures of everything.
With a background and degree in Animal Science, I never saw photography as a career option. After twenty plus years in a variety of jobs that seemed more to suck my soul dry instead of feeding it, I was finally let go by a company that was the first to pay me for my degree. I was devastated because as much as I did not get any joy from this job, I did have everything else that we are trained to achieve in our work goals…. insurance, vacation pay, 401K, etc. I was absolutely miserable, but never would have left that job because I was under the delusion that it offered everything I needed for a “Real Job”. I wish I had realized this at a younger age, but personal happiness far outweighs the other benefits. In time, things will fall into place.
It has taken me several years as an artist to grow, learn, expand, to find myself. If truth be told, we should always be growing, learning and exploring, these things make me happy. The fact that I am now able to make a living doing what I love and sharing my story with others, gives me a great sense of accomplishment. Knowing that I am making a difference with my photography for future generations also fills me with pride. I have a great nephew, Brycen. He recently turned eight and has spent a great deal of time with me, here on the farm. It is my hope that the heritage breeds of livestock and poultry that I photograph will be around for generations and generations to come. I want Brycen, his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on, to know these animals, to have them sharing space on this planet as they thrive and continue to exist.
One of the great joys with my photo project is the fact that I have been able to meet the small farmers one on one. Many I have become very good friends with as we share a common goal and passion. I have spent time with the folks that are making a difference in our world…not just theirs, OURS. I have gotten to know them and the animals that they are so passionate about saving for our future generations. When you look at one of my photos, I hope you will sense the connection. I didn’t just drive down the road, stop my vehicle and jump out for a picture of a beautiful cow in some random field. I have spent time with that animal. I know it by name, how it came to be on that farm, its history, the history of the breed, challenges the farmer may face with keeping and/or raising rare breeds. My images are not random shots of farm animals. They have a story, they have a history, they are making a difference by raising awareness for rare breeds of livestock and poultry. I am giving a face to our heritage breeds that must not be forgotten.
To help me along my way as I continue to visit small farmers, getting to know them and their critters, I have set up a Patreon page which allows those who are interested in my photo project and other adventures, and opportunity to help support my vision to keep these critters relevant and to share life on the farm with those who may not be able to live in the country but still want to stay connected.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
As an artist it is natural to work alone and to rely on ourselves to do it all. Create the artwork, prep it for sale, marketing, social media, packaging, shipping, manager, bookkeeper, IT tech… the list goes on and on. We normally find ourselves wearing all the hats required to run a small business. I was very fortunate early on in my career to stumble on a statewide organization for artists and fine crafters. The Best of Missouri Hands gave me an opportunity to meet other creatives. It allowed me exposure to artists of all mediums that had been there and done that. No need to reinvent the wheel on everything. I learned how to apply my voice to my work and how I handled business matters, but the group gave me a sense of family, a network that I could reach out to anytime.
Asking for help or direction can be very hard as an artist, but it has been very humbling. I’ve made so many friends through this organization and through getting my work in galleries and art shows. While I consider myself an introvert, I have found that I want very much to make my living as an artist…. this requires that I open myself up to others and allow myself to ask for help when needed.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
Early on in my art career before I honed my focus on heritage breed farm animals, I did open edition work. Now my images are signed and numbered, limited editions. I had a horse photo that I had taken during a photo shoot for a small business lady that did horse therapy. It was a bright sunny day and by pure accident I got the greatest shot of one of her white Arabian’s. The sun totally washed out the color and background. The photo looked like a pencil drawing; people loved it.
While at an art show I had a potential customer gush over the image, but she needed it much larger as she was an interior design decorator and had a client that this would be perfect for. Being rather new at all this, the excitement went to my head but not to my brain. I printed the image as a 40×60 on canvas, which was the largest piece I had ever created. I did this before collecting any money, can we say, “Lesson learned the hard way”? Of course, I was never able to make contact with this client and as a result I hauled around a very large canvas for a couple years, going art show to art show in hopes that it would sell. I can’t tell you how many times I kicked myself for jumping the gun and not following good business practices. I still kick myself. Of course, every show that I hauled this piece too, the people would ooh and ahh over it, but never a sale. I would always hand out business cards telling folks to contact me should they decide they wanted that piece, or any other for that matter. At one show a couple showed great interest in the piece, but again walked away with just a business card. After that show I grew disheartened and tired of protecting the piece and hauling it show to show. I decided to hang it in my house. The only wall space large enough to place it was in my bedroom. Here I had a constant reminder of my poor business judgment. Oddly enough, almost a year to the date later, the gentleman called me from the number on my business card. He and his girlfriend were not engaged, and he wanted to purchase the huge canvas for her birthday. I was ecstatic, it finally sold. While I am always happy to work with any customer on various sizes, color or black and white, and what they would like the image printed on…premium photo paper, canvas, or even wood…but I have learned in business, it is best not to put the cart before the horse. It was a hard lesson learned which eventually worked out, but it taught me a lesson to slow down and think things through.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.KimCarrPhotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kimcarrphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kimcarrphotography
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kim-carr-013b3329
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/kimmerhaw
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ7juVPSYskbIuLyo-vQM2A
- Other: Patreon Page: www.patreon.com/kimcarr
Image Credits
Kim Carr