Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lyndsay Hannah McNiff. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Lyndsay Hannah, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I grew up in a small farm town in rural Connecticut where the focus of your professional path was pretty black and white. If you were a good student, top of your class, you applied to a traditional 4 year college. There really weren’t any other options presented…it’s just what everyone did! I was one of those kids who was very good at most subjects but didn’t have a particular love for any one thing. I can remember taking those career path quizzes and they always varied dramatically from lawyer to marine biologist. I was definitely NOT one of those young adults who knew exactly what I wanted to do. I ended up pursing a major in Public Relations + Communication and then later switching to hospitality management and entering the workforce as a Sales Manager for a large hotel chain. Eventually I found my way to Event Sales and worked for luxury event venues. I didn’t LOVE what I did, but I excelled at it. I am not sure that I realized, at the time, that you could actually love your job and earn a great living. When I look back on my childhood now, though, photography was always a part of it. I can remember convincing my little sister and her friends to put on costumes from our dress-up box for photoshoots with disposable cameras….and that feeling of anticipation while I waited for the film to develop.
My parents gifted me my first DSLR as a college graduation gift in 2008. It had been a growing hobby for years, photographing landscapes, our travels, and still life. It took the birth of my first son in 2014 for me to start experimenting with human subjects.
I went on maternity leave fully anticipating to return to my full-time job in 12 weeks. A high-needs baby changed life as we knew it and I did not return. Photography was my escape from the rigors of motherhood over my son’s first year of life. The thing that gave my brain “something else” to focus on besides the baby who cried all the time and never slept. The idea to start offering photography professionally came slowly over that year. I realized that family photography was the ideal job for a mother. I could earn money with a relatively low initial investment and I was only away for 1-2 hours at a time. I began by offering discounted sessions to the mothers in the various playgroups I was in and it grew quickly from there!

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.

I am Lyndsay, a wife and mother of three boys living outside of Boston, Massachusetts. As I mentioned in the previous interview question, I got into my family photography genre not on purpose, but gradually throughout my transition into motherhood with my first baby. That first year (2015) that I opened my business, I remember feeling so proud for grossing $6,000 and change. The fact that I am grossing a quarter of a million dollars 8 years later *blows my mind* every single time I think about it. Photography is a very interesting career path because I did not enter it with a background in art and I am not your typical artist-type. I am a driven, type A perfectionist with a degree in hospitality management. There have been moments when I thought…I wish I went to school for photography… but the reality is that I think my diverse background is what has made me successful. I learned how to communicate professionally and punctually. I learned how to market myself and a product. I learned how to interact with many, many different types of buyer personalities in my career in sales. The power of communication and clarity was drilled into me. I use all these skills every single day in my business to ensure that my clients understand, with complete clarity, why they should choose me, what they are booking, and what they can expect from our session together.

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

I grew up in the age where social media was *just* emerging as I began college with the invention of Facebook. Over the last 15 years, it has dramatically changed the scope of how we do business. One of the most prevalent philosophies I can remember learning about being an entrepreneur is that you really needed to be “neutral” politically and socially. That you should *never* state your opinion or take a side on any highly contested subject. I am sure you will still find people out there who subscribe to this opinion, but I’d say the opposite has been helpful for me as a solopreneur. I find my social media following began to grow once I *did* share more of myself. I think 2020 was a year that shaped this for a lot of small business owners. Many who maintained a mostly voiceless stance before dipped their toes into sharing their opinions. I started sharing my thoughts and opinions and support for specific causes and my clients only became more invested in me…not only as a business owner, but as a human. Humanizing small businesses, in my opinion, has helped each solopreneur stand out from their competition in a saturated market. Buyers no longer want to buy from a faceless company with good reviews. They want to know, like and trust you!

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

I think non-creatives like to think of entrepreneurs in the “artist” space mostly waiting around in an apron for inspiration to strike, paintbrush in hand. When your art becomes your business, the reality is far from this. You realize very quickly that doing the actual art is only a very small portion of running a business. You are a bookkeeper, a sales and marketing director, a social media manager, website designer, and a copywriter….and that’s just on a random Tuesday! We may have a field that is more visually striking than a traditional career path, but the behind-the-scenes of running a profitable business is the same in every field. I don’t go to an office from Monday- Friday from 9am-5pm but I often feel like I work 24/7! Society tends to lump working artists into the same category as hobbyists and that is far from the reality!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lyndsayhannahphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lyndsayhannahphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lyndsayhannahphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndsay-mcniff/
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lyndsayhannahph/