We were lucky to catch up with Mackenzie Farrell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mackenzie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

Something I would change about the education system to prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career would be to integrate new ways to measure talent and potential, other than the use of traditional written/timed tests. I understand the convenience and old ways of thinking, that, this is the best, most convenient way of measuring the majority of student’s abilities and potential. But I truly believe it does more harm than good for the well-being of both paths of individuals within corporate and entrepreneur life. Everyone deserves to love what they do for a living and be good at what they do. For an individual like myself who struggled with ADHD and reading comprehension disorder at the time, this traditional way of testing only discouraged my efforts into pursuing my talents. I am not going to pretend to be an expert on testing in the U.S. but I am able to share my personal experience that definitely did NOT benefit from the traditional testing methods from the early 2000s – 2018. I just believe different methods of measuring a child’s success, may open the door wider to an individual’s path to a life they find truly fulfilling instead of being trapped in a life of untapped potential.

I always loved the idea of owning my own business. It wasn’t until college that I was able to take a business class ( which was the only course I failed out of ) or a photography course ( of which I received a D in ). Now I own and operate a 6-figure photography business. Ha! This just proves my point exactly. For a student like me whose grades did not reflect my talent or potential I had, I was the only one betting on myself. I knew I had what it took to find the path that lead to success and fulfillment, it just looked a lot different than how I was taught to find it.

Mackenzie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My very own grandfather aka “Pop” was a world-renowned photographer for the New York Daily News. He photographed some of the most historically iconic shots. I’m talking about Marilyn Monroe, JFK Jr’s Salute, The Beatles, MLK’s speech – you name it! If there was a shot to shape history, my Pop was there to capture the moment. These photos were hung around their house, but most would be found in old wooden chests, basement shelves, and sometimes even junk doors, my grandma and Pop’s house was filled with photos to the brim.

When I was little and sleeping over at their house, after everyone would go to bed, I would creep downstairs knowing my pop would still be up watching TV. Instead of returning me to bed, he would let me stay up late, drink coke, and eat chicken noodle soup with him. I would ask him about his photos and about the moments he captured. One thing that always stuck out about these iconic photos was how much better his story was than the photo itself – and these were incredible photos were talking about!

Years later after my grandfather passed and I began to take photography more seriously, I noticed my favorite photos I had taken myself also seemed to have kick-ass stories to accompany them. My hope is that my work will fill my client’s own wooden chests with photographs that their kids and grandkids will ask about. My greatest hope is that these photos serve as pinpoints to my client’s favorite stories to share.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I came from a work background of service jobs and sports broadcasting. When Covid happened, along with a lot of other people, I lost my job. To many, this was devastating, but I won’t lie, it was actually quite a relief for me – losing my corporate job. I was in a position that drained my physical and mental health and took more than it gave. So this was a much-needed fresh start for me with a temporary cushion of receiving unemployment. ( never thought I would say those words! ). This temporary cushion gave me the motivation to own my own business and to figure it out fast. I gave myself a year to take a chance on myself. Prior to covid, I was interested in the technique of photography, so I held a side job as a newborn photographer in hospitals. I learned a lot there. In covid days, it was quite challenging to photograph subjects for obvious reasons. So I practiced on myself and my family members. I also held a side-job at a flower shop in the meantime and set up styled shoots that benefited both the flower shop and myself as a budding photographer.

A big milestone in business for me was when I was looking for another side job to pay the bills, I had a job as a nanny lined up. I remember I was on my way to the interview and thinking “If I just use the time Intended to spend nannying into my business, I may not need another side job again”. It was at that moment, I knew I needed to take a leap of faith and believe I could do it. I ended up turning down the Nanny position and went to work for myself. It was life or death because rent needed to be paid and my husband, James ( who has cheered and supported me like NO OTHER ), and I couldn’t cover all of the rent and expenses. Nonetheless, James really put so much belief in me and this decision. I hustled like no other on social media marketing, read a ton of books, and poured all of myself into figuring it out. I still remember going up to cute-looking couples ( strangers ) in central park and asking if I could photograph them to practice this craft! I asked a million questions to any photographer I knew and surrounded myself with as many photographers as I could. I assisted and second shot more times than I could count. I watched and learned what advice I should take, and advice I shouldn’t take. I found incredible mentors in the industry that truly inspired my footing for where I am today. And I was right, that time spent in my business, made it so I have never needed another side job again. This is full-time, baby!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller, Atomic Habits by James Clear, The Bible, Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven, Business Boutique by Christy Wright, The Defining Decade by Meg Jay, Business Unusual with Barbara Corcoran ( Podcast on Spotify ), Yumi Matsuo Mentor Sessions, Abstract on Netflix, TED Business Podcast on Spotify

Contact Info:

• Website: mackenziegracecreative.com
• Instagram: mackenziegracecreative
• Facebook: Mackenzie Grace Creative
• TikTok: mackenziegracecreative

Image Credits
Photos that my grandfather took would be credited to Daniel Farrell