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

Marquel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

As an only child, I have always had very close relationship with my parents. They have always been my biggest cheerleaders! They raised me with a deep appreciation for tenacity and grit. My dad created an incredibly successful career in business purely by hustle and dedication, and my mom moved to California from the midwest with $200 to her name and was able to support herself as a hairdresser for 25 years. Beyond their own anecdotal stories, they raised me to be bold and resilient in the face of struggle. I accredit so much of my personal success to the lessons that they taught me throughout my adolescence.

My house was always a creative space. Besides being a businessman by day, my dad was very artistic in his personal life. He drew and painted throughout my childhood, and continues to pursue craftsmanship to this day. We’d regularly visit antique and thrift stores on weekends, and my dad would bring home and restore old pieces of furniture and decor. My mom always had a knack for interior design — she even staged homes on the side for a few years. I always felt encouraged to pursue creative endeavors and express myself in that way.

When I wrote and illustrated and children’s book for a class in undergrad, they encouraged me to have it published. When I told them that I was planning on going full-time with my photography business a few months after graduating college, they were incredibly supportive. Now, three years later, they’re always excited to hear about the exciting projects I’m working on, and my mom never passes up the chance to tell me that she’s proud of me and all that I’ve accomplished.

Marquel, 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?

My name is Marquel Patton and I am photographer. I photograph everything from weddings and events to lifestyle content to food and hospitality. Being creative has always been a central part of my identity. I taught myself photography in high school, took side projects throughout college, and went full-time about 6 months after I graduated.

Now, about three years later, the majority of work consists of weddings, content for small businesses, families, events, travel, and branding photography. My job takes me to pretty exciting places — this year alone, I’ve traveled to locations like Chicago, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Las Vegas, and even Cabo for work. While I was encouraged early on in my business to find a niche and stick with it, I’ve found that remaining flexible and eclectic in my field has brought me a lot of success. It has kept my work interesting, allowed me to work with a diverse range of clients, and taught me a lot of people skills and useful business practices. I want my clients to always feel like I am meeting them where they are and that I am ready and willing to create the type of content and imagery that they’re looking for.

While there are so many wonderful projects I’ve been able to be a part of in the past couple of years, there are a few that definitely stick out as milestones. Last year, I was fortunate enough to photograph all of the content (and do all of the design layouts) for a fashion coffee table book that a dear friend of mine wrote. Seeing my work in print was certainly a “wow” moment, and it’s something I’ll never tire of, even to this day. This summer, I accompanied a Dallas-based ad agency on their annual trip to Cabo to photograph content for their client — a luxury yacht charter company. The two days spent out on the water doing what I love most with a fantastic and supportive team truly felt like a dream. Finally, every wedding that I shoot gives me such a unique feeling of gratitude and satisfaction; presenting someone with a gift as important and impactful as their wedding photos is such an incredible blessing. I feel so thankful that I am able to be such a trusted figure in their lives and relationship!

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

Growing up, I dreamed of pursuing a creative career. But, as I got older, the world around me seemed to insist that you weren’t allowed to have a job that you loved and make money doing something you were passionate about. A few months after graduating from college with an English degree and working two part time jobs that didn’t quite fulfill me, I was stuck. I knew that there was increasingly more value being placed on creative careers and aspirations, but I still didn’t feel like I had the green light to pursue my dream full-time. With the help and encouragement of my husband (fiancee at the time), I finally started to unlearn what had been etched into my brain for over a decade — you don’t HAVE to hate your job in order to be a successful person, and you CAN make a living from a creative career.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Personal relationships have been huge! In the past year, my social media has been a great source for new clients, but in my business’s genesis, it was all about connections and networking. My first food and hospitality gig came from Krystal Sarna (now a dear friend of mine) who worked in PR and saw my cold email about photographing food for a local Tex-Mex place in Dallas. She took a chance on me and connected me with an array of Dallas restaurants and hospitality groups. My friends are always plugging my business to anyone they know who is in need of photography. Word of mouth has been truly huge for my business, and I’ll never undervalue it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marquemakes.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/yourgirlmark