We were lucky to catch up with Natalie Sakstrup recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Natalie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I feel, and have always felt, as though the term ‘successful’ is completely relative to each, individualistic person. For myself personally, I always feel most ‘successful’ when I am creating alongside of an artist/project that I love with every fiber of my being. I have been very fortunate throughout the years of my career thus far to have experienced the euphoric feeling that comes along with this many different times.

With the work being incredibly passion-based, it can be tough sometimes as a freelancer when you are not in love with what you are creating. This, however, is a necessary part of the process of discovering yourself as an artist as we can only truly understand synchronicity and connectivity by knowing the opposite of it. Just know.. you will search for that feeling every single day until you find it again, and it will come in its time. ‘We are turned from one feeling to another, learning by opposites so that we may have two wings to fly, not one.’

However, if I had to give a literal, tangible answer to this question – being a great hang and a reliable person is surely always going to get you a call back. The work matters, the talent matters, but oftentimes, dynamics and personalities outweigh everything else.

Natalie, 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?

I started my photography career in Nashville when I moved down from Michigan to study at Belmont University. I began photographing for local artists, some my fellow classmates, and others just musicians around that I was introduced to. I always knew I wanted to work in music, but had no idea how or what that would look like for me. I didn’t know, at the time, that you could have a career working in music if you weren’t an artist or a manager. I sort of fell into photographing artists by chance. I owned a camera and saw the opportunity to start networking and building relationships with artists and their teams. Once I started, I realized quickly how natural it felt for me, which was an overwhelming instinctual feeling that what I was doing was something right.

Being freelance has given me the opportunity to try as many areas within my field as I like which continually gives me the space and footwork to move in any direction. Currently I am very focused on creative direction, directing, and editing which feels like undeniably a right fit for me!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I believe the story of most-resilience in my personal journey/career was how I got my position with Swedish artist LÉON. LÉON has been one of my favorite artists for years. I have always been so moved by the feelings her music inspires and continuously saw a visual world surrounding her work.

In 2020 I first reached out to her manager inquiring to work with her. I did not know how I would, or even what working with her would look like, but I knew I had this persistent desire that would not go away. I created spec posters, music video treatments, spec lyric videos, etc.. all to try and prove the work I could do and that I understood her as an artist. I emailed almost every 1-3 months for over a year. (Super important to know the distinction between being persistent and a pest.) The feeling/desire to work with her only strengthened.

At the end of 2021, I created a spec tour announcement for LÉON which featured footage from her music videos, live shows, etc.. and I made a specialized audio ripping apart her song ‘Chasing A Feeling’ to try and get my own version of stems from it. I spent 14 hours creating the 30 second spec and when I finalized it into a place that felt great, I sent it off to her manager again and also posted the edit on my Instagram, tagging anyone and everyone I knew that knew her somehow. I felt a bit strange doing this, but I believed in the edit so deeply. The edit got her manager’s attention and I was hired a few months later to create her tour poster and the official tour announcement video.

Currently, LÉON is the main artist I work with and I was hired about a month ago as her creative director. I have never felt more like myself as a creative than I do when we work together. Every single thing we make, I have so much belief behind and the nature of our relationship is so harmonious and easy, it really is a dream come true for me to work amongst her.

If there is something your heart truly desires to create, go create it and the right eyes/ears will find it when the timing is right. Working with LÉON taught me that. It also taught me that some things in life are too sweet to only exist in our dreams. Experiencing them is where the magic is.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I believe the most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is the freedom that comes with creating whatever you want. Finding yourself as a creative, developing your personal style is also incredibly rewarding. Once you give into what feels right within you, in my experience I have found, the work begins to develop around you. Authenticity is always rewarded.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nataliesakstrup.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliesakstrup
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-sakstrup