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

Hi Nate, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

My journey begins when I was 18, fresh of high school and starting my first semester at community collage. When you’re 18, the world is so big and you have wide eyes and an eagerness to create and do everything! But then you realize that, achieving your dreams take time, energy, and failure.

During this time, I felt lost. But then, I came across food and I fell in love. The process of taking ingredients and turning them into something delicious that I could share with friends and family was a powerful thing. I was hooked.

A year later, I wanted a way of sharing everything I was cooking and baking with friends and family who didn’t live near me. So, like anyone, I joined instagram and started sharing my iPhone photos of my food. I fell in love again, this time with photography.

During college, I started a food blog and worked on small scale client projects, helping pay my way through school. After graduation, I moved to Chicago to take a dream job in hospitality marketing. During this time in late 2019, I was tired of blogging and yearned for something new and different. I decided to evolve my blog into a commercial photography company.

Then, March of 2020 hit. I was working 80 hours a week, 40 for my full time job and 40 for my side hustle photography business. I was at a breaking point: physically and mentally. I knew I had to make a choice: take this thing full time and see where it took me OR put this dream on the shelf and focus on my career.

So, in April 2021, I left my 9-5 to pursue photography full time. It’s been just over 3 years and it’s been a wild ride!

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.

First and foremost, my name is Nate. I’m a freelance Chicago-based food, product, and lifestyle photographer by day and an avid home baker by night. Sugar is my love language.

I’ve been baking and photographing for over 10 years now, having had the opportunity to work with some incredible brands/influencers like @schmidtbros, @garrettpopcorn, @thespicehouse, @nielsenmassey, and @aspiredrinks, just to name a few. I started my photography business at the age of 19 while working through my undergraduate degree in Hospitality Management. Back in April of 2021, I decided to leave my 9 to 5 job as a marketing manager to pursue my photography business full time. It’s been a wild and exciting ride ever since and I am so thankful to have you along for the journey!

I’ve also been shortlisted for a number of photo awards (which is pretty cool!)

> Shortlisted // Production Paradise Spotlight Awards 2023

> Honorable Mention // International Photography Awards 2023

​> Shortlisted // International Association of Culinary Professionals Food Photography & Styling Awards

​> 75 Collection Winner // Foodelia International Food Photography Awards

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I’m a person who stutters! Stuttering is a speech disability which affects the fluency of speech. I’ve stuttered since I was 5 years old and it’s been apart of my journey into adulthood.

As you can imagine, being in an industry that requires expert communication, stuttering can make that a tad tricky! But having a speech disability has taught me a lot and has allowed me to connect with people in a really powerful way.

I’ve had the opportunities to speak at conferences and inspire other creatives through the power of effective communication. I’ve had really deep connections with client inquiries who see my “I am a person who stutters. Learn more here.” I have under my email signature.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part is being able to create something from a client’s vision and see them get physically excited over the photos we’re taking. When they’re excited, I get excited.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.crawfordcaptures.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crawfordcapturesco/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-s-crawford/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@crawfordcapturesco
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@crawfordcapturesco?lang=en