We were lucky to catch up with Reed Crawford recently and have shared our conversation below.

Reed, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Success can be defined many ways. How you define it for yourself is the only one that matters. Humans devote so much of their time trying to find success. In life and in my photography, I have often sought the validation of others. Hoping people would notice what I do and follow, and give the all-important “like”. And while I still am happy to see my following grow and my statistics improve, I no longer associate these things with whether or not I am successful. My success is determined artistically when I take a photo that is perfect, by my own definition. The correct exposure, the right composition, and every other element in it’s place (color, perspective, pose, etc). And when I have done everything I can to create an image that meets my own standards, which are impossibly high at the best of times, I know others are going to take notice, They will pause for a moment and take a longer look when they see it. And whether they hit “follow” or tap “like”, they will remember that photo.

In my personal life, success is defined by my continued health, financial security, and peace. All of which takes every moment of my day to ensure. Genetically, I am predisposed to higher body mass, and all of the associated health risks that go with it. A year ago, I was diabetic, had high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. After years of unhealthy living, it caught up to me and I had the same health issues most of my family did, but at a younger age. I made a lifestyle change and in less than 6 months I was officially cleared of my health diagnoses. I began a different career that better met my needs all around and I work hard to keep that job so that I have the support it provides me in return. And to keep my peace, I have learned to let go of things and people that do not support me or detract from my well-being in any way.

To succeed, you should set out clear and attainable goals for yourself that align with your interests. Then, put in the effort. Every time you feel a sense of accomplishment, enjoy it. And when you fail, and you will fail at times, remember to be kind to yourself. You will always be your harshest critic, you have all the intimate knowledge of how you could be better if you are truly honest with yourself. Don’t let it hold you down, use it for what is – your own personal guide to self-improvement.

Reed, 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?

Growing up, I had a love for art from an early age. In general, I just enjoyed creating things. While so many other kids liked to destroy things and be rambunctious, I preferred to build legos, tell elaborate stories with my toys, and go hiking to see the wonderful things in nature. I used my family’s film cameras to take photos on vacation and right from the start people told me that I had “the eye” for photography. When I was in high school, I asked my parents for a digital camera, which they surprised me with for Christmas. I took my camera everywhere. And with that little kodak point and shoot bridge camera, I did some of my first photos that I still have the files for. As many photographers do, I shot a lot of nature because it’s a readily available subject that is abundant and has no schedule. Life happened, as it does, and I didn’t get to do much photography once I began college, moved states, and went out on my own. Over the last decade, I started pursuing it more. I bought my first DSLR camera with some bonus money I had from a job in 2012 .And with it, I did some of my first modeling work. I went to any group shoots I could find that I could afford to travel to and attend, which weren’t many because I was broke more often than not.

Little by little, I got to create with some friends that either modeled professionally or just liked to have their picture taken. Some of those photos people still use for their social media profile all these years later. I also did some traditional work, weddings, family portraits, senior photos, and even some pets. Most of which I did for very little money, I was just happy that people wanted me to take their pictures. I was far from professional in terms of my setup, but people liked what I did and eventually I started taking it more seriously. I invested in a better camera, worked on putting myself out there to get clients that were mostly friends or friends of friends, but even got a few strangers to hire me.

I was doing paid work as often as I could and creating in my spare time whenever someone would work with me. In 2021, I bought my current camera. I did a handful of jobs with it, but after one client, I decided to give up on making photography a career. But I didn’t put my camera down. I decided I would go after creative modeling as an artform. I worked hard to connect with talent and come up with ideas that I hadn’t seen anyone else do and then figure out how to make them happen. And going into my second year, I am happy to say I am finding the success I wanted to see in that beyond my wildest dreams. I work a full-time regular job, but it affords me the luxury of creating what I want, when I want, with some amazing humans I am lucky to have made acquaintances and some of my best friends through.

I approach what I do with these goals in mind: treat everyone with respect. I work with some exceptionally beautiful people, but I never make comments about their looks. I prefer to just show them. It’s not lost on me that most models get into the industry because they recognized their own beauty at some point and thought it fitting to become art. Few things make me as happy as showing someone their picture and hearing them gush about how beautiful they are. If I’ve done my job right, the people that collaborate with me should come away from our time together knowing they are beautiful, badass, and amazing in their own way, without me having to say a word.

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

Seeing people’s reaction to their photos is the best. When the quality of my skills meets someone else’s talent and helps it shine, that is one way I see my success creatively.

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

I don’t do what I do to make a living. I don’t actively seek to make money off my work. Occasionally someone will ask to hire my services for themselves or others, and if I dig the assignment, I will take it on. I still do some traditional work, but I don’t put time into finding business. I know some creatives that base their entire purpose for creating to make a living. And that’s fine, if it works for you, live your dream. But I can tell you that most of those people aren’t happy with it. They don’t care about the work they create. And you can see it in the final product. In a word, uninspired. Life isn’t all about how big your bank account is. And creativity isn’t measured by the sum cost of the ingredients that go into it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rcphoto43.mypixieset.com
• Instagram: @RCPhoto43

Image Credits
Saturn Werde, Brittni Michelle, Mel Spinsta, Samuel James, Valkyria Rose