We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Risa Scott a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Risa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

About six years into working for myself and making a business I could do nomadically, I’d decided to start looking into a vehicle I could live in. I just really didn’t like the idea of paying rent and signing a lease for a place I’d only spend half (or less) of my time in. From there, it was a ton of researching, some luck and good timing to purchasing a small Toyota RV that I would start that journey with. There were a number of people thinking it wasn’t a great idea or that I was taking on too much by insisting on rebuilding it from scratch. There were so many things I had to learn, unknown obstacles and then the mystery of actually living and working on the road which, at the time, was still being discovered by the vanlife community. I gave myself two years to try living completely nomadic. It’s now been almost four and a half. It was a huge risk but it’s one that I feel so incredibly proud to have accomplished. I look at my home and everything I learned and friends that I made in the building process and in the subsequent life on the road. It was a huge risk, one that weeded out people in my life who didn’t support my vision and the life I wanted to live. Others adapted. Many celebrated with me. After almost five years, I’m letting things evolve and I’m craving a new build. The plan is to fix up the Toyota by the end of the summer season to sell and build out a small bus as the next phase of the nomadic adventure!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi! I’m Risa, a traveling/vanlife photographer specializing in headshots, portraiture and promotional/lifestyle/branding photoshoots under the name RF Scott Imagery. I started with a Nikon D80 that a co-worker was willing to indefinitely loan to me and friends willing to let me learn light. I worked with and for photographers I knew and respected around the country to learn as much as I could. My portfolio is a culmination of years collaborating on photo-based imagery with peers and mentors in the acting, modeling, photography and general creative community. I’ve met and worked with so many talented artists, performers and business owners, all passionate about what they do. My goal is to tell stories while bringing the communities I work in opportunities to expand their brand or business.

As an actor myself as well as a photographer and designer, I have experienced first-hand the marketing struggles that are born from deciding to pursue our passion as a business. I want to share what I’ve learned and continue learning on behalf of the artists I can help with my own developing skills. I believe art is a community effort and artists need to support one another. This is my way of closing the circle, fueling art with art and helping make it known what our community has to offer. And I couldn’t be more excited about it!

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

Honestly, my best source for new clients is happy clients. When someone I shoot with has a great experience, they’re happy to share their images and tell their friends. Especially in the business and acting sphere, people really depend on recommendations from friends and colleagues so that the majority of where I focus getting new business.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist and creative that helps other creatives is seeing how excited they are about making their vision happen. Working with small businesses, actors, performers, etc. is the best energy I’ve ever experienced in a work place and I’m excited every time I get to show someone images that we’ve worked together to create.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://risascottphoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rfscottimagery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rfscottimagery

Image Credits
BTS images by Chris Limbrick