Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sheri Oneal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sheri, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
Canvas Interview Going From Idea To Execution
In 2020 when the Pandemic hit my initial response was not worry or fear. I was booked up through March with commercial photo assignments shooting product for my clients alone in my studio. I remember talking with another photographer on the phone a few weeks after the lock down about how many of the top photo pro’s in Nashvile were signing up for unemployment early worried about the months ahead. Another friend who was a photojournalist called and shared how bad this was going to be based on some of the news stories he was covering behind the scenes. Within a few months I was starting to get worried, at that point my clients were putting assignments on hold and I no longer had any work coming in, with each month that passed my level of worry grew.
In the coming months with no ability to work due to the Pandemic I started re-evaluating my life, my career and wondering how I would ever be able to manage if this were to go longer than a year. After 3 months with no work I began deep diving into discovery mode. I started focusing on the things in life that I loved, what brought me joy and what I would want to do if I had to change careers. I felt lost and alone during that time and I worried about how much of my savings I would have to spend before my life went back to normal.
If I am being totally honest, after 30 years of assignment work as a commercial photographer I began to realize how much I missed creating my own personal art work. I had become comfortable with the money I made doing commercial photography despite its lack of true authentic creativity. I no longer felt I had a dream ahead of me. With a service you can provide your creative insight but in the end the customer is who is paying the tab so you must give them what they want. I was great at doing that and I loved the work but as with most commercial creators there is always that little voice screaming in the back of your mind over the desire to create your own art.
I set out on a search, I started putting together lists of all off the things I loved to do. Being outdoors, telling stories, capturing beautiful imagery of interesting people and places. I enjoyed inspiring others through creativity and teaching. Over the past 10 years I had been teaching a few photo business courses at an art college for fun but that also ended due to Covid. With the Pandemic I suddenly had all the time in the world with no income so I knew I had to be frugal.
After a few months I decided I wanted to try and interview other creatives about their work and their creativity. I wanted to understand what they were struggling with and if I could somehow help. I needed to feel some kind of connection either through sharing their story or offering my own knowledge. I spent my days and nights watching YouTube videos on how to shoot and edit video, how to record and edit a podcast, how to create and sell online courses and I studied others who were doing it. I researched online teaching platforms and narrowed down my ideas to what I felt could be molded into something new for my future.
My ideas were narrowed down to wanting to create my own art, to share stories, to help others and to offer the knowledge I had as a creative. I wanted to interview other artist so in the beginning I could only do interviews through Zoom and it was hard to produce anything visually stimulating. I started buying the cheapest gear I could find that would offer decent audio and video. I began building a website on my own, shooting and editing video, building course content and trying to figure out how to put it all together. Time flew by, the days, the weeks the months…the year.
When you are working without an income and without a safety net you can become pretty creative with ideas. I have always loved writing and been told that I was good so I wanted to learn how to be a better writer. I began writing for a new online startup magazine in trade for the experience of working with an editor. That gave me a better understanding about proper English as well as how to craft a better story line.
I spent a year writing, building, studying, learning and crafting what I know now will eventually be my next career. I created 5-10 year plan and I am woking toward that goal. I launched my learning platform, Learn & Create in March of 2021 with the intent of selling my own courses by sometime this year. I started a podcast called The Creative Push and began doing artist interviews for the podcast episodes along with YouTube videos to grow my channel content.
As time passes I have realized how much work it takes to create all of these things on my own. With a limited budget I have to wear all of the hats right now but I do believe over time I will be able to bring in others as my new endeavor grows. It has been both frustrating and wonderful to have full control over what I want to create, what I choose to share and how I want to present it to the world.
My biggest frustration has been with the store on my site using WordPress and WooCommerce. I have spent countless hours learning how to build my LMS website with eCommerce and CRM capabilities. I am not a designer, a web developer or a marketing specialist but I have loved learning and my tenacity has gotten me to where I am now.
Today I have someone helping with the website issues and hope to have those sorted out in the coming weeks so I can do an official product launch. I have interviewed more than 30 creative artists for my blogs, vlogs and podcast sharing their stories, techniques and journeys since the Pandemic began. I am enjoying the process of learning while also offering creative insight to other artists. I am also working on a series of freelance business courses for creatives that will be available next year.
Over all despite the Pandemic being such a terrible event in our lives, I am grateful I was able to make it through the tough times. I feel fortunate now for the time it offered me to get my head straight, allow me to dream up some new ideas and have the ability to turn those ideas into a new career direction. If you are struggling with your own path the best advice I can offer is to sit down, get quiet, and create some list of what brings you joy. I am a true believer that we can live out our dreams we just have to know what those dreams are so we can continue to chase them.
If you would like to see my work and learn more about me please visit my site links below and follow me on my social media platforms.
https://www.sherioneal.com/
https://learnandcreate.com/
https://learnandcreate.com/links/
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For most of my life I have worked as a commercial photographer offering my services for magazines, marketing companies, ad campaigns, and independent businesses. I have created all kinds of professional imagery for my clients- architecture, people, lifestyle, travel, culture, and product photography are just a few.
Outside of commercial work I find the most satisfying part of creativity is in being an artist, a writer, and an educator. When I produce personal stories, fine art imagery, and other items such as jewelry, mixed media assemblage, and decor.
My experience as an educator started at Daytona State College more than 25 years ago when I was asked to teach a pilot ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) business course. As an ASMP member for more than 25 years, my involvement included holding volunteer positions as newsletter editor, Vice- President, and President in both the Orlando, Florida, and Nashville, Tennessee chapters. I have mentored young adults, taught workshops and offered consultations. For 10 years, I taught photography, marketing, and business courses as an adjunct instructor at Nossi College of Art.
The one project I am most proud of is the 2010 Nashville nonprofit flood relief art project I founded called “ReTune Nashville” that provided relief to uninsured musicians in the industry through the sale of artwork created from flood-damaged musical gear.
My life has always centered around creativity, helping and inspiring others.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice
I am currently studying NFT’s and while I have a deep interest in them I feel I still need to learn more before diving into the process. I am also still a bit weary of crypto currency and how to safely invest. I am not ready just yet to invest in something that I don’t completely understand. I also am not ready to possibly loose money just yet while I am still trying to financially make up for what was lost financially during the Pandemic.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I never had kids and have been single for a while so my time is mine to spend on creating art and doing other things that I love without anyone else involved. I often get lost along the way with my thinking because at times that lifestyle can become lonely. As I get older I am questioning how I can leave something of value behind. Creativity is all that I have ever known and has always driven me to keep moving forward. At this point in my creative journey I am trying to provide something physical that will out last me once I am gone. Something that can offer beauty, knowledge or inspiration to someone else in a joyful way. That has become the drive that keeps me moving forward toward my creative goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sherioneal.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherionealphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/learnandcreateclasses
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherionealphotography/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherioneal
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/sherionealphotography
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sheri-oneal-photography-nashville
- Other: https://learnandcreate.com/