We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stacy Daugherty a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Stacy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
For me, there can be mixed emotions being an artist/creative. One minute I’m flying high from my newest collection of images, excited to share them with the world. Then life happens and I feel like I just want to go back to the routine and security of a regular job. The last time I felt this way was last year when some major life events left me unable to work or create.
In 2021, as part of my self-awareness journey, I had just started to process some unhealed childhood/adult trauma which as you release can leave you physically and emotionally depleted. Literally a week later, I was hospitalized with viral meningitis, got covid, a dear friend suddenly passed away and I had to re-home my beloved 8-year-old cat. A week later, my mother’s dementia took a rapid downturn, and I stepped in to manage her life as she was no longer able. With so many things seemingly gone wrong, and life turned upside down in such a short period of time, it’s no wonder why my creativity felt like it came to a screeching halt. Stress, grief, and mental/physical overload can contribute to the inability to dream, stay open and create. It was during this time that I thought about going back to a regular job. I felt like my creativity was stuck with no hope in sight, so why not go back to something that I knew? Familiarity, security, and stability all sounded very comforting to me at that moment. Not having to be completely responsible for everything in my business life also sounded appealing, as I already had so much on my plate in my personal life.
As the months went by things settled down a bit. The unmanageable became manageable and I began to resurface on the other side of my grief. During this time, I continued to consider the realities of a regular job: working on someone else’s schedule and projects, no longer expressing anything through my photography, focusing on someone else’s dreams instead of my own…and an unexpected thing happened. I started to feel a longing to create. Every fiber of my being was coming alive again. The message that kept coming through was to keep expressing myself through my unique view of nature as it would provide the healing necessary for myself and the world. I know this to be true, as I’ve experienced some of my most profound moments of clarity, calm and connection while shooting our outdoor environment.
I’ve realized that my creativity never leaves me, it’s always there, waiting. Knowing this, I just quiet the mind and trust my inner guide/intuition to lead the way. It welcomes me like an old friend.
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
Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I was surrounded by the lush tropical landscapes that we are famous for. It was here that I developed a deep curiosity and appreciation for all flora and its microscopic components. My love for the outdoors was obvious after my first breath.
I am a self-taught Fine Art Photographer who connects with nature on an intuitive and energetic level. Specializing in the art of Macro photography, I bring you extreme close-up imagery of the tiniest details that appear larger than life. My artistic journey started in 2010 when I received my first professional camera. Prior to that I had worked in several different genres: real estate, visual merchandising, and cellular technology just to name a few. I had always carried either point-and-shoot or disposable film cameras around with me to candidly document my life, not realizing at the time that this tool would mean so much more to me in the future.
Holding my first piece of professional equipment opened a world of possibilities. Instantly I was hungry for knowledge and ways to express my creativity. While college was not an option at the time, I attended every class, workshop, conference available to push myself to grow in my field. I submitted portfolio reviews, joined photography clubs, and sought out mentors. Every step of the way I was honing my skill and building my creative muscle. I was also connecting with myself in ways I didn’t know I needed.
Within that first year I gained so many new clients that I knew it was time to quit my day job and finally make my photography hobby into a business. In 2011 I created my brand Artography with portrait and commercial clients at the forefront and some creative shooting on the side. It was during these times of exploration that I found my niche in macro photography.
Being an outdoor lover, I found myself taking walks with my camera, exploring the beauty of nature up close with my newfound macro lens. The first time I saw nature in this view, I imagined this must be how a tiny ant would see things and I shifted perspective. I was immediately transported to a childhood memory where I would often pretend that I was a very tiny version of myself sitting on a leaf or climbing over a flower. Quite the coping mechanism, right? If you know, you know. Having this realization while experiencing the reciprocal energy of nature in the now was a very powerful mix. It seemed time slowed down and I was in a sort of meditative state. Knowing what I do now, I’m aware that this is the essence, the vibration of the subject (nature) coming through, and it’s my job to stay open and receive communication. By intermingling nature with mind, body, spirit, and lens, powerful realizations are inspired. This became part of my creative process; it is here that I’m in my Zen.
I realized then that my journey in macro photography was not just about creating artwork. It was more about healing and expressing myself, while helping others discover, immerse, and consider new possibilities within themselves and the world..to create a ripple of healing that keeps on going.
In 2019, I shifted into full-time artistry as a Fine Art Photographer, simultaneously becoming a Resident Artist at ArtServe, one of the nation’s original arts incubators, located in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Most recently, I’ve expanded my offerings to include product and food photography, both available as a service and collectible works of art. The Collaboration Experience is also offered to clients who desire artistic customization from concept to end result for their residence or business. I love creating artwork that both speaks to their heart and enhances their space.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Throughout this artistic journey, I’ve had the pleasure of sharing my creations with the public both in person and through social media. The most gratifying aspect of what I do is seeing the reaction from people as they are viewing the artwork. They express that my work touches them on a soul level, it moves them in such a profound way they are often led to tears. Sometimes it reminds them of something from a dream, connects them with an untapped emotion or they might experience a deep sense of peace and calm. There are so many heartfelt responses, and they all touch me deeply. Knowing I have reached even one person and opened a new pathway to experience themselves and the world makes me extremely proud and grateful to be an artist.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
It seems that we are always pivoting in all aspects-business, career, life. Hopefully not all at the same time! Each part requires us to shift, to grow, to improve at some point. Whether we fight against it or flow with it, it’s totally up to us.
For me, pivoting has been essential to my personal evolution and professional development. Artography, Inc. started out as a platform for me to primarily work with commercial clients and showcase my portfolio of artistic imagery on the side. As time went on, there were so many requests to purchase my artwork that I had to shift-or pivot-my business model to include a way for customers to do exactly that. I changed my website over from a portfolio layout to a sales focused solution, making the buying process quick & easy. Not to say the actual pivoting was easy, it was a lot of intense work to get the site done. This improvement forced me to explore the way I do business, what direction I wanted to go, and what I was willing to do to get there.
Just as I had to take a good look at my process in business, I’ve had to do the same in my personal life. Sometimes habits or patterns of thinking need to be examined, especially when you are repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different result. The same old messages that I kept playing in my mind were keeping me stuck. I realized that I needed to create a new pathway, a completely different narrative in my head. It was time to let go of old stories, beliefs, and constructs that I had carried around forever. This was my time to pivot. With the help of a truly wonderful therapist, I was able to gather the courage and apply techniques to fully embrace myself, to soothe the inner children that need love, attention, and safety, to step into my power and integrate with my adult self.
In my situation, I did end up pivoting professionally and personally at the same time- not ideal, but it is possible… I’m a living, thriving example of it. In both instances, I had to be ready-and willing- to change. And I know there will be more chances to pivot as I move through this life. I look at the pivoting as an absolute necessity to create new beginnings, increase opportunities and make your dreams into a reality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artographybystacy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artographybystacy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artographybystacy
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/artographyHQ
Image Credits
Stacy Daugherty, Artography, Inc.