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

Stefan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Once with my photography, I felt I had reached a flatline. I had felt my work wasn’t evolving nor was I getting recognition. I them decided to completely revamp my studio and reconstruct my portfolio as boldly as I could. The financial investment used to construct the studio was rather large. Yet, it was my gut telling me that this homework/effort that I’m doing currently will pay off. Eventually it did. I was able to raise my photography rates and curate a beautiful portfolio.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a 20 year old photographer, who’s always had an admiration for visuals and an eye with precision. Since I was a toddler, I had pretty intermediate OCD. I was constantly sorting, categorizing and departmentalizing. This fixation inevitably led me to placing objects and things in various, precise places to story tell. I grew to love story telling and eventually captured these little precise scenes as memories through the art of photography. I had eventually taken a photography class and excelled the course, feeling obsessed. Fast forward to senior year of high school, I began to act upon my desires. My mother runs her own media coordination business. With that known, I went to her to acquire my first client, and the rest was history. These days, I have been providing product/portrait photography service to brands, friends, and local creatives. I currently have a small studio located in North Phoenix, used for creative and business shoots. I wouldn’t trade my job for the world!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was to eradicate submitting rushed work. One moment during high school, I had an incredibly difficult and busy week. I had zero time to complete one of my photography assignments throughout the week. Fast forward to the morning of the due date, I submitted an assignment I had spent 15 minutes on prior to school. The work and final grade spoke for itself. Eventually, after grading I mentioned to my teacher my situation. In that moment, I was taught the importance of transparency and communication. With my teacher’s wisdom, I was taught that life happens. It is best to work with it’s flow and simply mention “I need more time”.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

A book that had really initiated my ambition was called “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. Subsequently reading the book, I realized how valuable being present truly is. As humans, we unintentionally worry about what’s next to come or what did come, while ignoring the current moment. We are presented with millions of life defining choices or chances throughout this journey on the planet. It is crucial to be here, to be now.

Contact Info:

• Other: Email [email protected] for inquiries. Currently, I’ve been off of social media since February. In December, I will most likely return with an account dedicated to my portfolio.