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

Steve, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have been inclined toward the arts from an early age. Initially fascinated with music, it become my main area of study and creative expression. Whether visual, auditory or imaginative storytelling, literature/film etc., I have always been drawn to it. I have ADHD and have learned that creative activities ave been a vital element to stimulating my mind.

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

I went to school for music, taught at a prestigious university and performed professionally for a number of years. I came to photography to provide balance for myself. Having pursued music from an early age, I felt fairly one-dimensional, my job, hobby, everything was built around music. Photography was meant to create a positive outlet that wasn’t music and I simply fell in love.

As a musician, I immediately had a built in client base, photographing my musical friends and colleagues. I spent hour upon hour delving deeply into the craft of photography, improving my skills and eventually began finding work outside my circle of friends, shooting for magazines, small business, corporations and art organizations.

The imagery I create is highly stylized and definitely reflects my musical tastes as well. I love clean, colorful imagery, with strong lines and movement. When shooting editorially, I like to combine this aesthetic with a sense of the person I am photographing, communicating their personality, craft, and personal journey.

I love solving problems and feel adept when encountering a challenge. I think this is a strong suit and my clients value the creative solutions I provide.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Simply spending my days thinking of creative projects, collaborating with other creative people and ultimately, putting something beautiful or interesting into the world that didn’t exist before.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Imagine driving to work in a plain box of a car, wearing nondescript clothes, with nothing on the radio to listen to, passing ugly rectangle after rectangular buildings to a job of non-stimulating, functional tasks, to come home to a bland menu for dinner followed by an evening staring at a wall. This is the world without artists. Don’t take this for granted.

Fund art organizations, they create and preserve a community’s culture. Buy and consume art, music, literature, film, performance art, and engage in activities that inspire creative expression and thought.

Never haggle price when buying art or paying an artist. If it’s beyond your means, that’s fine, save for another day. To argue price for art is to discount the creators soul. From a practical stand point, remember that artists often do not have employer matched 401K’s, employer provider health insurance, stock options, paid sick days, holidays and vacations. Paying what they ask for their art is not a big ask.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stevekornphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steve__korn/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-korn-b86b999b/

Image Credits
All Images by Steve Korn All Rights Reserved