We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Steve Schaeffer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Steve below.
Steve, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Success, to me, is built on a few key pillars: Passion (a genuine interest in what you do), Purpose (a reason beyond money, ego, and self that drives you), Persistence and Perseverance (the drive to keep going when things get tough), Curiosity (the desire to continue to learn and explore), and Organization (which turns being “busy” into being “productive”).
I’ve learned these lessons firsthand through my own journey. School, work, and life in general didn’t come easily for me. As someone who is neurodivergent, I often found myself misinterpreting or experiencing the world differently — which meant putting in extra effort to keep pace. Over time, I discovered that this difference is also my superpower: it allows me to approach problems creatively, see opportunities where others don’t, and remain deeply passionate about projects long after others have punched out.
This mindset helped me overcome significant injuries that changed the course of my life (I originally wanted to be a helicopter pilot flying helicopter’s in hurricanes) and ultimately build a career across multiple industries — from working on music tours, working in private aviation, recently accepting a new role at my fulltime employer as National Events Operations Manager, and now launching my own business . Along the way, I’ve also pursued personal passions, including working toward my pilot’s license, 100-mile back country hikes, strong-man lifting to see how far I can push my understanding and limits of my body, and playing with the idea of paddle boarding 250ish miles from St Pete to Key west, then biking home – all fueled by persistence, curiosity, and a deep love for the gift of life we’ve all been given.
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?
My name is Steve Schaeffer, and I’m the owner and photographer behind Schaeffer Creative, based in St. Petersburg, Florida.
I was born and raised in Rochester, NY — the home of Kodak — by two fun, loving, and adventurous parents, alongside an older brother whom I’ve always looked up to. Growing up, there was never a dull moment in our household. We kept our parents on their toes — and truthfully, we still do.
Some of my earliest memories involve being outdoors — camping trips, road trips, and endless hours captivated by the world around me. That early exposure to the freedom and vastness of the outside world left a lasting impression on me. From a young age, I became attentive to the ever-changing world around me – the landscapes, the different cultures, the communities, the people, their stories, and how life around us evolves — slowly, yet all at once.
Photography first entered my life through my father, who often had a 35mm Kodak camera slung around his neck, documenting our family adventures. I still remember watching him carefully loading film, framing shots, and explaining the development process to me. Something about it fascinated me — the idea of capturing a moment and preserving it forever has always seemed poetic and bittersweet, knowing that exact moment would never repeat itself again. One of my favorite reminders is that there is a last day for everything, and we often never even know the last day is – it reminds me to make the most out of life and to not take it for granted.
Throughout my childhood, I experimented with all kinds of cameras — from Polaroids to point-and-shoots to antique models, some of which I still own today. Photography started as a personal creative outlet — a way to connect, interact, and be present with life happening all around me — it ignited a spark, and the spark it lit never went out.
Over time, that passion evolved into a professional pursuit. Through Schaeffer Creative, I now move fluidly between personal exploration and professional service. My motto — somewhere between art and reality — reflects this balance.
I specialize in landscape and wildlife photography while pushing myself to continue to expand my expertise into portraits, sports, events, real estate, street photography, and eventually the underwater world – a forever student humbled by life and that fact so many of us truly know so little of the vast expanse of knowledge that exists, both past and present. I’m constantly challenging myself to grow, refine my style, and broaden the range of stories I can capture – we all have a story to tell.
At the core of my work is a simple belief: Photography has the power to communicate without speaking – to preserve memories, to document both history and progress, and to help us relive the beauty of a fleeting moment. I aim to document the natural evolution of life, blending candid storytelling with a deep appreciation for genuine moments.
What sets me apart is a combination of natural curiosity, versatility, guiding principles, and what I like to call my neurodivergent superpower — the ability to see patterns, connections, and possibilities that others might miss. I have a relentless desire to capture the world and tell its story – Our story — a celebration of life, death, change, people, culture, love, community, and the history we’re both building, reshaping, and sometimes even destroying — offering a window into moments that might have otherwise been lost, to leave a legacy and reminder for those who come after us.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
More often than not, people struggle in silence — and whether creative or not, the struggles are often the same, simply masked by the type of work we do.
A non-creative might feel anxiety about a big test, an important presentation, or a tough email, where success is measured by performance or outcomes. Creatives, in turn, experience pressure to constantly produce, meet deadlines, and deliver on promises — our own version of a test. Burnout, doubt, and anxiety don’t discriminate.
The common ground lies in the emotions we all experience. As humans, we can relate deeply to feelings — but we often lose sight of that connection when we aren’t traveling the same path.
If we led with more empathy and curiosity toward understanding one another’s experiences, I believe both sides would realize they have more in common — and more to offer each other — than they might think.
Just as creatives often struggle to grasp the structured world non-creatives navigate (budgets, time management, deadlines, boundaries), non-creatives may find it challenging to understand how creatives perceive the world: not through strict logic or “common sense,” but through intuition, abstraction, and emotional resonance.
Both perspectives are valid — and when they meet with mutual respect and understanding, we unlock something greater: the power to build stronger teams, foster true collaboration, and reach success together.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
On a personal level, it’s the constant discovery — finding new opportunities, new perspectives, and new ways of seeing the world – the challenge to ‘reinvent’ yourself. It’s being able to notice the beauty, the subtle moments, and the hidden stories that often pass by unnoticed. Sometimes it’s sharing a view others may never experience firsthand, or revealing a detail they might never have known existed. Art allows me to stay connected to curiosity, wonder, and exploration — things I believe we never outgrow but often forget.
Professionally, the most rewarding moments come with building relationships with people, and I can bridge the gap to my work that resonates with others. Whether it’s providing a client with their perfect shot, bringing their idea to life, or creating something they emotionally connect to — it’s incredibly fulfilling to see someone find joy, meaning, or even healing through something I’ve captured. Sometimes it’s a family portrait that freezes a fleeting moment in time. Other times, it’s a landscape that reminds someone of a place they love, or an image that simply stirs something inside them they can’t quite explain.
At its best, being a creative allows me to bridge the gap between what I see and what others feel — and that’s a connection I never take for granted. It’s both a privilege and a responsibility to create something lasting out of a moment that otherwise might have passed by.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schaeffercreative/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-schaeffer-698207122/
- Other: https://www.threads.com/@schaeffercreative?xmt=AQGzPu461P-XyqOsmzc1_n0-H8GzU86zZQyFeA9MSnZn3Z0
