We were lucky to catch up with T.J. Drechsel recently and have shared our conversation below.
T.J. , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?
Don’t quit your day job!!! I’m a big believer in pursuing your heart’s passion, but I also believe in using a regular income source to fund your passion’s development. Many people want to go all in with their dream job without ensuring a steady source of funding, but it’s important to use both your creative and logical brain.
After getting burnt out with a corporate job after college, I decided to start a trade business painting homes and businesses. As my painting business grew, I pursued my true heart’s passion of photography. I was able to fund the upgraded gear that kept my photography passion accelerating in the right direction by using my income from the painting business. I have never relied on photography to be the full funder of my income and life. While it may sound appealing to go all in with your heart’s passion job, you then have to rely on that passion to fund your life and that takes a heart passion and forces it to fit logical places. I don’t always believe those two are meant to coexist.
Allowing the beauty of your craft to continue growth through the inevitable ups and downs of the economy by funding it through a regular job keeps it as a heart passion without burnout. I have personally seen my photography business grow to the point where some weeks I am taking on a full photography schedule, and it continues to be a large portion of my income source. However, I love that when it slows down in seasons of limited bookings, I don’t have to stress about the lack of income and force that passion to fund life.
Don’t quit your day job! There is a great life position in multiple income sources, and this is one of life’s little nuggets of truth that you can grasp if you’ll give it a try. Use your day job to fund your dream life!!!”
T.J. , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was born in Idaho, raised in Missouri, college in Michigan and a short stint with corporate America in Green Bay before I visited Wrightsville Beach in 1998. That’s when I realized how much I loved the sea, and I decided to make Wilmington, North Carolina my home in 2005. The ocean’s therapeutic effects are one of God’s greatest gifts.
I started my photography journey by taking pictures of landscapes, but I now also specialize in wedding photography and marketing business photography in addition to my family and portrait work. Photography has the power to freeze a moment in time, and it’s one of the few ways we can slow down life’s incredible pace. I’m honored and excited to help my clients capture the milestones of their lives. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if I can be of assistance in documenting your own life chapters and see more of my work on my social networks!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
“Being an artist is a journey that never reaches a state of full growth. It’s an ongoing process of evolution, and there is great beauty in pursuing constant growth. There will be times when you plateau and hone your craft, and other times when you’ll experience a lot of changes as you transform. It’s truly rewarding yet challenging to maintain that growth perspective.”
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
“It can take some time to discover one’s true calling in life, but once it is found, it can truly transform the future. It is crucial for all individuals, particularly creatives, to take the time to uncover their personal mission.
As a photographer, I believe that my superpower lies in helping my clients capture the magic of life’s important moments by freezing them so that they can be grasped more deeply. In our busy lives, these moments are easily overlooked, and the opportunity to appreciate them is missed. Capturing these moments through photography is a powerful way to preserve and cherish them. I have made it my mission to share this power with my clients.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tjdrechselphotography.com
- Instagram: @tjdrechselphotography @tjdrechselphotographyweddings @tjdrechselphotographyre @tjdrechselphotographyportraits
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/drechselphotography
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/TJDrechsel
- Twitter: @tjdrechselphoto
Image Credits
Hailey Faria Photography