VERSATILE.

"So how did you do it?"

Do what?

"The leap. How did you know you were ready?"

I didn't. I didn't know anything. Actually, there was one thing I did know - I wasn't happy doing what I was doing.. That was something I was very certain about.

"Did you have a plan?"

Ha! Plans are typically made when you have some idea of the outcome you wish to achieve - I literally had no idea what would come from this year. So no.. I didn't really have plan but I did have a vision of myself. Places I wanted to be and things I wanted to experience.

"What about your bills? What happens when you can't afford your bills?"

Funny enough I make sure to acknowledge and appreciate the little things in life as much as possible. The small achievements never go unnoticed. The ability to pay my bills on time all year working for myself is one of those small successes that I'm extremely proud of. I'm a very strategic and organized person, so I plan my entire month weeks prior and allocate payments accordingly before I do any spending. Fortunately my growth in professionalism coincided with my growth in business and bills were not a concern of mine.

"I'm glad you brought up business - how did you get so many clients to work with you?"

I humbly can attribute my success to the power of word of mouth and a good reputation. The majority of my clients are people I didn't know last year that's for sure. I'm still relatively new in the photography industry, so a lot of the groundwork I had to do entirely myself. I made sure I was in places where people could benefit from my skill sets. I traveled to events on my own dollar and networked with as many people as possible with a purpose - networking with purpose is essential. And yes, I did shoot some clients for free - however I did not offer this option and I think that's something that needs to be identified. I don't believe you should offer your services for free. That is not the same thing - but there are certain opportunities and experiences that are worth more than short term money.

I'll give you an example - Vinny Guadagnino is now a client of mine but also a good friend as well. But how that came to fruition is what people don't see. In February I went to Los Angeles for NBA All-Star weekend just to experience the energy in LA and it was also my first time there. I went to an event and networked with purpose as I mentioned earlier and ended up connecting with a company named Boom Cups that hosted celebrity charity basketball events. Many of you know my basketball history already so you would also know that's right up my alley in terms of interest. They provided me with an option to shoot their next celebrity charity game for cancer in New York and gave me full freedom as long as they received the photos afterwards. There was no budget. I had to find my own way to New York, but once I got there they would provide me with everything I needed to do my job effectively. The decision to go to New York changed the trajectory of my mindset and catapulted me into a different category of business. During that game is where I shot Vinny and many other celebrities - however Vinny was the only one that reached out to me personally and asked permission to use my work on his page and credit me. Imagine.. A celebrity of his caliber asking nicely and crediting work when regular people and friends don't even do that for each other.. But I digress.

"How do you stay motivated in such a saturated market?"

I believe in this day and age every market is saturated due to minimal barriers of entry - so the factors that separate people is their work ethic and personality. Those are two things that you either have or you don't in my opinion. Anyone can pick up a tool and use it - but the way you go about things and how you build relationships is what provides longevity. I'm motivated by my refusal to be regular. I know I'm not regular. So I'll never be happy settling doing regular things.

"Last question.. In one word, how would you describe your style?"

Versatile.