What it’s like being a creative business owner
In a world where digital photographs are ubiquitous, where even our most precious photos of friends and family get lost in the ether of hard drives, Courtney Zerizef creates photos that deserve space on our walls and in photo albums that can serve as a piece of history in our families. Her images elevate ordinary moments and remind us that every day in our lives are sacred and beautiful. In her words, she aims to create images that serve as time capsules that bring us back to beautiful times of children growing up, weddings, and everyday family life. The moments she captures are the moments we will look at years down the road and feel connected to our history and celebrate where we came from.
Being a business owner not only allows Courtney to unleash her creative side, but also to think critically, solve problems through her own vision and create the change she wishes to see in the world. This is one of the reasons she helped to start the F1 Society, an organization that aims to provide local photographers with resources for their businesses, as well as improve their craft. This group acts as a space that encourages collaboration among professionals.
“We’re trying to create an environment that encourages collaboration and participation, with the idea that everyone means well and and wants to do well. I think in life, most people want to do a good job in their work, and if they’re not, it’s not for lack of desire, but usually for a lack of the necessary skill set, or not knowing where to go to find the resources they need. We wanted to create a place where we could discuss our needs, and provide the space to meet those needs.”
She’s also attending business school; she hopes to use this unique combination of education and experience as a creative business owner to help other creatives find their worth, something she has found to be lacking in art education. She wants to help break down walls in the creative industry to remove the stigma around how to price your work. As someone who is equally left and right brained, this has given Courtney a unique perspective within our time at The Creative Roundtable, as she offers insights from both business and artistic perspectives. Business school has taught her to compile information, analyze data and communicate it in a meaningful way; she hopes this skill will help her to communicate and teach other creatives how to go in depth when analyzing their own business practices, particularly when it comes to pricing creative services.
“How can we expect others to value our work if we don’t understand the value of what we provide?”
“How can we expect others to value our work if we don’t understand the value of what we provide?”… Click To TweetIn the creative world, our work is often devalued or undervalued. This happens for a number of reasons, but by helping creatives understand the value in their own work and services, Courtney hopes this will translate into a recognition of value on a larger scale when it comes to the clients we work with, and the services clients are willing to invest in.
“If we can work together to raise the entire creative industry, that raises everyone up. It’s less about competition and more about partnership.”
“I think it’s really important to dig down and find your value, but it takes time. It takes a lot of willingness to be vulnerable, and it can be really scary to do that. But I think it’s important because until you find your value, and feel confident in your value, no one else is going to pay you what you’re worth. I would also encourage creatives to value others the way you wish to be valued.”
Courtney beautifully marries her passion for taking a real life, raw approach to her photography. Her willingness to educate herself and work from a vulnerable place allows her to document the human experience in a meaningful way. You can learn more about Courtney Z here.
5 Suggestions for Creative Business Owners from Courtney Z.
1. Think less about competition and more about partnership
2. Value others the way you wish to be valued
3. You started your business because you rock at your creative niche. It’s just as important to take the time to learn to operate a legitimate business.
4. As creatives we constantly go through ebbs and flows. My advice is to do the work even when you don’t feel like it. When that creative inspiration strikes, you won’t have to start from scratch, you’ll already have a platform built to leap from.
5. Learn your value and also how to communicate that value with others.
Courtney is a member of our 24 Week Roundtable Program & shared her experience below:
“My experience in The Creative Roundtable (tCR) came at the perfect time. I recently moved to full-time freelance photography, and tCR has not only helped to keep me accountable, but has also given me resources to be able to start working from home on the right foot. Having a reliable group for support, guidance, and creating your own challenges has been instrumental in starting full-time freelancing with confidence.”
Applications will re-open soon for our next round of the 24 Week Roundtable Program, Learn more and apply today by clicking here!
