Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Messner.
Nicole, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always followed creative pursuits. For as long as I can remember, I was drawing, painting, collaging, and building pieces of art since I was a kid. Through school, I continued my creative pursuits and migrated towards painting, drawing, and I’ve always loved collage. But that all got put to the sideline in high school when I took my first photography class. I was in love.
This was the creative outlet that just clicked (no pun intended) for me. Photography has so many options – as daunting as that can be, it was also what I love about it. Instead of spending hours on a painting and never feeling done, photography allowed me to explore outdoors and people and things and capture an endless amount of images – then there are endless ways you can edit them! It was amazing to me!! I got a cheap camera, and that camera was with me wherever I went.
I continued to click away in high school, and as I looked towards college I was nervous about having a fine art major, and at the same time, I wanted to continue to expand my artistic knowledge. I entered UCLA as a Design major and eventually added an arts education minor. Without the help, support, and encouragement of my high school teacher I wouldn’t have pursued photography, so I wanted to give teaching a try.
Additionally, I was able to intern with Atlantic Records for social media marketing – and here was really the beginning of my business. Immediately after graduating I started my business combining my love for photography, my interest in social media, and my knowledge in graphic design. Today I help local businesses manage their social media pages, create beautiful content for their businesses, and photograph a variety of subjects.
The best part of my job is the variety – I photograph boudoir, food, families, events, models, and more. I can’t tell you how the contacts and experiences have overlapped and shaped my business today. It’s always moving and morphing and finding where it wants to go and I am always excited to see what place we go next.
Has it been a smooth road?
For me, starting a business in a city where I was born and raised was a huge help. I already had a great network of contacts, and it was easy to expand. Ventura is a big little city, and the connections that I have encountered are amazing, and I feel like I have barely dipped into the pool of possibilities here. With that said, it hasn’t always been a smooth road.
First, being young and unfamiliar in the ‘real working world’ was hard to navigate. As I’m already young, I look even younger, so sometimes that has been a factor in the sense of people trusting me with their business and trusting my pricing. But the more jobs, the more experience, and the more difficult situations I have encountered have helped me grow and know how to navigate different situations. Learning to stand alone and stand firm has been an ongoing lesson.
Also, being self-employed is AMAZING, and I wouldn’t (and probably couldn’t) trade it for anything else. BUT with self-employment you don’t always have a regular check coming you, you don’t know what this month is going to bring, and things always fall through, so learning how to live and budget on an inconsistent income has been a challenge in itself.
Lastly, as a creative, you and your work are always being judged, and you are always judging it. Is this good? What am I doing next? What do I need to be doing? It’s very easy to be hard on yourself and then find the next step and the next project and the next pathway to follow. Working alone is hard, and you have to find other creatives to bounce ideas off of and to inspire you and excite your work!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Wise Photography & Social Media story. Tell us more about the business.
Wise Photography & Social Media was born as a blend of two of my skill sets – photography & social media! I help businesses manage, organize, and build content for their social media. But, I also offer photography in a variety of subjects, and this is what I am mainly known for.
I don’t think I could ever become a niche photographer, it just sounds too repetitive for me. I like to shoot with inspiring models, families, brands (food or product based), and more. I definitely prefer some subjects over others, but the variety is really what makes my days interesting. One day I might be photography a beautiful woman in lingerie and maybe the next I’m taking pictures of burgers and beer. The one thing every session has in common is “how can I make this interesting?”
The variety is what I believe sets me apart and what I am most proud of about my company. I don’t want to limit myself, and I don’t want to pass up an experience. All my sessions bring something new to my work, my business, and my knowledge and I treasure that.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
In the future, I see my business shifting more towards photography exclusively, it is my love and passion and what excites me the most. I want to travel more and expand my business and network as much as I can!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wisebynicole.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/wisebynicole
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/wisebynicole
Image Credit:
Albert Munoz & Wise Photography
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