First Time For Everything… Again

How re-envisioning my career serves as a reminder of how far conservation storytelling has come. Plus a few tips in case you’re on a similar path.

Feature Image Courtesy Carlee Koehler

It’s kind of strange after ten years of working as a freelancer to feel like I’m embarking on it for the first time. Last year, I quietly founded Neon Raven Story Labs, spending 2019 cultivating new clients and transitioning existing ones under the umbrella of my new LLC. Something happened in the process. I felt rejuvenated, and like I found my voice in a way that I never had before.

For starters, the very fact that there is room in this world for a company like Neon Raven exemplifies how far we’ve come with conservation photography. It used to be that many of us billed ourselves as wildlife photographers. Our specialty was just that, that we were good at photographing wildlife. The description felt limiting. It was difficult to communicate to businesses and nonprofits that we weren’t just offering nice imagery for them to use. How could we better define what we offered?

Now wildlife and environmental storytelling is a rich landscape that encompasses a cornucopia of media in a single place from stills and motion, to illustrations and animations, and we can’t undercut the value of the well-written word. I look at today’s media environment as world-building, doing everything we can to give people the feeling of virtual immersion and memory.

As I built out Neon Raven, it drove me to take stock of that environment, and the talented cohort of creatives that have built their lives around conservation storytelling. They are the ones who, though we all run our own endeavors, are my partners. We champion one another, collaborate on projects, advocate for the industry, basically working together to grow this profession and help keep the lights on. We push each other to think creatively in ways that we otherwise might not. For that I am so grateful.

Building Neon Raven also allowed me to be a better advocate for myself and for storytelling. Something happens when you switch from the traditional [Your Name Here] Photography to a unique business name. I’m talking pragmatically and idealistically. I should note right now, I am not a legal expert. (I know. Surprise!) So of course make sure to consult actual legal experts for anything that pertains to laws and regs.

 

Liability

Legally, it’s much easier to separate the personal from the professional with an LLC. Something I encourage even if you’re operating under your name. Forming an LLC creates a boundary between liabilities and your personal property and finances.

Money Management

It’s just soooo much easier having separate accounts for business expenses. It may also be a psychological effect, but I don’t agonize anymore over purchasing what I need to make sure the business has the supplies it needs to function properly. It used to be that I’d triage business expenses, such as upgrading a piece of equipment because I’d worry about how that would take away from paying for next month’s home utility bill. I felt like I was always on the brink. (And sometimes I was.)

But when I became more disciplined about financially separating the accounts, it’s like my brain shifted the way it organized budgeting. And guess what. I learned I could upgrade that piece of equipment and pay next month’s utility bill. It relieved stress and led to healthier accounting.

 

DEFINING PRODUCTS

By reframing my business under a new name and mission, it suddenly became so much easier to envision and outline exactly what my company offered.

Taking a step back, and separating myself from what I offered made it easier to see the deliverables and trade skills that would translate well to clients. I found the right packaging that the storytelling comes in. This has led to more business opportunities, and a healthier accounting.

ADVOCATING FOR YOURSELF

How many of you have ever struggled with sticking up for yourself? It’s so easy to say that you’ll give more and take less because you don’t want someone to think less of you. When you operate under your name, everything is so deeply tied to your personal vision of yourself and the perception of you in the world that it can be easy to make too many concessions.

There is still plenty of me in Neon Raven, but shifting to Neon Raven creates just enough distance. It’s as though everything I care about concerning conservation is wrapped into the business mission. I’m advocating for a mission, not so much worried about whether I’m talking too much about myself. It’s the issues that are important, and that’s what drives my campaign to share stories. Ultimately, this helps me better advocate for conservation and for myself and leads to healthier accounting. See a trend forming?

IDENTITY BUILDING

This is a big one. How do you define yourself? It’s such a deceptively simple-sounding question, isn’t it? But when you dive in, so much angst stares back at you. Defining yourself is such a big ask. So much hinges on it! Is it permanent? Is this how I’ll always be known? What if I mess up?

First, this definition will always grow and change. So don’t feel locked in. But somehow taking yourself out of it and placing this definition under the auspices of a business name makes it feel less scary, and in many ways easier to articulate because you are not wrapping it into your own personal identity.

Founding Neon Raven gave me creative freedom to think of qualities and symbols that represent my worldview and how I see conservation storytelling contributing to that world. It allowed me to feel a little more playful with the overall look and design, and I think in many ways allowed a more personal expression to come out without the fear of being personally judged. You know. Kind of like an alter ego.

So, so far I can personally say that coming up with that business name is kind of like becoming a superhero, or a professional wrestler. I mean, I don’t picture myself as either of those, but it’s adopting that moniker that will embolden you to approach life in ways that until now lived only in your dreams. I am so excited for the future, and the Neon Raven is quickly becoming my spirit animal. So far, it seems to be doing a good job of lighting the way.