Interview 1 – 5

Interview 1

  1. Questions: 
    1. What creative profession do you specialize in?
    2. Why did you choose to get into your creative profession?
    3. What are your long-term goals as a creative?
    4. Has Covid-19 impacted your creative business and ability to reach your long-term goals?
    5. How have you adapted in your creative profession since Covid-19 pandemic?
  2. Interviewee 1-5
    1. Interviewee 1
      1. 2/28/2021 at AP Visuals Studio(my photography studio)
      2. Question Summary
        1. The person I spoke to had an overall optimistic look on her life and future career goals as someone that works in the PR Industry as an account executive helping with social media and branding for several companies despite the obstacles she had to face and endure due to the ongoing strains caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
        2. This person valued independence, freedom in doing what she choices and being able to be unapologetically herself in her work space. 
        3. She is trying to work up in the PR world but has found networking online to be very difficult due to the onset of Covid-19.
        4. Currently she is trying to network in the PR world through social media, online connections and word of mouth but has found it difficult.
        5. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic it was a lot harder for her to find a job and network with other creatives as well
        6. Typically she gets advice from higher ups in her company preferably from black woman in pr as they would have a similar journey to her journey.
        7. Covid-19 while impactful on the person Interviewed has not been detrimental to their career and this person has been able to successfully navigate through the obstacles.

Interview 2

  1. Questions and Responses: 
    1. What creative profession do you specialize in? – The person I interviewed is a full time photographer and videographer specializing in wedding photography and short range videos. 
    2. Why did you choose to get into your creative profession and what are current barriers in this industry? – They got into the creative industry because they came from a family of photographers and creatives and ever since they were little photography and camera work was something they always did.
    3. What are your long-term goals as a creative and has Covid-19 or any other obstacles in the industry impacted your long term goals? – The person’s long term goals are to expand the family wedding photography company to be known in multiple states outside of Georgia and begin partnerships with other photographers whom also specialize in wedding photography to help expand the business. Their goals have been temporarily impacted by Covid-19 due to very limited weddings happening which hurt business cash flow.
    4. How have you adapted in your creative profession since Covid-19 pandemic? – They added more emphasis on engagement and portrait photography as those appointments became more steady and have adapted to doing more styles of photography outside of weddings.
  2. Interviewee 2
    1. Interviewee 1
      1. 3/6/2021 on a Zoom Call
      2. Question Responses and Summary 
        1. The person I spoke to had an overall positive look on their life and future career goals despite a few obstacles they went through during the pandemic they have found themselves to be in a better position than ever.
        2. This person valued dependability and quality and spoke of their work being a pillar of both being reliable quality and that is something they want from other brands and businesses when working with them. One overall problem they spoke of in their industry is difficulty in finding equipment last second needed for shoots.
        3. The person I interviewed is currently trying to expand their wedding photography business.
        4. Currently, this person is marketing heavy through social media, ads and word of mouth.
        5. Currently, this person has found it difficult to keep up with marketing and social media to expand their business as they are often times booked on the photography end.
        6. Typically he gets his advice from his family and other wedding photographers in the in industry.
        7. They feel the creative industry is in healthy area as we move more out of the pandemic but still believe it not an easy job and very to hard establish yourself as a creative professional.

Interview 3

  1. Questions and Responses:
    1. What creative profession do you specialize in? – The person I interviewed is a Makeup Artist primarily who does photography on the side.
    2. Why did you choose to get into your creative profession and what are current barriers in this industry? – She chose these creative professions because she loves doing makeup and the expression different styles of makeup can convey on the face and chose photography because the joy she gets from creating images and concepts that are in their head and wanted to photograph the makeup looks she did.
    3. What are your long-term goals as a creative and has Covid-19 or any other obstacles in the industry impacted your long term goals? – Her longterm goals are to become a full time makeup artist/photographer. Covid-19 impacted her by basically limiting the amount of bookings she received throughout the year to lower then average while also making her hesitant to practice her business due to how close she may have to work with people.
    4. How have you adapted in your creative profession since Covid-19 pandemic? – She has implemented safety procedures but still finds its difficult to expand her business and receive consistent clientele that is not friends and family.
  2. Interviewee 3
    1. Interviewee 1
      1. 3/7/2021 on a phone call
      2. Question Summary
        1. The person I spoke to had an overall neutral to negative outlook on future career goals due to the obstacles she had to face and endure by the Covid-19 pandemic and the heavy amount of competition in her creative path leading to feelings of discouragement when pursuing thus creative path. 
        2. This person valued unfiltered creativity and being able to express herself in the make up she does for other people and concepts she makes.
        3. She is trying establish a full time income and turn her job as a makeup artist and photographer into a full time job.
        4. Currently she is trying to collab with more artists, market herself better on social media and find a niche that works best for them.
        5. She finds it expensive to consistently collaborate with artists as she is losing time and money even though it is beneficial for her portrayal. Operating on social media can cause a strain on her mental health leading to inconsistent marketing for her brand.
        6. Typically she gets advice from her mom and friends but not many people in the industry.
        7. She is also a full time college student and that is also a reason she finds it difficult to establish herself due to the amount of time

Interview 4

  1. Questions and Responses:
    1. What creative profession do you specialize in? The person I interviewed specialized in photography. 
    2. Why did you choose to get into your creative profession and what are current barriers in this industry? – The person chose this profession because it grew into a passion and he wanted to create images that conveyed black beauty. An obstacle he stated was getting your name out there and how expensive equipment can be.
    3. What are your long-term goals as a creative and has Covid-19 or any other obstacles in the industry impacted your long term goals? – His long term goals were to get his work placed in museums, art galleries and print books and state the pandemic did not affect his long term goals at all.
    4. How have you adapted in your creative profession since Covid-19 pandemic?- He stated that Covid-19 pandemic has not affected his business too much and has not had to adapt in any way or form
    1. Interviewee 4
      1. 3/9/2021 at AP Visuals Studio(my photography studio)
      2. Question Summary
        1. He had an overall good but hungry attitude when it came for his profession because he strived for more. 
        2. This person valued independence, black art and freedom of expression.
        3. He is currently trying to have his work placed in museums and art galleries. He is also working on releasing his first print book.
        4. Currently he is trying to network for connections, establish relationships with people in the art world.
        5. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic he finds it a lot harder for him to meet the right people for his current full time goals to happen
        6. He typically says he gets his advice from his uncle who was a producer and considers him a mentor.
        7.  

Interview 5

Questions and Responses

  1. What creative profession do you specialize in? – This person works as a photographer as well as a director/videographer.
  2. Why did you choose to get into your creative profession and what are current barriers in this industry? – She chose this profession because ever since she was a youth she always thought directing and making a movie was very fascinating and after trying it out she found it to be something she loves.
  3. What are your long-term goals as a creative and has Covid-19 or any other obstacles in the industry impacted your long term goals? – Her long term goals are to direct a feature film and inspire a generation of black woman to become directors as well.
  4. How have you adapted in your creative profession since Covid-19 pandemic? – The pandemic she said has slowed down the amount of work she gets and the amount of time she gets to be on set due to less jobs.
    1. Interviewee 5
      1. 3/9/2021 on a Zoom Call
      2. Question Summary
        1. The person I spoke to had an overall optimistic look on her future career goals despite the obstacles she had to face and endure due to the ongoing strains caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
        2. This person valued independence, freedom in doing what she choices and being able to be unapologetically herself in her work space.
        3. She is trying to work up in the film world but has found it hard to be accepted due to her being a black woman in an industry dominated by white men.
        4. Currently she is trying to gain more experience and connections. While trying to direct a few short films
        5. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic it was a lot harder for her to find a job and network with other creatives as well
        6. Typically she gets advice from reddit boards, her parents and friends in the industry she has.
        7. She is a graduate of Georgia State University.

Analysis 

In my analysis one reoccurring theme i saw among the 5 creatives I interviewed is that they are all looking for a good way to establish themselves as a creative professional. They often spoke of how a creative pathway is a lot more unpredictable then a normal career pathway and usually for most of the creatives I interviewed the Covid-19 pandemic only made the challenge of a creative establishing themselves in the creative world more difficult.

Insights

My first insight is that creatives often do not know what steps to take when pursuing a creative profession, are always looking for ways to establish themselves and I often see creatives doing although different activities have the same end goal in mind is to make a successful living as a creative.