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How I realized that starting a business was the best decision I could make for myself as a design student.
Over the past year, my mindset has been completely altered due to a realization that the easiest, most efficient way to be successful in life is to not just work hard, but to understand the importance of entrepreneurship. Despite being a student at the University of Cincinnati and being a mere five-minute walk away from the Lindner College of Business, I had never had any interaction or experience with almost anything business related. Growing up, my father was a landlord, but I was never really interested in learning about his management of our family's seven rental properties.
Unfortunately, that lack of interest remained a bit constant. My first year or so of college was completely remote, due to the pandemic; I'd graduated from Walnut Hills High School in 2020, my last two and a half months of high school cut short unexpectedly. I had been taking Economics during my last semester of high school, but hadn't paid much attention to it as the lovely senioritis had been kicking in by that point. Of course once everything went remote, I really didn't pay much attention to the course. Once I got to college, my curriculum for Urban Planning required only a Micro-Economics course besides planning courses. Unfortunately, I once again, did not pay attention to the asynchronous course, finding the majority of the answers for the homework on Quizlet or Chegg like all the rest of Gen Z.
It really wasn't until a couple months after I'd met my now-best friend that I began to realize that I'd missed multiple opportunities to learn more about the world of business. After complaining to them that I felt a bit lost in studying Urban Planning, they urged me to take it upon myself to learn more about business, to be accountable and basically find something that was really going to fulfill me in life, instead of complaining and not doing anything about it. I began to slowly immerse myself in the Center of Entrepreneurship at UC, and brainstorming ways to start a side-hustle. I'll spare you the details of what I learned for the sake of not making this seem like an academic essay, but the importance of financial literacy and not having to be financially dependent on anyone or anything quickly made its way to the forefront of my mind.
Me (center) grabbing a bowl of Bibibop (definitely try - it's so good) at the Center of Entrepreneurship.
When looking for ideas to start a small business, my friend had suggested I start a photography business as I'd had a long-time passion for the art form. But for whatever reason, whether it be my pride or my annoying stubbornness to come up with ideas or solutions without anyone else's help, I steered clear of photography. Instead, I looked at two other ideas: singing and graphic design.
I'd been an officially trained classical singer for over four years by that point, singing in Cincinnati's May Festival Chorus and was a soloist for Westwood First Presbyterian Church's Chancel Choir. Less professionally, I'd won multiple local singing competitions in Cincinnati and had auditioned for a national talent competition, advancing through several rounds but ultimately not proceeding due to the fact that I was still in high school. Needless to say, I felt I could potentially make some money with my voice. However, after doing some quick research, I came to the conclusion that I'd have to purchase a new microphone: a large investment that I did not want to make.
Graphic design was a more feasible option in that I not only already had the skills but the software as well, through my studies with Urban Planning at UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). I found my first client through a friend of a friend who had been looking to start a clothing line and needed a logo. I found him to be difficult to work with and realized I didn't really have a passion for what I was doing, as I thought I would have. And so, after that client paid me my final payment, I caved and decided to give photography a go.
I had extensive previous experience with photography, having been taking photos with my father's Nikon D750 since I was 14. I also had experience creating websites, having designed a website for breeding my family's German Shorthaired Pointer (I love her to death) and finding the puppies' forever homes, as well as creating a website for my father's rental properties. So, designing my website was already something that I knew would be a big undertaking, but one that I would enjoy a lot.
As soon as I launched my website, I immediately began seeking various marketing methods. I learned how to pitch myself, my artform, and my business quickly. I taught myself how to use analytics effectively and took every opportunity to learn as much as I can, sometimes getting only about two hours of sleep due to that dedication. Through being an ambassador for the Center of Entrepreneurship, I went to many classes within DAAP, encouraging art students to get involved in some form of business. It was through these presentations that I began to truly appreciate how much the business world requires creative thinkers, aka design students, and how the world is in some ways not encouraging this connection. And so, I became a figure head to many DAAP students, in that I encouraged them to sell what they were making, reach out to people who could teach them how do this, connect them with resources that will help them grow more quickly. During these presentations, I cited my own experience as a simple art student who now has a business, without ever actually taking a business class.
So, I guess, to summarize and explain my reasoning as to why I decided to write this story as my first blog post, I want to iterate that when art and business are combined, that is how the world is changed for the better. I realized that no matter how good you are at sewing a new outfit, creating a new sculpture, designing a new logo or product, or taking photographs, you have to understand how to sell those creations, better a customer's life because of it, and learn how to grow your earnings because of it. This revelation has changed my entire perspective on not only my own mindset, but how the world and economy and way of life works. Being able to empower not only myself, but also others who have been told that their career options are limited due to the corporate world and a lack of an entrepreneurial mindset, has been one of the biggest things that has given me purpose over this past year. This little photography business means so much more to me because of that and every person I photograph, I thank not only for letting me do what I love, but also letting me discover myself.
All my love,
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